Principles of choosing a review period

Awards of disability assistance do not have a fixed end date after which clients have to re-apply for disability assistance. As all our awards are ongoing, most awards will be reviewed regularly to ensure that the individual continues to receive the right amount of assistance. The review should be scheduled for a time where it is most likely that the individual’s needs will have changed.

For example, if the individual has surgery planned for the near future which would be expected to significantly impact their level of need, a review at a point following the anticipated recovery period after surgery might be appropriate. For more information refer to the guidance on planned treatment or surgery. 

Some conditions or their impact on the individual are likely to change over time, so a review may be appropriate to see whether the individual might be entitled to a different rate of Adult Disability Payment in the future.

For conditions unlikely to see significant changes in overall impact, this might suggest a longer period between reviews. The case manager should consider other factors that may impact on the individual’s level of need.

Small changes in the individual’s condition might make a significant difference to their overall level of entitlement for Adult Disability Payment, depending on the score for each activity awarded by the case manager for the daily living and mobility components. This should not prevent a case manager from setting a longer review period, as the individual can still ask for an unscheduled review if their circumstances change.

Individuals who have a terminal illness will not have a scheduled review of their entitlement.

In all other instances, when making a determination of entitlement for Adult Disability Payment, a case manager must choose to do one of the following:

• set a review date
• not set a review date, as it is highly unlikely that the individual’s circumstances will change (ADP Regs, reg. 37) . Awards without a review date are called 'indefinite awards'.