Checking and actioning a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report 008-06070010

Assessors complete JCA reports in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) system. Once completed, the reports are electronically submitted to the agency. Service Officers need to review and determine if the submitted JCA report is to be:

• accepted, or
• escalated for review

Information in the JCA report (depending on the referral reason) is used to determine eligibility for:

• Disability Support Pension (DSP) and Youth Disability Supplement (YDS)
• Pension Concessions Entitlement due to a partial capacity to work
• mutual obligation or participation requirements
• referrals to employment services

The JCA report (depending on the referral reason) contains the Assessor's recommendations about the customer's:

• medical condition(s), including whether they are diagnosed, reasonably treated, and stabilised (DTS) for DSP purposes
• impairment rating(s) for DSP for any DTS conditions
• work capacity, including partial capacity to work, and temporary reduced work capacity
• appropriate interventions
• recommended referrals to employment assistance programs
• risks of non-compliance ratings
• Vulnerability Indicator categories

Assessors use the Impairment Tables when completing assessments for DSP. From 1 April 2023, new Impairment Tables were introduced, which include changes to terminology. The date of a DSP claim determines which version of the Impairment Tables, and associated terminology is used in the JCA report.

Once a JCA report has been accepted, it is classified as a JCAR and auto-attached to the customer’s electronic Medical Information File Envelope (eMIFE).

A Display on Access (DOA) DOC titled JCA Outcome will display on the Document List (DL) screen. JCA assessments are valid for 2 years and the DOA DOC should remain open for this period.

If a JCA report is re-opened, amended and then re-submitted, the previous versions of the JCA will be classified as a Job Capacity Assessment Draft (JCAD) and attached to the eMIFE. Once the JCA report has been accepted, the finalised version of the report will be classified as JCAR.

Before accepting the JCA report, staff must manually check the content to make sure it is:

• complete
• consistent, and
• correct

For DSP claims and appeals, where the customer is assessed as medically eligible in a JCA report, a Disability Medical Assessment (DMA) is needed before the claim or appeal can be finalised.

If the submitted JCA report for a claim indicates the customer is medically eligible for DSP, the system prevents staff from accepting a JCA report until a DMA is completed. In most cases, the system generates an automatic referral for a DMA. If the system cannot auto-generate a DMA referral, it displays as DMA Incomplete, see Disability Medical Assessment (DMA) referrals.

Note: if the Assessor recommends the customer is manifestly eligible, or medically ineligible, for DSP, then a DMA is not required.

For information about the DMA referral process, see Disability Medical Assessment (DMA) referrals.

If an Assessor needs to correct or update an incomplete JCA report, they can reopen it if it has not been finalised (status is still submitted).

If the information to be updated relates to medical information such as work capacity and impairment ratings, staff are to return the incomplete report at the Assessor's request so they can update it. Note: this action is only to be taken after consultation with the Level 2 Disability Helpdesk.

Once a DMA referral has been made:

• the JCA report should not be returned to the Assessor for amendment or reopened by the Assessor
• if the JCA report recommendation is incorrect and the customer does not meet eligibility criteria, staff must advise the Government-contracted Doctors (GCD) mailbox Contract Management Team

If the Service Officer initially accepts a JCA report but later decides it should not have been accepted due to an error and the JCA report status is still submitted, refer to a Service Support Officer (SSO). Staff are only to do this if the change to impairment ratings or work capacity is likely to have an impact on the customer’s eligibility for:

• payment
• mutual obligation, or
• participation requirements

In some instances, the customer needs to be re-referred for a JCA, generally as a file assessment, if the Service Officer initially accepts a JCA report but later decides:

• it should not have been accepted due to an error, and
• the report status is finalised, and
• it may affect determinations of impairment ratings or work capacity

DSP manual medical reviews should be initiated when information suggestions the customer may no longer be eligible for DSP. A DMA is not required where the JCA referral reason is DSP Medical Review of Entitlement.

The Service Officer managing the medical review will email Development, Assurance, Support Team (DAS) if there is a quality issue with the submitted JCA report.

See Initiating and actioning a manual medical review for Disability Support Pension (DSP).

From 1 April 2023, a new version of Impairment Tables was introduced. The new Tables are used to assess a customer's medical eligibility for all DSP claims lodged on or after this date. See The Impairment Tables.