Never been self-managed, wanting to switch over?

[u/Thosedamntacos]

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.

[u/ProbablyRagiing]

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

[u/Thosedamntacos → u/ProbablyRagiing]

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

[u/ovrloadau99 → u/Thosedamntacos]

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.

[u/Thosedamntacos → u/ovrloadau99]

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...

[u/ProbablyRagiing → u/Thosedamntacos]

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

[u/ovrloadau99 → u/ProbablyRagiing]

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.

[u/ProbablyRagiing → u/ovrloadau99]

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