DES Employment Verification

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings)

Guidelines

Disclaimer This document is not a stand-alone document and does not contain the entirety of Disability Employment Services Program Providers' obligations. It should be read in conjunction with the Disability Employment Services Deed and any relevant Guidelines or reference material issued by the Department of Social Services under or in connection with Disability Employment Services Deed. DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 Contents

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 DES Employment Verification Guidelines

Document Change History

Version: 1.0; Start Date: 23 January 2014; Effective Date: 23 January 2014; End Date: Change and Location: Original Version

Background

These Guidelines outline the DES Provider’s responsibilities and required actions for the Participants that require the employment verification for the 52 Week Sustainability Indicator and Ongoing Support (2013 definition) performance measures of the 2013 DES Performance Framework.

On the recommendation of the DES Performance Framework Review Working Group different approaches for the employment verification would be taken between DES – Disability Management Service (DES-DMS) and DES – Employment Support Service (DES-ESS) for the 52 Week Sustainability Indicator performance measure. For DES-DMS the employment will be based on whether the Participant returns to Employment Services (DES, Job Services Australia or Remote Jobs and Communities Programme) or not at the applicable milestone. DES-ESS will have the actual employment status of the Participant verified through a hierarchy of available information (to minimise the administrative burden on Providers where possible).

Employment verification for the Ongoing Support (2013 definition) performance measure applies six weeks following an eligible DES Provider exit as an Independent Worker.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 Flow Chart: 52 Week Sustainability Indicator – employment verification

Outline Description: 1. DES Participant reaches the Employment Verification date for the 52 Week Sustainability Indicator performance measure 2. Employment Status Verified a. DES-DMS: Verified from existing departmental information b. DES-ESS: Verified from existing departmental information or DES Provider supplied information 3. Star Rating calculation

Note: This should not be read as a stand-alone document, please refer to the Disability Employment Services Deed.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 Flow Chart: DES Ongoing Support (2013 definition) – employment verification

Outline Description: 1. DES Participant included in the Ongoing Support (2013 definition) denominator 2. Six weeks following a Provider initiated Independent Worker exit the Participant reaches the employment verification date 3. Employment Status Verified a. DES-DMS: Verified from existing departmental information b. DES-ESS: Verified from existing departmental information or DES Provider supplied information 4. Star Rating calculation

Note: This should not be read as a stand-alone document, please refer to the Disability Employment Services Deed.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 Disability Employment Services Deed Clauses: Clause 13 – Provider’s Conduct

Reference documents relevant to these Guidelines: DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Advice DES Star Ratings Methodology Advice Transition to 2013 DES Star Ratings Advice Outcome Guidelines Documentary Evidence for Claim Payment Guidelines

Explanatory Note: All capitalised terms have the same meaning as in Disability Employment Services Deed. In this document, “must” means that compliance is mandatory and “should” means that compliance represents best practice.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 Employment Verification – 52 Week Sustainability Indicator

Who is Responsible: What is Required: 1a. Department of Social Services After a DES Provider has anchored a Participant, the employment (DSS) verification date is set 52 calendar weeks later by the department (regardless of any periods of suspension). Setting of the Employment Verification date 1b. DES Provider After a DES Participant has been anchored into the Post Placement Support phase the Provider must provide the Participant, as per the Supporting the Participant to the requirements of the Outcome Guidelines, with the appropriate support Employment Verification date during the Post Placement Support phase.

At the end of the Post Placement Support phase, the DES Provider will make the determination as to whether Ongoing Support is required for the Participant as per the Ongoing Support Guidelines. 2a. DSS The Employment Services System will check applicable existing departmental or Department of Human Services’ data to verify if the Employment Verification from Participant is in employment at the employment verification date. If one existing data sources of these conditions is met the Participant’s employment status will automatically be verified:

DES-ESS:  In Moderate or High Ongoing Support  An instance of Flexible Ongoing Support is claimed within four weeks (before or after) of the 52 week mark  The Participant has declared earnings for employment to the Department of Human Services in the fortnight that includes the 52 Week date  An Ongoing Support Assessment is conducted within four weeks (before or after) of the 52 Week date and the Assessment confirms the Participant is still in employment

DES-DMS:  In Flexible Ongoing Support  Exited as an independent worker and has not been referred and commenced to DES, Job Services Australia or Remote Jobs and Communities Programme (except those reporting earnings to the Department of Human Services at the time of referral) on or before the 52 Week date.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 2b. DES Provider Where a DES-ESS Participant does not meet any of the conditions described in 2a, the DES Provider will be notified of the requirement to Provider declaration of employment declare in the Employment Services System that the Participant was in status (DES-ESS only) employment at the employment verification date.

