How to manage your participation requirements

Your participation plan lists all the requirements you must meet to get DSP.

Develop your plan

We’ll help you develop a participation plan to suit you. It must include at least one compulsory work focused activity such as:

• connecting with a Disability Employment Services provider
• apprenticeship, traineeship or work experience
• education or training, if you’re younger than 22
• rehabilitation or counselling.

Manage your plan

To keep getting DSP you must do all of the following:

• agree to your participation plan
• sign your participation plan
• go to all your interviews
• do the compulsory activity in your plan.

If you find it hard to manage your plan, call us on the Disability, sickness and carers line. You can also visit a service centre.

Temporary exemption from DSP participation requirements

You may be able to get a short term exemption from your participation requirements if any of these apply to you:

• you have a temporary incapacity with a medical certificate
• you’re affected by a natural disaster such as a bushfire or flood
• you’re experiencing a major personal crisis such as family and domestic violence
• you're pregnant and it’s 6 weeks before the expected date of birth or 6 weeks after birth
• you're overseas
• you're in psychiatric confinement.

Read more about managing your payment.

Tell us if your medical condition changes

You’ll need to tell us if your medical condition changes.

If you give us medical evidence showing your condition has changed, we may send you for an Employment Services Assessment.

This helps us work out:

• how the change affects your capacity to work
• what extra help you need to find and keep work.

If current medical evidence shows you can’t work at least 8 hours per week, you won’t need to participate any further. Please contact us if either:

• you aren’t sure if you can participate
• you’re finding it hard to get medical evidence.