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Job Capacity Assessment
What is a Job Capacity Assessment?
A Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) is an appointment with a skilled assessor who will assess your capacity to work, taking into consideration your individual circumstances. Wherever possible, you will be referred to services that can help you find and retain work. A JCA will identify a person’s ability to work and any barriers they face in finding and keeping a job.
Why would I need a Job Capacity Assessment?
- A Job Capacity Assessment is required if you have barriers to work and wish to receive certain income support payments, such as Newstart Allowance or the Disability Support Pension.
- If you need help to find and maintain a job or have part time or no capacity to work. This will be identified during your assessment.
- Employment and related services are available to help you prepare for, find and sustain work. These services include Job Network, Disability Employment Network, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Personal Support Programme or Job Placement, Employment and Training.
What happens at the assessment?
- Your assessor will talk to you about any barriers you may have to finding and keeping a job. Your assessor will also discuss possible referral options to an employment or related service with you. Your assessor will talk to you about any barriers you may have to finding and keeping a job. Your assessor will also discuss possible referral options to an employment or related service with you.
- In most cases, the assessment will involve a face-to-face discussion between you and the assessor. All face-to-face assessments will take place at the assessor's office.
- A friend, relative or advocate can attend the appointment with you, if you require this.
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What should I take to the appointment?
Your Job Capacity Assessor will consider all information and evidence that you bring to the assessment and will take this into account when preparing their report. It is important that you bring medical evidence about your disability to your assessment. Examples of the types of information or evidence about your disability that you should bring to your Job Capacity Assessment include (but are not limited to):
- Treating Doctor's Report
- Centrelink Medical Certificate
- Standard GP Medical Certificate
- Specialist Medical Report
- Special School Report
- Psychologist Report /psychometric test results
- Prescription/sample medication
- Hospital/outpatients reports
- Reports from community services, (e.g. Drug and Alcohol support services)
PLEASE NOTE:
- It is not necessary to bring X-rays or scans to the appointment, but you should bring any reports explaining the results of these tests.
If you do not provide medical evidence you may:
- have your appointment rescheduled or cancelled until evidence is provided;
- be unable to access the most appropriate service or have access delayed;
- not have your medical conditions taken into account when your participation requirements are determined;
- be unable to access some income support payments and social security concessions; be ineligible for Disability Employment Network (DEN) or vocational rehabilitation services
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What if I need an interpreter or have special requirements?
If required, your assessment provider can arrange a qualified interpreter, including an Auslan sign language interpreter, to assist at your assessment. You will need to advise the person who is making your Job Capacity Assessment appointment if you require an interpreter or have any special requirements.
What happens after the assessment?
- Wherever possible, you will be referred to an employment or related service to help you find and maintain work. In most cases, referral details will be provided to you at the completion of your assessment.
- Your Job Capacity assessor will prepare a report about your work capacity. This report will be provided to Centrelink, and where applicable, a decision will be made about the type of income support for which you are eligible. The report will also inform Centrelink and/or your employment or related service provider about your ability to look for work, and any appropriate support or services that you require.
- Any income support decision will be made by Centrelink, not the assessor.
What happens if I can’t attend my appointment?
- You must attend your appointment. If you are unable to attend an appointment because of exceptional circumstances you must contact your Job Capacity Assessment provider as soon as possible. The telephone number to call is listed with your appointment details.
- If you don’t attend the assessment and do not have an acceptable reason, the Job Capacity assessor will advise the agency that referred you to the assessment. Depending on the reason why you were referred for a Job Capacity Assessment, Centrelink may stop your income support payment or reject your claim for a payment.
- If you are claiming or receiving an activity-tested payment such as Newstart Allowance, you may also incur a participation failure.
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Complaints
- If you have concerns about how your assessment was conducted you should firstly speak to the person in the organisation that conducted your assessment.
- If you are still concerned after doing this, you can call and lodge a Job Capacity Assessment complaint with Centrelink’s FreeCall™ Customer Relations Line on
1800 050 004* or Centrelink’s TT Y Customer Relations service on 1800 000 567 (only for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment and have access to use a TT Y phone) and your complaint will be investigated.
- If you are not satisfied with the actions of your JCA assessor, you may complain in writing to:
The Commonwealth Ombudsman
GPO Box 442,
Canberra, ACT, 2601;
or by telephone on 1300 362 072; or via the online complaint form on their website.
Privacy
- Job Capacity Assessment providers are required to protect your privacy and provide a confidential service.
- Any personal information collected or held about you is protected by law. Your information can only be given to someone else in circumstances as allowed or required by Commonwealth law or when you give permission.
- You may make a request to Centrelink under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to obtain or inspect your Job Capacity Assessment report.
The information on this website is intended only as a guide.
Calls to 1800 numbers are free of charge, but calls from pay phones or mobile phones to 1800 numbers may be charged at a higher rate.
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