Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) referrals 008-02010000

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) under Part II of the Disability Services Act 1986 funds the ADE services. These services employ and support people with disabilities, injuries or illnesses often in specialist working environments.

ADEs are generally not for profit organisations that play an important and valuable role in providing supported employment opportunities to people with moderate to severe disability across Australia. ADEs offer similar working conditions to other employers and an opportunity for people with disability to contribute and connect to their local community. ADEs provide a wide range of employment opportuning including packing, assembly, production, recycling, screen-printing, plant nursery, garden maintenance and landscaping, cleaning services, laundry services and food services.

Services Australia does not assess a person’s eligibility to work at an ADE.

Eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants receive funding through their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan to support them to work at an ADE.

Refer enquiries about working at an ADE to NDIA.

DSP customers under the age of 35 are exempt from participation requirements while they report ADE employment income.

If ADE employment stops, and the customer still meets other DSP participation requirements criteria, they may be required to attend DSP participation interviews and sign a DSP Participation Plan.

Services Australia staff do not make referrals to ADE.

Prior to the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Disability Employment Assistance (DEA) program was the Australian Government’s supported employment program. The DEA program ceased on 31 March 2021. The majority of supported employees have transitioned to the NDIS, with ADEs claiming funding from NDIS participant plans.

Further information about supported employment under the NDIS can be found on their website, including information on the new NDIS pricing framework introduced on 1 July 2020 and NDIS eligibility requirements.

Eligibility to work in an ADE is now restricted to those NDIS participants who have an employment goal indicated in their NDIS approved plan and related funding.

The person must be deemed eligible through the nature of their disability to participate in the NDIS.

After the eligibility assessment, the participant, through the NDIA receives an NDIS plan. Typically, the plan will include funds based on the reasonable and necessary support needs of the participant.

Should the participant have employment goals, they may choose to work in an ADE. If this is the case, they can independently, or with support, approach an ADE with a view to supported employment. If agreed, the ADE can use funding through the participant's plan to support them in their supported employment.

Customers employed with an ADE employer may have their employment income reported by the ADE employer through the Employer Electronic Reporting (EER) process. This process removes the need for vulnerable customers to report their employment income, ensuring correct payment under the relevant income test.

ADEs may report a customer's employment income to Services Australia via a secure transfer mechanism. The employment income data is automatically applied to the customer's record.

Services Australia can receive employment income information from ADE employers any day in the fortnight because of the Electronic Earnings Reporting (EEO) channel type.

Customers are required to complete the Employer Reporting - Customer Consent (SS407) form to allow the ADE employer to provide the customer's employment details through EER. There will be a FLASH DOC on every customer's record participating in EER. This alerts Service Officers not to update or alter the customer's ADE employment information.

Note: ADE employers are responsible for submitting the Customer Consent form. Therefore, if issued directly to a customer tell them to lodge it with their employer

The ADE employer signs a Privacy and Security Agreement, to allow Services Australia to receive this information. The stimulus (STM) is put to OFF because the customer no longer has to report. Direct questions relating to employer reporting and the coding of customer records to the National Business Gateway.