If the DES Provider records that the Participant is in employment at the employment verification date, the DES Provider must retain documentary evidence to support this.

Consistent with the ‘Documentary Evidence for Claims Payment Guidelines’ document in ‘Section 3: Outcome Fees - Full Outcome and Pathway Outcome (based on Employment)’, the Documentary Evidence required to support the verification of employment at the employment verification date will be:

A file note or a signed and dated written statement or email from the Employer or Participant (including where the Participant is self- employed) and must contain (unless otherwise specified by DSS) the following:  the name of the Employer  the period of Employment  name of the person who confirmed the Employment details (that is either the Participant or person within the Employer organisation) and their contact details, and  the date the information contained in the file note was confirmed and the name of the DES Provider’s staff member who recorded the information.

A payslip with dates that includes the date of when the employment verification date occurs. 3. DSS The department will calculate the proportion of eligible Participants in the denominator for this measure and how many are included in the Star Rating calculation numerator. The 52 Week Sustainability Indicator will contribute 10 per cent to the DES-DMS and DES-ESS Star Rating calculation and is not anticipated to form part of the calculations until September 2014.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 Employment Verification – Ongoing Support (2013 definition)

Who is Responsible: What is Required: 1. DES Provider A DES Provider supports the Participant in the Ongoing Support phase and meets the requirements to be included in the Ongoing Support Participant is included in the Ongoing (2013 definition) measure denominator. Refer to the ‘DES Star Ratings Support (2013 definition) measure Methodology Advice’ document for information regarding the denominator and is exited as an denominator business rules. Independent Worker Where the DES Provider determines that the Participant is able to work independently without any further support, the DES Provider will exit the Participant from the programme. 2. DSS For Participants who are included in the denominator of the 2013 Ongoing Support performance measure the employment verification Employment Verification date date will be set to six weeks (42 days) after the DES Provider initiated Independent Worker exit of a Participant. 3a. DSS The Employment Services System will check applicable existing departmental or Department of Human Service’s data to verify if the Employment Verification from Participant is in employment at the employment verification date. At the existing data sources employment verification date if one of these conditions is met the Participant’s employment status will automatically be verified:

DES-ESS:  The Participant has declared earnings for employment to the Department of Human Services in the fortnight that includes the employment verification date  An Ongoing Support Assessment recommends an exit as an Independent Worker (only applies to Participants already in the denominator of the measure).

DES-DMS:  Has not been referred and commenced to DES, Job Services Australia or Remote Jobs and Communities Programme (except Participants reporting earnings to the Department of Human Services at the time of referral) on or before the employment verification date.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014 3b. DES Provider Where a DES-ESS Participant does not meet the condition described in 3a, the DES Provider will be notified of the requirement to declare in the Provider declaration of employment Employment Services System that the Participant was still employed at status (DES-ESS only) the employment verification date.

If the DES Provider records that the Participant is in employment at the employment verification date, the DES Provider must retain documentary evidence to support this.

Consistent with the ‘Documentary Evidence for Claims Payment Guidelines’ document in ‘Section 3: Outcome Fees - Full Outcome and Pathway Outcome (based on Employment)’, the Documentary Evidence required to support the verification of employment at the six week date will be:

A file note or a signed and dated written statement or email from the Employer or Participant (including where the Participant is self- employed) and must contain (unless otherwise specified by DSS) the following:  the name of the Employer  the period of Employment  name of the person who confirmed the Employment details (that is either the Participant or person within the Employer organisation) and their contact details and  the date the information contained in the file note was confirmed and the name of the DES Provider’s staff member who recorded the information.

A payslip with dates that includes the date of when the 6 week date occurs. 4. DSS The department will calculate the number of eligible Participants that either need to be retained or removed from the numerator of the Star Rating calculation Ongoing Support (2013 definition) performance measure numerator. The Ongoing Support (2013 definition) or will contribute five per cent to the DES-DMS and 15 per cent DES-ESS Star Rating calculation and is not anticipated to form part of the calculations until September 2014.

DES Employment Verification (Star Ratings) Guidelines Effective Date: 23 January 2014