Disability Employment Services (DES)

Disability Employment Services (DES) is a government funded program that supports people with a disability, injury, illness or mental health condition to prepare for, find and keep meaningful employment.

Disability Employment Service providers like Breakthru are contracted by the Australian Government Department of Social Services to deliver this service in the community.

To receive under the Disability Employment Services (DES) scheme, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

General eligibility requirements

A job seeker is eligible for DES if they:

• have a disability, injury or health condition;
• are aged at least 14 years but have not yet attained the Age Pension qualifying age;
• are at or above the minimum legal working age in their state or territory;
• have a future work capacity with intervention of at least eight hours per week;
• are an Australian resident;
• are not studying full time, unless the job seeker is an ESL; and
• are not working at or above their Employment Benchmark hours (not applicable for Work Assist participants, supported employment undertaken by National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants, and/or participants in the Disability Employment Continuity of Support program).

Additionally, from 1 July 2021 a job seeker must:

• have a future work capacity with intervention of less than 30 hours per week; and
• be in receipt of an income support payment, except where the job seeker is:
• ESAt/JCA exempt (Eligible School Leaver, Special Class Client or Work Assist);
• a current NDIS participant;
• a Pre-Release Prisoner; or
• undertaking a DES program to satisfy Program of Support requirements.

If you meet all of the above eligibility criteria, you can access Disability Employment Services through a referral from Services Australia (previously Centrelink) or by registering with Breakthru directly. When you visit a Services Australia branch, they will carry out an employment assessment (also known as an ESAt) to see if you are eligible for Disability Employment Services.

An Employee Services Assessment (ESAt) is an assessment conducted by an Allied Health Professional from Services Australia (also known as Centrelink) to assess the impact of a job seekers disability, illness, injury and non vocational barriers to employment as well as your work capacity. This includes determining how many hours per week you can work on a consistent basis and what kind of support you require to maintain this.

It’s important to note that job seekers must have a valid ESAt before commencing with a Disability Employment Services (DES) provider like Breakthru. If you would like help with your ESAt or have any questions about this process, please contact us or visit the Employment Services Assessments page on the Services Australia website.

Deciding what you disclose about your personal circumstances is entirely up to you. You are not required to disclose this information if you’re not comfortable doing so. If you wish to do so, we can help you communicate this information.

If you’re with another DES provider and would like to transfer to Breakthru, please contact us and we can guide you through the process.

The DES program is fully funded by the Australian Government and carries no expense for job seekers.