DVA may provide assistance with the costs of moving, where there is a reasonable requirement for the person to relocate because they have secured suitable work.
What is suitable work
Suitable work is defined in section 2.3.1 of this library [1]for DRCA and section 2.4.2 of this library [2]for MRCA. Suitable work is defined with respect to four criteria:
DVA, as rehabilitation authority, has a responsibility to assist a former ADF member to find suitable employment in a civilian work setting.
Considering whether relocation assistance should be provided
The intent of relocation assistance is to provide support for people living in areas where there are no suitable or reasonable employment options available, and they need to move to be able to secure suitable employment.
It is envisaged that relocation assistance will be provided on an irregular basis only, where a person lives in a remote area of Australia that has a very limited labour market, and needs to move to an area with higher employment prospects. Relocation assistance may also be appropriate where the person has very specialised skills, which means they need to relocate to find employment as there are no jobs available in this area in their current location
It is not intended that the Department assist people to relocate for employment that is more desirable than what is available in their existing location, or where they have a particular employment role they are keen to fulfil.
Managing expectations
It is important that a client’s expectations are managed appropriately and they understand that relocation assistance will only be considered in very specific circumstances. It is also important that ongoing discussions are taking place between the Rehabilitation Provider and the Rehabilitation Coordinator when job searching is not going according to plan, and the client is not successful in securing interviews or gaining employment. In these situations, it is expected that a variety of other options are pursued, before relocation assistance is considered. These options may include application writing skills courses, resume writing, interview skills training, retraining etc. Only once these options have been pursued can relocation assistance be considered.
When relocation assistance can be considered
The following requirements must be met before relocation assistance can be considered:
It is expected that the rehabilitation provider will have contacted the DVA Rehabilitation Coordinator to discuss the client’s circumstances, and gained approval for funding for relocation costs as an approved activity under the vocational rehabilitation plan, prior to the client actually relocating.
Approving relocation assistance
Before a request for relocation assistance can be approved, the following documentation must be provided to the Rehabilitation Coordinator:
When relocation assistance should not be provided
It is not appropriate for DVA to provide relocation assistance in the following circumstances:
What relocation costs can be considered?
Rehabilitation Coordinators have the discretion to approve reasonable relocation costs in the context of each individual client’s circumstances. Therefore, each request for relocation assistance should be considered on a case by case basis. It is however expected, that the following costs would be reasonable in most circumstances:
Where the client is eligible for household services, a “move clean” may also be approved. Further information about cleaning when moving house can be found in section 7.1.1 of this guide [4].
Relocation costs that are not considered reasonable
Costs that are not reasonable for DVA to provide assistance with, include:
The client would be responsible for meeting all of these additional costs themselves.
DVA will also not offer reimbursement of losses upon the sale of a house, household items or other similar expenses.
Links
[1] https://clik.dva.gov.au/rehabilitation-policy-library/2-legislative-provisions/23-safety-rehabilitation-and-compensation-defence-related-claims-act-1988-drca/231-rehabilitation-definitions
[2] https://clik.dva.gov.au/rehabilitation-policy-library/2-legislative-provisions/24-military-rehabilitation-and-compensation-act-2004-mrca/242-rehabilitation-definitions
[3] https://clik.dva.gov.au/military-compensation-mrca-manuals-and-resources-library/policy-manual/ch-9-other-benefits-under-military-rehabilitation-and-compensation-act-2004/91-compensation-travel-and-accommodation-costs-reasonably-required-or-incurred-under-military-rehabilitati-1
[4] https://clik.dva.gov.au/rehabilitation-policy-library/7-household-services/71-household-services/711-what-are-household-services
[5] https://clik.dva.gov.au/rehabilitation-policy-library/7-household-services/71-household-services/712-what-tasks-are-not-considered-household-services