Understanding Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) reports 008-06070030

• The customer has been referred to the Assessor
• The report has not been submitted by the Assessor
• No action is required by the referring team

Note: the status of the JCA can be found on the ESAt/JCA View Referral screen which is accessed via the following:

• in Customer First:
• using the Employment Services or JCA Referral Information workflow under Referrals, or
• the NSS/JCA activity
• in Process Direct:
• key ‘RRSUM’ in the Super Key field, select Enter or
• Select > DSP Claim Summary > JCA/ESAt or Select > Participation Summary > Activity type/Non-applied exemptions > Referral Summary

• The Assessor is working on the report
• The report has not been submitted by the Assessor
• No action is required by the referring team
• A report with this status can be viewed by the Assessor, but is not available on the customer's record

• The customer has been referred for a specialist assessment or is awaiting further medical information
• The report will not be submitted by the Assessor until further information is received
• No action is required by the referring team

• The Assessor has conducted the assessment and submitted the report
• An NSS/JCA activity is created to inform the referring team the report is submitted
• A report with this status can be viewed by selecting the relevant JCA report in the customer's record

Action

• The report needs to be checked and actioned, either by accepting or returning the report via the JCA Report Complete screen. See Checking and actioning a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report
• Once the NSS/JCA activity has been completed, the report cannot be accepted or returned

When the report is accepted, the status will remain 'Submitted' for 28 days.

The report becomes Finalised from day 29, or when a staff member with suitable access requests early finalisation of the JCA report. See Request to finalise an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report to create a new JCA referral.

• A new assessment referral cannot be made while there is an existing report with a status of submitted (not yet finalised). In some cases it may be necessary to manually finalise the existing report, to allow a new referral to proceed
• If a customer requests a copy of the JCA report while the status is 'Submitted', they must lodge a Freedom of Information - I want to access or change documents (SI031). See Release of Disability Support Pension (DSP) Medical Assessment reports

If the status label is 'Reopened', the Assessor has reopened the report to amend some referral details. Only the Support Requirements, Interventions and Referrals tabs are editable, no medical or work capacity details can be amended by the Assessor.

• For example, an Employment Services Provider may request an Assessor to reconsider a referral recommendation if they do not believe they are the right service for the customer. If the Assessor agrees, they can reopen the report and change the referral recommendation
• An Assessor can reopen a JCA report if the report still has a status of 'Submitted' and is not yet 'Finalised'
• The JCA Report Complete screen is not available (the View JCA Report button is protected on the ESAt/JCA View Referral screen)

• Services Australia has returned (rejected) the report back to the Assessor for amendment
• The JCA Report Complete screen is not available. The View JCA Report button is protected on the ESAt/JCA View Referral screen

If the status label is 'Unable to Complete', the Assessor could not finalise the assessment. This may be due to:

• customer non-attendance
• incorrect referral for example, the correct procedure for referring a DSP customer volunteering for employment assistance was not followed
• the customer does not consent to sharing information
• Services Australia or the Employment Services Provider who initiated the referral, determines an assessment is no longer required at this time

The Assessor may give further rationale for the reasons why the report cannot be completed in the Assessment Summary section of the report. Any additional information required should be obtained by contacting the Assessor by phone and clearly recorded on a DOC.

Actions

See Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) and Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) appointments.

• If the customer does not consent to sharing information:
• the Assessor must have read the Client Information Sharing Statement (CISS) to the customer and explained the possible consequences of not proceeding with the JCA at the beginning of the interview
• any claim may be rejected or the customer may be required to participate in an activity that is inappropriate for them

• If the status label is 'Finalised' the report was submitted at least 28 days ago and Services Australia has accepted the report (the NSS/JCA activity is completed) and/or a staff member with the relevant access has requested early finalisation of the JCA report
• A report with this status can be viewed by selecting the relevant JCA report from the customer's record
• The Assessor is unable to reopen the report
• Services Australia cannot accept or return (reject) the report

From 1 April 2023, the Impairment Tables used to assess the impact of a customer’s condition(s) changed. This included a change to terminology.

