Customer with an illness, injury or disability volunteers for employment services 001-02230010

The decision to work, or participate in employment services, is voluntary for job seekers receiving payments that do not have mutual obligation requirements or compulsory Participation Requirements for DSP recipients.

Services Australia will encourage people with a disability to register with employment services when they have the capacity to do so in order to help customers achieve greater self-reliance and to maximise their capacity to participate.

To be eligible for employment services a job seeker must have a current and valid assessment with an employment services referral recommendation.

The Job Seeker Snapshot is run for customers who wish to engage in employment services. Where an additional assessment is required because of responses to some weighted Job Seeker Snapshot questions then a Job Seeker Snapshot initiated Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) is triggered. The customer is referred for an ESAt where there is no current and valid assessment of the customer's work capacity.

Customers who have a current and valid assessment will generally be referred by the Assessor to the most appropriate Employment Services Provider based on the recommendations of the existing report. Services Australia in limited circumstances may action the referral to the appropriate Employment Service Provider if the assessor has not actioned the referral at the time of the assessment. The referral could be to a Disability Employment Services (DES) or Workforce Australia. Customers located in a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations remote area are referred to a Community Development Program (CDP) provider.

Where the customer is referred for an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt), the Assessor will complete a holistic assessment of the customer's capacity to work and identify appropriate interventions and referrals. Generally, the Assessor will directly refer the customer to the most appropriate service as part of the assessment. The customer may be referred to an Employment Services Provider for specific services based on their Job Seeker Snapshot and referral recommendation. See Request an Employment Service Assessment (ESAt).

A job seeker with an illness, injury or disability usually has to be receiving an income support payment to be eligible for Disability Employment Services (DES). For exceptions and further information, see Eligibility criteria for participation with Disability Employment Services (DES).

For customers receiving Disability Support Pension (DSP) who do not have participation requirements, an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) must be conducted using a DSP Volunteer referral code to assess the most appropriate services. This process does not affect DSP income support payments and does not lead to a review of the person's pension entitlement. Customers receiving DSP who do have participation requirements must be referred for an ESAt using a DSP Participation (DSPU) referral code.