Rehabilitation screening
Where a person seeks a payment for impairment or incapacity for work a delegate will consider whether that person should undertake an assessment of capacity to undertake rehabilitation.
Where it is considered that such an assessment should be undertaken, a written determination must be made.
A person may request an assessment of their capacity for rehabilitation at any time.
Rehabilitation assessment
Persons who have requested an assessment, or where it has been determined that such an assessment is required, will be referred to a rehabilitation provider for a professional and comprehensive assessment.
The rehabilitation assessment is a comprehensive investigation undertaken by a suitably qualified or experienced professional in the field of medical management, psychological and vocational rehabilitation to measure the capacity and needs of the person.
The suitably qualified or experienced professional who will perform the rehabilitation assessment is determined by the rehabilitation authority from a list of approved providers.
In the event that a dispute arises between a person and the approved provider performing the rehabilitation assessment, the Department will endeavour to resolve the issues. If the issues cannot be resolved, the Department undertakes to use its best endeavours to assign another approved provider to conduct the rehabilitation assessment.
Subsection 41(1) of the MRCA defines that: "vocational assessment and rehabilitation consists of or includes any one or more of the following:
assessment of transferable skills;
functional capacity assessment;
workplace assessment;
vocational counselling and training;
review of medical factors;
training in resume preparation, job-seeker skills and job placement; and
the provision of workplace aids and equipment."
A vocational assessment will also include an assessment of employability taking into account age, capability, tertiary and other qualifications, and labour market conditions.
Vocational training and education is generally provided to return a person to the workforce to at least the level of the person's former employment. If, in order to regain employment, the rehabilitation assessment determines that education or training to a higher level, including tertiary studies, is required to achieve reasonable likelihood of a return to the workforce, and such assistance is considered to be appropriate and cost effective, training or education to that level will be considered.
Matters that must be considered when determining the cost effectiveness of further education include:
the person's rehabilitation goals and the primary focus of their current rehabilitation plan;
the person's current medical status, previous educational qualifications, employment history, training undertaken through their defence role, and current job opportunities available to them;
the cost of the training or education, including where applicable HECS - HELP;
the type of course and the fee structure that applies to that course;
access to suitable training institutions/courses or opportunities in the person's local area;
local, regional and state labour market factors and employment opportunities which may impact on the client's future employability;
the potential to assist the client towards a sustainable return to work and therefore financial self sufficiency and to help reduce future Commonwealth liability for ongoing payment of compensation;
the client's ability to cope with the pressures and demands of study and the likelihood of them successfully meeting the course requirements;
the client's commitment to self-manage their study, and if required seek assistance from the university support systems and their rehabilitation provider when needed; and
the potential to assist the client to achieve the health benefits of being actively engaged in meaningful employment.
Further education will only be supported when the client is undertaking a vocational rehabilitation plan and working towards a return-to-work goal.
Further information about retraining and further education can be found in section 9.8 in this library.
It is important, as part of a whole-of-person approach to rehabilitation, that psychosocial rehabilitation is always considered. The aim of psychosocial rehabilitation is to assist a person to maximise their functioning in the community, manage their life circumstances as effectively as possible, and to work towards a fulfilling and meaningful future by providing appropriate behavioural and basic training skills for living and participating in a community setting.
Rehabilitation Plan
A rehabilitation program will only be developed if the person has undergone an assessment of their capacity for rehabilitation by a suitably qualified provider.
The rehabilitation program will be described by a rehabilitation plan. It will list the goals that both the client and the provider believe to be achievable, as well as provide an indication of how difficult the client perceives these goals will be to achieve. It will list the services that will be provided, the time period covered under the plan and the expected outcome at the completion of the plan.
All parties to the plan, which includes, at a minimum, the person's rehabilitation delegate, an approved rehabilitation provider and the person will be consulted during the preparation of the plan. This will enable each party to commit to the plan and goals within the plan. The consultation will include providing the person with information and options to allow them to make informed decisions. Please refer to Goal Attainment Scaling in Chapter 15 in this library for detailed instructions on how to develop a plan.
DVA's whole of person approach to rehabilitation means that support and services can have a primary focus on:
vocational rehabilitation;
psychosocial rehabilitation; or
medical management rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation support is tailored to each client's individual circumstances. It is likely that a rehabilitation plan may include activities across each of these three areas.
The plan will include an outline for the coordination arrangements for each of the rehabilitation services.
Rehabilitation plans are subject to review, as requested, to ensure they remain relevant to the person's current needs.