Job Capacity Assessors use the Impairment Tables to assign impairment ratings, when completing assessments for DSP.

The date of claim and date of effect of the JCA Report, will determine which version of the Impairment Tables and terminology is used in the JCA report.

Check the date of effect for the DSP Claim (PNA/Start date).

Date of claim and date of effect of JCA is before 1 April 2023

• If a customer has a medical condition that will impact for less than 2 years it will be assessed as Temporary
• If a customer has a medical condition that will impact for more than 2 years, it will be assessed as:
• Permanent, and
• Either Fully Diagnosed Treated and Stabilised (FDTS) or Not Fully Diagnosed Treated and Stabilised

Date of claim and date of effect of JCA is on or after 1 April 2023

• If a customer has a medical condition that will impact for less than 2 years it will be assessed as persist for less than 2 years
• If a customer has a medical condition which will impact for more than 2 years, it will be assessed as:
• persist for more than 2 years
• Diagnosed, Reasonably Treated and Stabilised (DTS) or Not Diagnosed, Reasonably Treated and Stabilised

The Client Details are populated from the customer's record.

Referral Details in the JCA report contains information completed when the JCA referral was made. This determines the format of the report.

There is a core set of information in each JCA report.

Depending on the reason for assessment, there may be additional fields populated throughout the report.

The assessments for different referral reasons will produce different reports

This is because each assessment for each referral reason asks the Assessor to provide particular information relevant to that assessment type.

'Referring on behalf of' details should be completed where Services Australia has recorded a referral on behalf of another agency that is unable to record the referral.

The Assessment Details tab contains details of the Assessor and the assessment including:

• name of Assessor, Professional Discipline and site code. While the full name of the Assessor will be visible when the report is in Citrix, once in PDF format the full name will not be seen. Only a first name, Centrelink and Citrix logon ID's are shown and details of the Contributing Assessor (if one was required)
• form of assessment (face to face, telephone, other)
• interpreter details if applicable - Interpreted language confirms the Assessor used an interpreter
• date/s of assessment
• whether the customer has been advised about information sharing arrangements

Note: Assessors are required to read an information sharing statement to the customer explaining how JCA information can be shared and with whom at each JCA appointment conducted via face-to-face or by phone. File Assessments will always have a response of 'No' as there is no requirement for the Assessor to contact and read the information sharing statement to the customer. In a majority of other scenarios, a response of 'No' will mean the JCA will not proceed.

All relevant medical conditions are recorded in the Medical Conditions section.

If no medical conditions are identified by the Assessor, they do not need to complete the rest of this section, as it is not relevant.

Where a customer is assessed as manifestly eligible for DSP, the Assessor selects the appropriate category from a drop down box in the Summary tab of the report. When viewing the report, this appears at the top of the medical conditions section stating the 'customer meets manifest criteria' with the corresponding code. The codes are:

• B - Permanent Blindness (BLI)
• T - Terminal Illness (TRM)
• I - Intellectual Disability (INT)
• N -Nursing home level of care (NHM)
• H - Category 4 HIV/AIDS (HV4)
• P - Disability Pension at special rate (TPI)

When an Assessor has medical evidence to support manifest eligibility for DSP, they classify the medical condition as persist for more than 2 years and Verified by medical evidence.

Condition Type

Each recorded condition is coded as either:

• Persist for more than 2 years
• Persist for less than 2 years, or
• Other (unverified/disclosed by customer)

Verified/Diagnosed/Reasonably Treated/Stabilised

• This confirms whether the conditions have been verified by medical evidence, and provides the Assessor's recommendations on whether they are diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised

Source (references)

• The source of the medical information may be from any suitable sources, including medical evidence provided by the customer, specialist reports or Verification of Medical conditions (SU684) form
• It may also be sourced from discussions with treating health professionals

Treatment details

• This must be identified for all conditions based on available medical evidence. Customer reported information can be used as corroborating evidence
• The expected duration of treatment may also be included here

For JCA reports only, the Condition type is coded as 'Other' if the condition is not verified by medical evidence.

