Vocational Rehabilitation Services provide assistance and support to people who have an injury, disability or health condition and need assistance to find or keep a job.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services providers develop individual programs that focus on your strengths and abilities, and the barriers you face in getting employment, to help you find and keep a job. They understand and help you manage your injury, disability or health condition.
Free help and support
The type of help provided by Vocational Rehabilitation Services varies depending on your individual needs and can include, but are not limited to, assessments, identifying and delivering vocational rehabilitation interventions and strategies to manage your injury, disability or health condition, including interventions designed to improve endurance, vocational counselling, counselling on disability issues, and assistance with job search and employment placements, including work experience.
Job in Jeopardy assistance
Job in Jeopardy assistance can provide you and your employer with immediate support and assistance to help you maintain your job if it is at risk because of issues related to your injury, disability or health condition. You are not required to have a Job Capacity Assessment to access Job in Jeopardy assistance.
Is Vocational Rehabilitation Services the right service for you?
Australian citizens or residents who are at least 14 but not 65 years who have an injury, disability or health condition that makes it hard for them to gain employment or return to work may be eligible to receive help from Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
In most cases you will be required to have a Job Capacity Assessment to participate in Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
You are not required to have a permanent disability to participate in Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
If you are entitled to compensation or damages from someone for the disability, injury or illness for which you are undertaking, or have undertaken the Vocational Rehabilitation Program, you may be liable under section 23(2) of the Disability Services Act 1986 to repay the Commonwealth for the costs of your rehabilitation program. The following fact sheets are for Vocational Rehabilitation Services providers, participants and solicitors:
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Providers must ensure that each Section 23 participant completes and signs a Section 23 Participant Declaration Form (PDF) during their initial interview. The Participant Declaration Form as well as instructions for completing the form are available from Vocational Rehabilitation Services Providers.
Access to financial help and wages
Vocational Rehabilitation Services may also be able to help an employer to access a range of other services such as:
Would you like more information?
For more information on Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the following factsheets are available on the workplace.gov.au web site (please note that the following links will open an external site in a new window).