Program of Support requirements for DSP

[Banjo]

Program of Support requirements for Disability Support Pension

Before you claim Disability Support Pension, make sure you’re aware of Program of Support requirements.

You may need to take part in a Program of Support for at least 18 months in the three years before claiming DSP. This includes the Community Development Programme which helps job seekers in remote areas of Australia find a job in their local community. We may ask if you’ve taken part in a program when you apply for DSP.

A Program of Support may help you look for a job, develop your skills with study or training, or with rehabilitation.

You may not need to take part in a program in some cases, such as if you:

have an intellectual disability with an IQ of less than 70
are permanently blind, or
need nursing home level care

You can also watch our DSP eligibility video.

www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/news/program-support-requirements-disability-support-pension

[mspurple]

Also if the job provider dealing with you thinks they can not help you, they can actually exit you from the program of support requirements.

I had been on exemptions for my many years of being on a programme of support due to the fact that I was doing other activities that were OK with Centrelink.
When it came time for my DSP claim, they tried to say I had not done enough ACTIVE time with a job provider...... My job provider had actually already signed me out of her system as she could not help me, I had stayed in contact with her the whole time and when I was telling her I was having issues with my DSP claim, she reminded me of the paperwork she had given me.
Centrelink did not want to see this paperwork so I made sure it was provided to the AAT just to make sure I had more than I needed for my appeal. In the AAT report, this paperwork (discharge) from POS was referred to early on and it was clear this made me exempt from completing the Centrelink POS time frame of 18months.

So if your job provider believes they can not help you, they can fill this form in which automatically exempts you from the 18 months POS.

I was told by the lady who filled mine in, that not all job providers know of this form and those who do will often chose not to use it as it helps the client get off their books which means less money for the job provider. Needless to say she does not work for them anymore, she did not like the way she had to treat people in that job. She was a brilliant job provider worker to deal with as she actually did help her clients the very best she could and she also used her logic.

[Deleted]

I used to be on the POS but my JCA assessor said these places were never going to help me find job nor with my ailments of my conditions would I be getting a job so once my review was done I had no longer the requirements. This was in the months before my review I had to specifically do POS for 3 months after the Under 35 reviews passed parliament. 

I thought the whole POS requirement was only for those under 35 from the get go when the rule came in in 2011. 

[tasjo]

Mspurple - I also had an exit from the POS which was eventually what got my DSP granted.
Unfortunately I didn't take it with me for AAT 1 and so didn't do myself any favours in that area.
The exit has to be on the correct form and also before dsp is applied for.

[krystal]

Under the "Active participation in a POS is part of the CITW criteria for certain people"
The Program of Support only affects your application if you do not get 20 points on one table.
guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/1/1/a/30

For some reason Centrelink thinks having 4 impairments with 10 points each isn't as hard to deal with as 1 impairment with 20 points.


AND if you really want a job once you are successful in the application of DSP, you have to ask Centrelink to be on a Program Of Support. Otherwise after 104 weeks (2 years) they kick you off the Program of Support and it's up to you to voluntarily engage in one.

[nomadic]

defies belief once again.