These conditions, although included in the report, will not transfer to the Medical Condition Details (MC) screen, as there is no medical evidence to support the condition.

• The Baseline Work Capacity and With Intervention Work Capacity cannot be reduced from 30+ hours on the basis of an unverified or medical condition likely to persist for less than 2 years

• In the Medical Conditions section, the Assessor indicates whether the customer's medical condition would prevent them from using public transport without substantial assistance
• This is only a trigger to consider possible qualification for Mobility Allowance (MOB). It does not mean that the customer is automatically qualified for MOB
• Before issuing a MOB claim, the following must be checked:
• the medical condition is likely to persist for more than 2 years or likely to require substantial assistance for an extended period of time (1 year or more)
• the customer has a qualifying activity

See Eligibility for Mobility Allowance (MOB).

• This question is not intended to generate a MOB review if the assessor indicates 'the customer's medical condition does not prevent them from using public transport without substantial assistance' and the customer is currently receiving MOB

See Using a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) to determine payment type.

This section is completed if the Assessor refers the customer for a Specialist Assessment, either internal or external for example, intelligence testing or psychiatric assessment.

It is also used to create electronic references to the medical evidence used in the assessment.

Details will include the specialist name, contact details and date of referral to the specialist as well as the date the specialist report is returned.

Arranging these assessments is the responsibility of the Assessor. The Assessor will scan the specialist report and add it to the electronic Medical Information File Envelope (eMIFE). The JCA report is not submitted until any required specialist assessments are completed.

Where appropriate, the report will also make reference to advice sought or received from the Health Professional Advisory Unit.

This section only displays if a medical condition is assessed in the JCA as persist for more than 2 years, and diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised (DTS).

This section of the report does not appear in the version displayed for Employment Services Providers, that is, in the PDF short form.

Impairments can be recorded in an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) where there is sufficient evidence for the Assessor to upgrade the assessment to a JCA, and they consider the customer as likely to meet all medical eligibility requirements for DSP.

Note: verification of medical eligibility by a Disability Medical Assessment will still be required after the JCA is completed.

Where an impairment rating is not required, the JCA report will show 'not applicable' or the impairment rating block will not appear. To see which version of the Impairment Tables has been used, check the date recorded on the Medical Conditions (MC) screen.

An impairment rating can be assigned by the Assessor for:

• all JCA referral reasons
• ESAts upgraded to a JCA except those used for DSP recipients such as 'DSP Volunteer', which is used when a DSP customer is volunteering for employment services
• For each medical condition assessed as diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised, an impairment rating is allocated in accordance with the Tables for the Assessment of Work - Related Impairment for Disability Support Pension (DSP). See The Impairment Tables
• The impairment section should include medical evidence supporting the recommended impairment rating(s)

Residence in Australia

• JCA reports automatically populate with whether or not the customer has resided in Australia for more than 10 years, based on the information recorded in the online diary when the referral is made

If they have resided in Australia for less than 10 years then the Assessor:

• indicates whether or not the customer has a Continuing Inability to Work (CITW)
• establishes if CITW arose while the customer was residing in Australia, and includes relevant details

This section is only available for DSP portability referral codes 'DSPMR' and 'DSPME'.

This section displays:

• if medical conditions persist for more than 2 years, diagnosed, reasonably treated, and stabilised conditions are recorded, and
• the impairment rating recommended in the report indicates the customer is 'severely impaired'

Assessors provide a recommendation and rationale on whether:

• the customer is likely or unlikely to have improvement in the impact of their condition on their ability to function in the next 5 years
• the customer is expected or not expected to have any work capacity independently of an ongoing program of support in the next 5 years

From 1 April 2023, the Impairment Tables used to assess the impact of a customer’s condition(s) changed. This included a change to terminology.

