Determining when an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) is required 001-02330040

An ESAt is not required to assess a temporary incapacity exemption from mutual obligation requirements for job seekers receiving:

• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Youth Allowance (YA)
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• Special Benefit (SpB)

Services Australia staff will make all decisions about granting a temporary incapacity exemption, based on available evidence, including:

• the medical certificate completed by the job seeker's medical practitioner
• any other relevant medical information

Some job seekers who lodge a medical certificate may still be referred for an ESAt where there is not a current and valid assessment of the customer's work capacity, and the medical certificate and other available information indicates that the job seeker may:

• have a Partial Capacity to Work (PCW), and/or a Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (TRWC)
• be eligible for a more appropriate payment such as Disability Support Pension (DSP) (where it is not more appropriate to invite a claim for DSP)

Service Officers must use discretion about when an ESAt is required in each case.

If a referral is made, the Assessor will also consider if the job seeker may benefit from referral to specialist assistance such as Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA).

An ESAt is required before Partial Capacity to Work (PCW) or Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (TRWC) can be determined.

An assessed PCW or TRWC will reduce mutual obligation requirements for job seekers receiving:

• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Youth Allowance (YA)
• Parenting Payment (PP), or
• Special Benefit (SpB)

The level of the job seeker's PCW or TRWC will be determined by the information in the ESAt report.

YA (job seeker) customers may be considered independent when they are assessed as having a PCW via an ESAt. The customer will be eligible for independent status only for the period they are assessed as having a PCW. See Assessing independence for Youth Allowance (job seeker) customers with a partial capacity to work.

The Assessor may also recommend appropriate interventions and referral options for these job seekers.

The following customers who wish to test their eligibility for Youth Disability Supplement, require an ESAt if there is no current and valid assessment of the customer's work capacity:

• Youth Allowance (YA) customers (job seekers, full-time students and Australian Apprentices), and
• ABSTUDY customers (full-time students and Australian Apprentices receiving Living Allowance)

Customers aged under 22 years who have a capacity to work of less than 30 hours per week, may have their rate of YA or ABSTUDY increased by the inclusion of Youth Disability Supplement.

Note: SpB recipients are not eligible for YDS.

See Youth Disability Supplement (YDS).

Referral to an Assessor may be required when an ESAt is identified:

• when the Job Seeker Snapshot is conducted:
  • online as part of the new claim process or during the Participation Interview, and
  • where there is not a current and valid assessment of the customer's work capacity that can be reapplied to complete the new Job Seeker Snapshot
• by a Service Officer

If it is determined that the job seeker does not have significant barriers requiring assessment, the requirement for an ESAt can be:

• removed during the Participation Interview by selecting > Participation Interview > Job seeker registration & provider referral information > Participation Interview
• withdrawn, if these workflows are already finalised and the Job Seeker Snapshot status is now pending

The decision to remove or withdraw an ESAt flag must be clearly documented on the job seeker record including details of how the decision was made.

Withdrawal of the ESAt flag while the Job Seeker Snapshot status is pending can be actioned in Process Direct via:

• > Participation Summary > Job seeker registration & provider referral information > Copy/withdraw ESAt/JCA workflow
• See Actioning a pending Job Seeker Snapshot initiated Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) activity

Note: the pending Job Seeker Snapshot and ESAt flag will be automatically completed when the:

• ESAt report is submitted by the Assessor, or
• outcomes of an existing current and valid assessment of the customer's work capacity are reapplied to complete the new Job Seeker Snapshot, or
• ESAt flag is withdrawn

An ESAt may be required for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers who volunteer for employment assistance where there is not a valid assessment of the customer's work capacity.

The correct DSP Volunteer referral code must be used for these requests in order to make sure that the customer's payment is not affected by the outcomes of the assessment.

After a job seeker's DSP claim is rejected, an ESAt may be required to review work capacity and/or employment services referrals. This could be if:

• a Disability Medical Assessment (DMA) report has been submitted indicating medical ineligibility and the customer is receiving or claiming a job seeker payment (e.g. JSP, YA, PP or SpB)
• the customer is assessed as manifestly ineligible for DSP by MAt and the Assessor has recommended an ESAt and the customer is in receipt of, or claiming a job seeker payment, or
• the customer was not receiving or claiming a job seeker payment at the time the MAt report was completed, therefore an ESAt was not recommended. However, the customer is now receiving or claiming a job seeker payment, and a check of the customer's record indicates an ESAt request should be made

Note: if MAt report recommends an ESAt referral for a customer not receiving or claiming a job seeker payment, do not create an ESAt referral. Include notes in the DSP claim finalisation DOC to explain why ESAt referral was not created.

Customers who directly register with an IEA provider and do not have a valid assessment of their work capacity may require a referral for an ESAt to determine the most suitable employment service .

The ESAt request will be completed by the IEA provider. Services Australia will accept the ESAt report once it is submitted by the Assessor except where the customer does not have a Customer Reference Number (CRN).

If a refugee customer wants a voluntary referral to a WFA provider:

• Check if the customer has a current and valid ESAt recorded (via the Referral Summary (RRSUM) screen)
• If the customer has not had an ESAt recorded, request an ESAt by:
  • contacting the Assessment Services Customer Support Team (ASCST) where the customer is ready to undertake the assessment at that time, or
  • emailing the Focus Response Team mailbox with the customer details and reason for request so that Assessment Services can book an ESAt and notify the customer of their appointment.