DES can help you find and keep a job if you live with disability, injury or health condition.

Am I eligible for DES

You may be eligible for DES if you are looking for work and are:

• living with disability, injury or health condition
• at least 14 years old but younger than Age Pension age
• an Australian resident, or have an eligible visa 
• able to work part-time – between 8 and 30 hours per week
• getting a Centrelink allowance or pension
• getting support from National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

To find out if you are eligible for DES:

• contact JobAccess on 1800 464 800 or
• go to the DES provider search page and contact a DES provider.

How do I register for DES?

You can register for DES through Services Australia or through a DES provider.

To register through Services Australia, you can either:

• call the Centrelink employment services line on 132 850
• visit a Services Australia service centre

To register through a provider:

• go to the DES provider search page
• contact a provider and ask to register.

Services Australia or your DES provider may tell you to get an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt).

An ESAt helps to understand:

• your barriers to work
• your capacity to work due to disability, illness or injury
• what type of employment services provider is best for you
• if you need extra help to find and keep a job.

Services Australia can complete it over the phone if that suits you.

A qualified health or allied health professional does the assessment.

You may need to give medical evidence from your GP or specialist health provider.

The ESAt decides if DES is the best employment service for you. It also works out how many hours you can work each week, and how many hours you could do, with help from your DES provider.

You can find out more about the ESAt process on the Services Australia website.

Finding and choosing a provider

If an ESAt assessor says DES is best for you, they will tell you which DES providers are close to where you live.

You choose the DES provider you want to be referred to.

You can make a better choice by researching DES providers. It is suggested you contact a few providers to see who you feel most comfortable with and talk to them about how they can help you.

To find a DES provider go to the DES provider search page.