Job Capacity Assessors use the Impairment Tables to assign impairment ratings, when completing assessments for DSP.

The date of claim and date of effect of the JCA Report, will determine which version of the Impairment Tables and terminology is used in the JCA report.

Check the date of effect for the DSP Claim (PNA/Start date).

Date of claim and date of effect of JCA is before 1 April 2023

• If a customer has a medical condition that will impact for less than 2 years it will be assessed as Temporary
• If a customer has a medical condition that will impact for more than 2 years, it will be assessed as:
• Permanent, and
• Either Fully Diagnosed Treated and Stabilised (FDTS) or Not Fully Diagnosed Treated and Stabilised

Date of claim and date of effect of JCA is on or after 1 April 2023

• If a customer has a medical condition that will impact for less than 2 years it will be assessed as persist for less than 2 years
• If a customer has a medical condition which will impact for more than 2 years, it will be assessed as:
• persist for more than 2 years
• Diagnosed, Reasonably Treated and Stabilised (DTS) or Not Diagnosed, Reasonably Treated and Stabilised

• The report distinguishes between barriers that are currently being addressed and those that are yet to be addressed action
• Specific notes may be included for barriers that are currently being addressed, and this information is taken into account when determining mutual obligation requirements and referral options for the customer
• Barriers that need to be addressed are recorded in priority order according to the impact they have on the customer's ability to work and/or any sequence in which they need to be addressed

If the customer has no medical condition or disability recorded in the Medical Conditions section, this section will be left blank.

Only employment support requirements relevant to the customer are indicated in this section, and these are linked to a medical condition or disability.

The length of time the support is required is also included. This will be dependent on the type of Program of Support the Assessor recommends in the report.

It is indicated here if the customer may benefit from Supported Wage System assistance.

If the section indicates the customer requires specialist disability employment intervention one of the following programs considered most suitable is shown:

• Disability Employment Services (DES)
• Community Development Program (CDP) disability services

If there are no medical conditions recorded in the Medical Conditions section, the Work Capacity section is not completed by the Assessor, as work capacity is only assessed on the impacts of a medical condition(s). The text 'No Medical conditions that impact Work Capacity have been recorded, therefore no reduction in Work Capacity can be recorded' will appear in the report.

Only medical conditions can reduce the assessment of a customer's work capacity from 30+ hours per week. Non-medical factors do not reduce the customer's work capacity, but may affect the type of work they can do.

Work Capacity Bandwidths

• Work capacity is recorded as being in one of the following 5 bandwidths:
• 0-7 hours per week
• 8-14 hours per week
• 15-22 hours per week
• 23-29 hours per week
• 30+ hours per week

The assessed bandwidth reflects the level of work a person could reliably perform on a sustained basis. For the purposes of assessment, a sustained basis is for a period of 26 weeks without excessive leave or absences.

The 'baseline' and 'with intervention work capacity' fields are not used to assess DSP eligibility, but are relevant for determining if a customer has a Partial Capacity to Work. They are also used for assessing eligibility for any Program of Support. This assessment takes into account all conditions likely to persist for more than 2 years, regardless of whether they are diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised (DTS).

The Baseline Work Capacity shows the customer's 'baseline' capacity to work, excluding the impact of any medical conditions likely to persist for less than 2 years or 'other' conditions. This section records the impact of medical conditions likely to persist for more than 2 years only. This does not reflect the customer's immediate ability to participate if there are temporary reductions in capacity.

Work Capacity with Intervention provides information of the customer's expected work capacity within the next 2 years. This could increase, decrease or remain the same depending on the medical conditions, treatment planned and Program of Support.

With mainstream intervention only

This is only populated for grandfathered customers.

