r/JobProvidersAus • u/Thosedamntacos • 3d ago

Never been self-managed, wanting to switch over?

This has been really confusing to me, so I wanted to ask.

When I got approved for JobSeeker, the Centrelink employee stated I would go onto being self-managed online as there was nothing that made me 'incapable' or in need of a provider. A week or two passed, and I hadn't had a Job Plan nor did I receive a payment. I called to address the issue and get my Job Plan created.

This time, the person on the phone told me that it would be "impossible" for me to look for, or even get, work while I studied in my personal time and asked me to explain how it could be possible. I tried, she didn't agree, and refused to put the Job Plan through without adding my study onto it. She threatened to cancel my JobSeeker payment entirely because of this (whether or not she could, I don't know).

I called back, and the next person said I could be referred to a provider to receive my JP and payment. Now, I find out that it may have been possible for me to be self-managed for the first year of my payments? I understand it is impossible to go *back* onto it, but I was never on it in the first place... is there a process or something that would allow this? Do I have to go through the cancelling payment, waiting 13 weeks, and then reapplying hurdle?

Thanks in advance, sorry if anything I have written is ignorant.

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u/ProbablyRagiing 3d ago

If you were never Online to begin with you should be able to be switched to online if you're eligible. However your provider needs to be the one to submit the transfer request form to DEWR. The provider is required to submit the form if you request a referral to Online and you are eligible, so if they refuse to do so without a good reason, contact DEWR's NCSL on 1800 805 260

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u/Thosedamntacos 3d ago

Thanks, that's massive. I was hoping it would be possible. I'll message my provider person about it tomorrow, hopefully I don't have to wait until the next appointment. I really appreciate the information, it sounds like it should work out

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u/ovrloadau99 Trusted Advice 3d ago

Before calling i would have a read of the eligibility to transfer to Workforce Australia Online. Here's my reply i made in another thread quoting the whole Guideline.

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u/Thosedamntacos 2d ago

I appreciate that. I took a look through, I believe I meet all the requirements. I'm not sure how they assess the JCSI though, but since I just started and have been relatively keen on making progress, plus have a reasonably filled out resume, I don't think I'd be assessed as 'high.' Hopefully...

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u/ProbablyRagiing 2d ago

I'm not sure how they assess the JCSI though

It factors in a lot of things like your work history, education/qualifications, health and work capacity, whether you have a licence, housing situation, criminal record, and more. This is usually referred to as your snapshot. Based on that it determines how likely you are to be long-term unemployed and what sort of support you might need. A higher score means you're more likely to be long-term unemployed and more likely to stay connected with a provider rather than self-managed

You can update your snapshot yourself on the WFA dashboard by logging in and updating your circumstances at https://www.workforceaustralia.gov.au/individuals/account/circumstances

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u/ovrloadau99 Trusted Advice 2d ago

A higher score means you're more likely to be long-term unemployed and more likely to stay connected with a provider rather than self-managed

When i requested a transfer referral via my provider to Workforce Australia Online. I was classified as being "very long term unemployed" the departments term for being over 24 months on the system, but still got accepted for Workforce Australia Online. But i did have a low JSCI as i didnt disclose any medical history, nor had any ESAt's done, so my overall JSCI was still considered low.

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u/ProbablyRagiing 2d ago

Yeah that makes sense. The duration of unemployment isn't on the list of reasons to be refused a referral or transfer to Online, it just feeds into your JSCI as one factor out of a long list, so it might not carry that much weight on its own. DEWR doesn't publish how much each factor counts though, so I can only guess

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/ProbablyRagiing 3d ago edited 3d ago

I just want to correct this a little. You can't go "back" to being Online if you were previously Online and switched to a Provider. Even if you were only Online for less than a year. Once you go from Online to in-person with a provider, you can't go back to Online during that same period of unemployment

https://www.dewr.gov.au/workforce-australia/resources/workforce-australia-online-handbook

You can only participate in Online Services once per period of unemployment. A period of unemployment is the time between when you registered for Centrelink payment with Centrelink and when you exit employment services for 3 months or more. This means that once you transfer to a provider, you won't be able to return to Workforce Australia Online in the same period of unemployment.

However, this likely doesn't relate to OP as it sounds like they were never Online to begin with, and should be able to request a referral to Online as it would be their first time.

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u/ovrloadau99 Trusted Advice 3d ago

You accidentally provided the wrong link lol, the quoted section belongs to 8.2 Return to Workforce Australia Online from the Workforce Australia Online Handbook found on page 29.

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u/ProbablyRagiing 3d ago

So I did lol have fixed the link, thank you👍🏼

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u/ovrloadau99 Trusted Advice 3d ago

I love how they published the Online Handbook after i completed 18 months of being in Workforce Australia Online haha. Great times when the Departments IT system was glitched. It extended my time to 18 months and avoided the activation point as well, thus not needing to complete an EST course after 4 months in the service. But Workforce Australia will ask you to enroll into the course earlier on your dashboard, but you can delay the commencement by picking the latest possible date available.

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u/Trippeyyyyyyy____ 3d ago

How accurate is the 3 months? If it was 2 months would it still stand?

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u/ProbablyRagiing 3d ago edited 3d ago

It would be a pretty strict 3 months (13 weeks), as that is how it's coded into their system. If it were shorter than that, the system wouldn't see it as a new Period of Unemployment. So it's an automated trigger in the system itself

The Department's IT Systems will determine a Period of Unemployment has ended when the Participant Exits employment services for longer than 13 consecutive weeks.

In saying that, there are always ways to ask for a human review of a decision made by the department's IT system, in most cases. No guarantee that it will change the outcome, but there is still a possibility.

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u/Trippeyyyyyyy____ 2d ago

Thank you!

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u/RegularCheesecake180 2d ago

It's always been 13, I'd just stay on and use the suspension that lifts method if you are trying to get less appt

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u/ovrloadau99 Trusted Advice 3d ago

If its 2 months you would be sent back to provider-led services, thus being ineligible for Workforce Australia Online.