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Specialist support eligibility

The Disability Service Act 2006 outlines who can be considered for access to specialist disability services.

Demand for specialist disability services continues be greater than the supply of services. Being confirmed as eligible does not guarantee you will receive specialist support, but does mean you may be linked to specialist support services if and when they are available.

Eligibility criteria

There are seven criteria that must be met in order to be considered eligible. These are based on the Disability Services Act 2006 and are divided into three categories.

Category 1—about you

You are:

1. an Australian citizen or permanent resident with a suitable visa AND

2. a Queensland resident AND

3. under 65 at the time of application

Category 2—about your disability

Your disability is:

4. Due to an intellectual, psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairment (or combination of impairments) AND

5. Permanent or likely to be permanent

Category 3—about your support needs

Your disability results in:

6. Substantial reduction in capacity for communication, social interaction, learning, mobility or self-care/management AND

7. A need for support

Eligibility evidence

It is the role of the Disability Services assessor to determine whether you are eligible. The intake officer who books your assessment will be able to tell you what supporting documentation from the list below to bring with you to your assessment meeting.

Category 1 documentation

The table below lists the documents you can provide to help us confirm your eligibility under category 1. We need to know 3 things about you—that you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, that you live in Queensland, and that you are under 65 years of age.

The 'Eligibility type' column indicates which of the three criteria each document can confirm. Some documents can provide evidence of more than 1 criteria.

The table below lists the documents you can provide to help us confirm your eligibility. We need to know three things about you—that you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, that you live in Queensland, and that you are under 65 years of age.

The 'Eligibility type' column indicates which of the three criteria the document can confirm. Some documents can provide information about more than one criterion.

Documents you can provide to help us confirm your eligibility
Documents you can provide as evidence Eligibility type
Australian citizenship or residency Queensland residency Under 65 years
Australian birth certificate or Australian birth extract Yes No Yes
Australian passport Yes No Yes
Australian armed services papers Yes No No
Australian citizenship certificate Yes No Yes
Authorised reference * Yes Yes Yes
Bank statements (showing a Queensland residential address)  No Yes No
Centrelink: Disability Pension or Health Care Card, Carer Allowance or Carer Payment Yes Yes No
Certificate of citizenship by descent Yes No No
Certificate of permanent residency Yes No No
Council rates notice (Queensland) or local council library card No Yes No
Department of Child Safety document No Yes No
Department of Veteran's Affairs (DVA) card Yes No Yes
Department of Housing lease agreement (Queensland)  Yes Yes No
Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Valid visa ** Yes No No
Employment history No Yes No
Motor vehicle registration or insurance papers No Yes No
Medicare card or immunisation history statement  Yes No No
Property lease agreements (Queensland) No Yes No
Queensland driver licence No Yes Yes
School registration No Yes Yes
Utilities bills (showing a Queensland residential address) No Yes No

* Authorised Reference for Indigenous applicants

An 'Authorised Reference' is a letter of confirmation from a person who has known you for a long time, for example:

** Valid visa for migrant applicants

  • Your visa must allow you permanent residency status in Australia.
  • Your New Zealand passport must be stamped with date of entry to Australia before 26 February 2001.

Category 2 and 3 documentation

You may need a report or letter from a professional who can tell us more information about your disability and whether it is permanent. There are a number of professionals who can provide this information. They should be a specialist in the disability or condition you have, and should have provided treatment, intervention, or support to you in the last six months.

Cognitive impairment

The following professionals can diagnose cognitive impairment:

  • General Practitioner
  • Neurologist
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Occupational therapist
  • Paediatrician
  • Practitioner working with a specialist organisation
  • Psychologist
  • Specialist Practitioner working with a mainstream organisation
  • Speech and Language Pathologist

Intellectual impairment

The intellectual impairment category includes reports for children 0–5 years who have significant or global developmental delay, or who are at risk of an intellectual impairment.

The following professionals can diagnose intellectual impairment:

  • General Practitioner
  • Guidance Officer
  • Neurologist
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Occupational therapist
  • Paediatrician
  • Practitioner working with a specialist organisation
  • Psychiatrist
  • Psychologist
  • Specialist Practitioner working with a mainstream organisation
  • Speech and Language Pathologist

Neurological impairment

The following professionals can diagnose neurological impairment:

  • General Practitioner
  • Neurologist
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Occupational therapist
  • Paediatrician
  • Physiotherapist
  • Practitioner working with a specialist organisation
  • Psychiatrist
  • Psychologist
  • Specialist Practitioner working with a mainstream organisation
  • Speech and Language Pathologist

Physical disability

The following professionals can diagnose physical disability:

  • General Practitioner
  • Occupational therapist
  • Orthopaedic surgeon
  • Paediatrician
  • Physiotherapist
  • Practitioner working with a specialist organisation
  • Rheumatologist
  • Specialist Practitioner working with a mainstream organisation

Psychiatric disability

The following professionals can diagnose psychiatric disability:

  • General Practitioner
  • Occupational therapist
  • Paediatrician
  • Practitioner working with a specialist organisation
  • Psychiatrist
  • Psychologist
  • Specialist Practitioner working with a mainstream organisation

Sensory impairment

The following professionals can diagnose sensory impairment:

  • Audiologist
  • General Practitioner
  • Neurologist
  • Occupational therapist
  • Ophthalmologist
  • Optometrist
  • Otolaryngologist
  • Paediatrician
  • Practitioner working with a specialist organisation
  • Specialist Practitioner working with a mainstream organisation
  • Speech and Language Pathologist

Further information

Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0)
Last updated:
26 February 2013

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