If the Assessor considers the customer could only achieve part-time or full-time work capacity with ongoing support (that is, support for more than 2 years) or would require Supported Wage System (SWS) or productivity-based wage arrangements, then the 'with intervention' field is coded as 0-7 hours.

Note: despite being unable to work independently of a Program of Support within 2 years and having a work capacity of 0-7 hours the customer is eligible for assistance under Disability Employment Services (DES) if the Assessor has recommended the customer is able to maintain employment of 8 or more hours with ongoing support.

A comment to this effect will appear in the Summary screen.

All pre-vocational and vocational assistance provided by Employment Services Providers is considered accessible, affordable and available for the purposes of assessment.

A person's work capacity is assessed on the assumption that this assistance will be provided.

In some older JCA reports 'baseline work capacity' may appear as 'current', and 'with intervention' may appears as 'future' work capacity.

For DSP new claims and reviews, Assessors are required to also assess 'baseline' and 'with intervention' work capacities for diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised (DTS) conditions only (excluding the impact of any medical conditions likely to persist for more than 2 years that are not DTS). This information is used to assess whether a customer has a Continuing Inability to Work. These fields can only be completed if:

• the customer meets impairment criteria for DSP (at least 20 points under the Impairment Tables)
• the customer has actively participated in a Program of Support, if they do not have a severe impairment (20 points or more under a single Impairment Table)

If these conditions are not met, the JCA report does not contain any assessment of the customer's 'baseline' and 'with intervention' work capacity for DTS conditions only.

This field is only used for DSP customers with a start date prior to 11 May 2005 (grandfathered) and whose eligibility for payment is being reviewed.

For all other cases, this field is inactive on the report.

Mainstream is defined as 'vocational or education interventions not designed specifically for people with disabilities'.

• This means Disability Employment Services (DES) is not a mainstream intervention
• These customers are not affected by the changes from 1 July 2006 where disability specific programs are considered suitable interventions for assessing 'Future Capacity for Work with intervention'

This shows only if a customer's work capacity is less than 30 hours and is reduced on a temporary basis. This can only be reduced for medical reasons such as a medical condition likely to persist for less than 2 years or a temporary exacerbation of a medical condition likely to persist for more than 2 years.

A start and end date is provided for this capacity. This allows Services Australia and/or Employment Service Providers to develop the most appropriate mutual obligation requirements for the near future, taking into account this short-term reduction in work capacity.

This information should be used in conjunction with the information provided in the Medical Condition section to determine an exemption from the mutual obligation requirements due to incapacity for work.

Temporary Work capacity is recorded as being in one of the following bandwidths:

• 0-7 hours per week
• 8-14 hours per week
• 15-22 hours per week
• 23-29 hours per week

The Assessment Summary section is where the Assessor records the following:

• If they were unable to complete the assessment (and the reason why)
• Details of specific vulnerabilities or barriers supported by the risk of non-compliance rating and recommended Vulnerability Indicator categories
• The impact of the customer's 'Personal Factors' on their ability to work or look for work
• Personal Factors are non-medical/disability related issues that do not reduce a customer's work capacity, but may affect the type of assistance they require from an Employment Services Provider
• Details of any discussions with the client and/or their treating health professional about future medical intervention

These ratings are used to assist:

• determining if a Vulnerability Indicator should be recorded
• Participation Solutions Team (PST) Service Officers assess reasonable excuse when determining a failure

High rating

A high rating is recommended where the Assessor is of the opinion the customer is likely to have significant and ongoing difficulty complying with Participation or mutual obligation requirements due to:

• cognitive or neurological impairment
• homelessness - beyond the control of the customer
• significant lack of literacy and language skills
• recent traumatic relationship breakdown
• the customer is a recently released prisoner
• significant caring responsibilities
• psychiatric/psychological problems
• severe drug or alcohol dependence, or
• treatment demands of a medical condition

The degree of insight that the customer has into their condition and episodic fluctuations also factor into this rating.

