9.13.6 DVA's expectations of Rehabilitation Providers

DVA’s expectations of Rehabilitation Providers who are working with clients accessing streamlined access to incapacity payments include:

• providing clear advice about why the client would benefit from Streamlined Access to Incapacity Payments;
• identifying and communicating the particular risk factors that apply for the individual client and how the client and the provider will work together to address these risks;
• gaining agreement from the client to maintain regular contact with the Rehabilitation Provider, together with a plan for how this contact will be maintained;
• gaining agreement from the client that they will alert their Rehabilitation Provider as soon as they begin to experience difficulties in managing employment because of their accepted conditions;
• closing achieved goals and establishing new SMART goals (with GAS) on the extended rehabilitation plan ,;
• ensuring that a whole-of-person approach is always utilised, so that barriers to rehabilitation and employment can be pro-actively addressed;
• continuing using all standard DVA documents during the extended rehabilitation plan;
• maintaining contact with the DVA Rehabilitation Coordinator at agreed time periods and providing meaningful updates on the client’s rehabilitation plan;
• ensuring that the DVA Rehabilitation Coordinator is informed as quickly as possible if the client begins to experience difficulties in employment that may lead to incapacity payments needing to be recommenced;
• keeping in touch with the client’s treating health professionals and employer as appropriate, particularly when the client is experiencing difficulties in employment;
• using their judgement about whether, with the client’s permission, they may need to contact the client’s employer to access evidence of their current rate of pay if they have needed to reduce their hours of work, or a separation certificate if the client has needed to cease employment, if the client is too unwell to be able to do so; and
• a commitment to informing the DVA Rehabilitation Coordinator as soon as possible when the client is effectively managing their employment role, and has requested that their rehabilitation plan be closed.

As outlined in section 3.8.5, progress reports are a key reporting tool which reports progress and planned actions against goals. However, during the employment monitoring phase, if no other goals are still active, Rehabilitation Coordinators and Rehabilitation Providers can agree to reduce the frequency or cease these reports. Providers are still required to communicate any issues or developments as they happen.