Request an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) 001-02330010

Job seekers may be referred to an ESAt by either Services Australia or Workforce Australia, Community Development Program (CDP) and Disability Employment Services (DES) providers.

ESAT’s are booked by Assessment Services. Service Officers will consider requesting an ESAt where:

• the Job Seeker Snapshot flags that an ESAt may be required
• a job seeker has medical evidence and requires an assessment of their work capacity
• a job seeker has entered a residential care facility
• an assessment for Youth Disability Supplement (YDS) is required
• exceptional circumstances exist
• a job seeker or Disability Support Pension (DSP) customer wishes to volunteer for employment services
• DSP customers under 35 years of age who after a Disability Medical Assessment (DMA), need an ESAt to confirm their work capacity
• a customer has had their DSP claim rejected and the Medical Assessment Team (MAT) recommend a review of work capacity and/or employment services referrals
• a customer is temporarily not able to work or study and does not have a job or study to return to

When the need for further assessment is identified, Service Officers will send a request to Assessment Services to book an ESAt.

Note: a request for a medical ESAt referral should not be made until all available medical evidence has been scanned and attached to the record.

A new version of Impairment Tables was introduced on 1 April 2023. The new Tables are used to assess a customer's medical eligibility for all DSP claims lodged on or after this date. There are changes to terminology which are reflected in ESAt reports.

These changes include:

• the term Diagnosed, Reasonably Treated and Stabilised (DTS) will replace the current term of Fully Diagnosed, Treated and Stabilised (FDTS)
• the term likely to persist for more than 2 years, will replace the term permanent condition
• the term likely to persist for less than 2 years, will replace the term temporary condition

A trigger for an ESAt does not necessarily mean that an ESAt needs to be requested.

See Actioning a pending Job Seeker Snapshot initiated Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) activity for more information.

An ESAt may be needed to assess work capacity where a:

• customer does not have a job or study to return to. An ESAt will:
• determine if the customer has a Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (TRWC) or a Partial Capacity to Work (PCW)
• assist to determine whether modified mutual obligation requirements should apply
• job seeker lodges medical evidence indicating one or more conditions that are likely to persist for more than 2 years exist

Where there is already a current and valid assessment of the customer’s work capacity on their record, another ESAt would only be requested if:

• there is a new condition that is likely to persist for more than 2 years (not previously assessed), or
• the condition has deteriorated, and is likely to result in a change in work capacity or the level of employment support required

Note: job seekers do not require an ESAt to assess whether a temporary incapacity exemption can be granted or extended. This includes where there is a temporary exacerbation of a previously assessed condition that was assessed as likely to persist for more than 2 years.

If a job seeker has entered a residential care facility and they are under Age Pension age, an ESAt must be requested. This will allow consideration of potential DSP eligibility as well as assessing work capacity for those vulnerable customers. Before making a request for an ESAt, check whether the customer:

• is in receipt of DSP or
• has a DSP claim in progress

See Process for specific instructions on how to request an ESAt for this customer group.

Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker, full-time students and Australian Apprentices) customers and ABSTUDY (full-time students and Australian Apprentices receiving Living Allowance), under 22 years old and with an assessed Partial Capacity to Work (PCW), will generally be entitled to receive YDS.

Customers who wish to test their eligibility for YDS will require an ESAt.

These customers must first be registered Job Seeker Registration Only (JSRO).

Note: Special Benefit (SpB) customers are not eligible for YDS.

In very specific circumstances, Services Officers may request an ESAt for job seekers in Workforce Australia without first updating the Job Seeker Snapshot. This request reason is used for non-disclosed barriers relating to a sudden and significant change in behaviour, such as:

• erratic or psychotic behaviour, or
• aggressive behaviour, irrespective of an incident report being lodged

A Disability Support Pension (DSP) customer can access employment assistance. Depending on their circumstances, they may be able to access employment services, including Workforce Australia, Disability Employment Services (DES) and Community Development Program (CDP).

See Referring a DSP customer volunteering for employment assistance for an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) for more information.

Customers who have had their DSP claim rejected could have the MAT recommend a review of work capacity and/or employment services referrals.

Customers who are under 35 and:

• have no work capacity recorded but have a recent Disability Support Pension (DSP) Volunteer Assessment (less than 2 years old) with a baseline and with intervention work capacity of 8+ hours per week, do not need an ESAt. The Level 2 Policy Helpdesk can record a manual Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) to update the Work Capacity Details (WC) screen, if requested. The Resources page contains a link to the Online Query Form
• have no work capacity recorded and no current assessment, may have a long history of sustained work or study. This would clearly demonstrate that their work capacity would be 8+ hours per week. These customers will be referred for a DSP Under 35 ESAt as a file assessment. Details of the continuous work or study will be recorded in the Supporting documentation field
• have no relevant medical information in their electronic Medical Information File Envelope (eMIFE), will have a back-scanning request submitted. If there is no current and relevant medical evidence available after the back-scanning request, this will be noted in the Supporting documentation field and the referral actioned

ESAt requests originating from Northern Australia and the Legal Services Team will continue to be made by those teams. These teams are to follow the process for requesting an ESAt.

A request for a medical ESAt referral cannot be made until the customer has provided all available medical evidence and this has been scanned and attached to the record.

Medical evidence is a document which must contain:

• a diagnosis by a registered medical practitioner
• details of the:
• condition that gives rise to the impairment
• functional impact of the impairment
• diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of a medical condition

The Verification of medical condition(s) (SU684) form can be used as evidence of medical condition(s) for an ESAt.

The one exception is for diagnosis of an intellectual disability where evidence from a psychologist only is required.

Current medical evidence is generally medical information provided by a registered medical practitioner within the past 2 years. Discretion with medical evidence older than 2 years may be used. It may still be current and relevant depending on the diagnosis – for example, for intellectual disability.

Telephone assessment is the primary mode of assessment for all ESAts.

In exceptional circumstances, where a Service Officer believes it is in the customer’s best interest to attend a face-to-face ESAt, the local Assessment Services team will be contacted.

If a medical condition (that is, hearing) requires a face-to-face ESAt, this will be coded in the Medical Conditions screen.

If a Service Officer believes there may be difficulties completing the referral as a booked appointment, an ESAt can be conducted as a walk-in or by phone, with agreement from the Assessor. For example, for customers experiencing vulnerability with a history of non-attendance at appointments. If the customer meets vulnerability criteria and is on the phone:

• Assessment Services National Administration Team (ASNAT) will be contacted on 1800 110 608, and
• the suitability and availability for an assessment to be completed now, will be discussed

Where a customer is unable to attend a telephone assessment, an ESAt may be completed as a file assessment as per the below ESAt as a file assessment guidelines.

Telephone assessment is the primary mode of assessment.

A file assessment should only be conducted when it results in no surprises for the customer and no reputational risk to the agency. File assessments should be considered on a case by case basis by Assessment Services.

A file assessment should not occur if there is insufficient information available to the assessor to make a reasonable determination of the customer’s work capacity, barriers and referral options.