Moderate rating

A medium rating is recommended where the Assessor is of the opinion the customer's capacity to comply is compromised by temporary or ongoing barriers, but they have some support and coping strategies.

The degree of insight the customer has into their condition and episodic fluctuations also factor into this rating.

Low rating

A low rating is recommended where the Assessor is of the opinion the customer is unlikely to have difficulties complying with Participation or mutual obligation requirements based on the barriers and/or medical conditions identified.

Interventions are all pre-vocational and vocational assistance provided by the Employment Services Provider. Medical treatment is not included.

• Suitable interventions identified for the customer are included in this section
• Interventions are shown in priority order

• If there is no referral, the Assessor records the reasons why the customer was deemed to be unlikely to benefit from any program
• The Assessor records details of any recommended referrals to programs of assistance and indicates if the referral:
• has been actioned by the Assessor
• was attempted but could not be actioned (with reasons included)
• should be deferred due to a temporary reduced work capacity
• Depending on the customer's circumstances, recommended program referrals can include:
• Workforce Australia
• Disability Employment Services (DES)
• Disability Management Service (DMS)
• Employment Support Service (ESS)
• Community Development Program (CDP)
• Complementary Programs - details of program must be provided
• Non-providers (e.g. psychological counselling provided by a community mental health service)
• Other Service Providers - details of service provider must be provided
• For customers living in a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) launch site who meet relevant age criteria for that site, any ADE referral is managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Customers who are in a NDIS launch site and who meet relevant age criteria for that site and are interested in a referral to ADE should be referred directly to the NDIA. See Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) referrals
• If a customer with mutual obligation requirements is referred to a provider who does not have access to update Job Plans (such as ADE), Services Australia will update the customer's Job Plan
• The report states 'A referral was recommended to (program type)' to indicate the program is considered suitable by the Assessor
• This appears regardless of whether the referral can be actioned immediately, or whether it has been coded on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations system
• The Assessor should have made at least a physical referral to the program provider
• Details should be shown in the Assessment Summary section
• Referral recommendations for customers with mutual obligation requirements
• The customer should be contacted to discuss and make the program referral
• An exception is where the customer is currently receiving assistance from a provider and it is more appropriate for the provider to discuss the new referral with the customer and to action the referral
• If the Assessor has also recommended further programs for the client to improve work capacity, details of the program and recommended timeframe are added here
• Additional activities such as pain management or counselling will be achieved through the appropriate referral to one of the 4 main referral options (Employment Services Provider and DES)

Four main referral options are:

• Workforce Australia Employment Services
• Disability Employment Service-Disability Management Service DES-DMS, and
• Disability Employment Service-Employment Support Service DES-ESS

If a referral is not able to be actioned, the Assessor can provide details here of the program/s and the reason the referral could not be actioned.

Note: customers with a medical condition that temporarily reduces their work capacity to 0-7 or 8 - 14 hours per week are voluntary and can choose if they would like to participate with the provider during this time. If they do not engage, their provider referral will be actioned once the temporary reduced work capacity period expires.

The following text is included at the end of the report:

'Your personal information is protected by law and can only be disclosed to someone else where authorised or required by the Privacy Act 1988 or other Commonwealth legislation, or where you have provided your consent. For more information about privacy and the way in which your personal information is managed you can talk to your Employment Services Provider, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Services Australia or the Information Commissioner (who can be contacted through www.oaic.gov.au).'

This section only displays if Services Australia has overridden the Assessor's recommendations about the customer's impairment or work capacity.

Impairment Overrides

• Displays condition, impairment rating and revised total impairment rating

Work Capacity Overrides - 2012 Impairment Tables

• Displays current (baseline) capacity for work and future capacity for work within 2 years without intervention for permanent conditions, and for fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised conditions only

Work Capacity Overrides - 1 April 2023 Impairment Tables

• Displays current (baseline) capacity for work and future capacity for work within 2 years without intervention for medical conditions likely to persist for more than 2 years and are for diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised conditions only