RapidConnect 001-02030000

RapidConnect is a process that requires eligible unemployed people (job seekers) to either agree to their Job Plan, if referred to the Workforce Australia Online for Individuals or attend their first appointment, if referred to a Workforce Australia Employment Services Provider, as soon as possible.

Job seekers claiming JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) (Job seeker) are referred directly to these services at their Participation Interview and they are only payable once they have met their RapidConnect requirements.

Job seekers who claim JSP or YA (Other) and are identified as having limited barriers to employment may be subject to RapidConnect.

Most job seekers subject to RapidConnect requirements are referred to Workforce Australia Online and must agree to their Job Plan online to meet their RapidConnect requirements.

Jobseekers who are referred to online services under RapidConnect provisions will need to complete their Career Profile before they can agree to their Job Plan online. The career profile is a brief summary of a job seeker's skills and employment history.

Job seekers who require a referral to an Employment Services Provider must attend their appointment with their Employment Services Provider to meet their RapidConnect requirements.

The Participation Interview identifies JSP and YA job seekers who are subject to RapidConnect requirements. During the Participation Interview, job seekers subject to RapidConnect will be automatically referred to the online service. If not automatically referred to the online service, they will need to have a RapidConnect appointment booked with an Employment Services Provider.

The Job Seeker RapidConnect (JMRC) screen displays the history of a job seeker's RapidConnect status. This screen is also used for recording reasons for manually exempting a job seeker from RapidConnect. To go to the JMRC (RapidConnect) screen in Process Direct, staff key 'JMRC' in the Super Key and select Enter.

Job seekers identified as being subject to RapidConnect and requiring a referral to an Employment Services Provider will have an appointment booked during the Participation Interview. RapidConnect appointments are ideally booked within 2 working days (or up to a maximum of 14 working days) of when the Participation Interview is conducted and the job seeker is advised of the requirement to attend.

If a RapidConnect appointment is not available within 2 working days, contact the relevant Employment Services Provider/s to arrange an appointment to be made available. Where appointments:

• can be made available within 2 working days and the job seeker attends this appointment, their payment will commence from the date of the appointment
• are made available within 2-14 working days, book the next available RapidConnect appointment. If the job seeker attends this appointment, their payment will be backdated to the date of their Participation Interview
• are made available within 15+ days, the job seeker will be automatically exempted from RapidConnect. Job seekers exempted from RapidConnect due to no appointment being available within 14 days, the job seeker must still attend an initial appointment with their Employment Services Provider, and the first available initial appointment should be booked. Their payment will be backdated to the date they submitted their claim

There are a number of factors that will impact the start date of JSP and YA (Job seeker) claims, including timing of the appointment, rescheduling of appointments, and if the job seeker has any additional waiting or preclusion periods. See Calculating the start day general rule for further information on RapidConnect appointment impacts on claim backdating.

Service Officers and Employment Services Providers can reschedule the RapidConnect appointment as long as the appointment is still in the future and a result has not been recorded for that appointment.

Where an appointment date has passed and/or an appointment result has been entered, the appointment can no longer be rescheduled and must be rebooked.

See Processes for RapidConnect appointments for further information.

Once a job seeker is advised of their RapidConnect requirements at their Participation Interview, they have 28 days in which to meet their requirements. The day the Participation Interview is conducted is counted as Day Zero, with Day One being the following day.

If referred to:

• the online service, once their RapidConnect requirements have been met, they are generally payable from the date they submitted their claim. Subject to any waiting periods and qualification requirements being met
• an Employment Services Provider, once their RapidConnect requirements have been met, they are generally payable from the date they attended their first appointment with their provider. Their payment start date is not backdated to their claim submission date. Subject to any waiting periods and qualification requirements being met

There are a number of factors that may affect the RapidConnect payability start date, see Calculating the start day general rule for more information.

The RapidConnect payability start date is displayed on the RapidConnect (JMRC) screen in Process Direct. To go to the JMRC (RapidConnect) screen, staff key 'JMRC' in the Super Key and select Enter.

If the job seeker has not met their RapidConnect requirements within 28 days of the Participation Interview, the income support claim is rejected or cancelled, (reason code FCJ 'Failed to connect with Employment Providers'). If the job seeker has lodged their first Reporting Statement (SU19) form, their payment will cancel, otherwise the claim will reject. Job seekers rejected or cancelled for this reason are required to lodge a new claim and have a further Participation Interview.

See Processes for RapidConnect appointments for relevant procedures.

Job seekers claiming JSP or YA (Job seeker) who are not able to connect quickly with an Employment Services Provider will still have access to income support.

Some job seekers, not within the RapidConnect target group, will be referred to a provider for assistance at the earliest possible contact once their circumstances have changed, and once a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) or Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) has been completed, if required.

Refer to RapidConnect exemptions for further information about RapidConnect exemptions.

PPS job seekers with mutual obligation requirements are not subject to RapidConnect but are required to be linked to an Employment Services Provider and have the initial appointment booked with an appropriate Employment Services Provider if they are not already satisfying their participation requirements.