Request an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) 001-02330010

See Determining when an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) is required, to determine if a request for an ESAt is required.

Assessment Services are responsible for booking, cancelling and rescheduling all ESAt appointments.

Service Officers must not book and cannot cancel or reschedule ESAt appointments.

Does an existing ESAt appointment need to be cancelled or rescheduled?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, and a request for an ESAt is required for a:
• Job seeker or young person with a disability, go to step 2
• DSP customer or claimant, go to step 3
• Customer experiencing vulnerability, go to Step 4

Job seekers do not need an ESAt referral when lodging a medical certificate for temporary incapacity. Consider granting an exemption from mutual obligation requirements. See Assessing and coding medical evidence for temporary incapacity exemptions.

Request an ESAt for a job seeker or young person with a disability where:

• a job seeker lodges medical evidence, such as a Verification of medical condition(s) (SU684) form and requires an assessment of their work capacity. Scan the documents using an MFD, before making an ESAt request. Do not book the ESAt directly
• the Job Seeker Snapshot flags an ESAt may be required. Do not request an ESAt until medical evidence is supplied if:
• the ESAt was flagged for medical reasons only, and
• the jobseeker cannot or has not supplied medical evidence within 14 days of completing the Job Seeker Snapshot
  See Actioning a pending Job Seeker Snapshot initiated Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) activity
• the job seeker has entered a residential care facility
• an assessment for Youth Disability Supplement (YDS) is required
• they volunteer for employment services, for example:
• a Disability Support Pension (DSP) customer wishes to volunteer for employment services (use referral code DSPV), or
• a job seeker is not claiming or receiving an income support payment and is seeking access to employment services
• they are temporarily not able to work or study and do not have a job or study to return to. An ESAt will determine if the customer has a:
• Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (TRWC), or
• Partial Capacity to Work (PCW)
• exceptional circumstances exist

Go to step 5.

Request an ESAt for a DSP customer or claimant where:

• they are under 35 years old have participation requirements – after a Disability Medical Assessment (DMA), an ESAt is required to confirm their work capacity (use referral code DSPU)
• they have had their claim rejected and the Medical Assessment Team (MAT) recommend a review of work capacity and/or employment services referrals. This could be if:
• the customer is assessed as manifestly ineligible for DSP by the MAT and the Assessor has recommended the customer requires an ESAt to review work capacity and/or employment services referrals, or
• the customer was not in receipt of or claiming income support payment at the time of the MAT assessment and although MAT have not indicated an ESAt is required, a check of the customer's record indicates an ESAt request should be made, or
• a DMA report has been submitted indicating medical ineligibility requiring a reassessment of work capacity and/or employment services referrals

Go to step 5.

If the customer is experiencing vulnerability, to determine if they meet the vulnerability criteria, see Customers experiencing vulnerability. They may be someone who:

• has a suspected mental health condition, and
• is unable to be effectively assessed through usual procedures because they are disengaged from the health system, or
• is unable to obtain suitable medical evidence

Is the customer experiencing vulnerability and would benefit from an ESAt?

• Yes, contact the Assessment Services National Administration team (ASNAT) on 1800 110 608. Do not give this number to the job seeker
• No, go to step 5

Make sure:

• the job seeker has an active Job Seeker Identification Number (JSID)
• To request an ESAt referral, the customer must have a JSID and an active job seeker registration status
• a Disability Support Pension (DSP) new claim/review of decision is not in progress
• Do not request an ESAt until the new claim/review of decision process has been finalised
• there are no active ESAt referral activities (JSR/UPD, RFL/UPD or ESAt appointment required DOC) on the customer record
• there are no unfinalised ESAt or JCA reports on the customer record. See Checking and actioning Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) reports
• all relevant documentation, including historical Medical Information File Envelope (MIFE) information, has been scanned and attached to the customer's record before making the request
• the customer's contact details are current - update if required
• the customer's language requirements are correctly coded on the customer record

Has the job seeker entered a residential aged care facility?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 7

Regardless of whether the customer has lodged medical evidence or not, if they have entered a residential care facility Service Officers must:

• where there is no medical evidence available
• issue a Consent to disclose medical information (SA472), and
• request the customer/nominee to sign the form, so contact with their Treating Health Professional (THP) can be actioned
• send an email to Assessment Services with classification OFFICAL: Sensitive. Refer to Disability, Assurance, Support Team (DAS) in Assessment Services for the email address:
• Subject line: JSP customer enters residential aged care
• Email body: Customer CRN {insert CRN here} JSP customer has moved into a Residential Aged Care Facility. ESAt may need to be completed as a file assessment. Please consider suitability for completion of an upgraded ESAt with DSP invite to claim. Contact with the customer/nominee/THP/3rd party may be required, to obtain the required evidence to support the assessment
• record a DOC. Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Jobseekers > Updates > JSP customer enters residential care

Procedure ends here.

If there are no open ESAt referral activities (JSR/UPD, RFL/UPD or ESAt appointment required DOC) on the customer record:

• Record an ESAt appointment required DOC. Due to a system limitation do not use Process Direct for Fast Note. In Customer First use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Generic > Appointments > ESAt Appointment Required
• Once the text has been confirmed:
• update all text fields to reflect the customer’s circumstances
• add any special needs information including reasons for requesting a face-to-face appointment
• delete information that is not appropriate
• if there are exceptional circumstances or personal factors not recorded in the Job Seeker Snapshot, include these details in the request
• Leave the Fast Note open. It does not need to be transferred out or re-categorised. This will occur automatically

Assessment Services will:

• screen the request, and
• make the ESAt booking if required

Note: Staff Feedback will be provided to Service Officers who are identified as inappropriately booking ESAt appointments.

Procedure ends here.

Service Officers cannot cancel or reschedule ESAt appointments.

Assessment Services are responsible for cancelling and rescheduling all ESAt appointments.

There may be situations where an ESAt request is made but is no longer required. In these cases, the customer will need to be transferred to Assessment Services.

Reasons for this may include the following:

• the customer withdraws their claim
• the customer has changed address and moved out of the area, so the assessment appointment needs to be rebooked in the new area (for face-to-face appointments)
• the request was made in error
• the Service Officer determines that an ESAt initiated by the Job Seeker Snapshot is no longer required
• the job seeker is not receiving a payment with mutual obligation requirements and does not wish to proceed with an ESAt appointment. In these cases, inactivate the job seeker registration

If the ESAt is no longer required or an existing appointment requires rescheduling, contact Assessment Services with an explanation. After making the request, record details on a DOC.

Assessment Services will decide whether the ESAt request can be finalised as 'unable to complete'.