Am I eligible for DES?
Am I eligible for DES?
Jobseekers are generally eligible for Disability Employment Services (DES) if they:
- have a disability, injury or health condition
- are aged at least 14 but have not yet attained the Age Pension qualifying age
- are at or above the minimum legal working age in their state or territory
- are an Australian resident or eligible Visa holder
- are not studying full time (there is an exception – see below); and
- have a valid Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) recommending DES with a Future Work Capacity of eight or more hours per week; and
- are not working at or above their assessed work capacity (not applicable for Work Assist Participants and people who receive National Disability Insurance Scheme funding for supported employment, and/or Australian Disability Enterprise participants).
There are special eligibility arrangements for specific jobseekers, which permit access to DES without an ESAt. These are:
- Eligible School Leavers – full time, final year secondary school students with significant disability or young people transitioning from an eligible state or territory transition to work program or School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES).
- Special Class Clients (for DES-DMS only) – jobseekers who have acquired a disability, injury or illness as a result of being present at, and directly affected by, notified events such as the Bali and London bomb attacks and the December 2004 Tsunami.
- Work Assist – eligible workers who are having difficulty fulfilling the essential requirements of their role due to their injury, disability or health condition and are seeking assistance from a DES provider.
Call our DES team on 1800 226 228 or email [email protected] to discuss your eligibility for Disability Employment Services (DES).
