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. Many individuals receiving PADP will receive an indefinite award. Those awards that do have a set review period will be reviewed regularly to ensure that the individual continues to receive the right amount of assistance. You should schedule the review for a time where it is most likely that the individual’s needs will have changed in a way that would impact their entitlement.

Due to the structure of PADP, changes in needs are not always relevant to entitlement. When deciding if and when a scheduled review should happen in the future, you should focus on those changes that are likely to impact entitlement. For example, where a person has daytime needs only, and those increase or slightly decrease, this won’t result in a change in award. The only scenario where a change in entitlement would occur would be if either

• the person were to develop night-time needs or
• the person’s needs were to decrease so significantly that they don’t meet the eligibility criteria anymore.

Rules for renal dialysis differ slightly. Refer to the Renal Dialysis chapter for more information.

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

Generally, review periods range between 2 and 10 years. Some conditions or their impact on the individual are likely to be in the short to medium term, so a shorter review period (i.e., 2 to 5 years) may be appropriate to ensure that the individual remains on the correct rate of Pension Age Disability Payment in the future.

For conditions unlikely to see significant changes in overall impact, this might suggest a longer period between reviews (i.e. 5 to 10 years). You should consider other factors that may impact on the individual’s level of need. For individuals whose needs are highly unlikely to either:

• reduce and who are entitled to a higher PADP award; or
• reduce or increase and who are entitled to a lower PADP award, an indefinite award might be appropriate.

Individuals who have a terminal illness will not have a scheduled review of their entitlement. Cases of terminally ill individuals are processed under Special Rules for Terminal Illness.

In all other instances, when making a determination of entitlement for Pension Age Disability Payment, you must choose to do one of the following:

• set a review date that is appropriate for the individual’s circumstances
• not set a review date, as it is highly unlikely that the individual’s circumstances will change (PADP draft Regs, reg. 29(3)(a)). Awards without a review date are called 'indefinite awards'.

The start date of any review period must always be the date of the determination, rather than the date of the application. For example, an individual applies for Pension Age Disability Payment on 15 April 2024. You make a determination of entitlement on 20 October 2024 and set a review period of five years. The individual’s next review will be on 20 October 2029.

Individuals do not need a formal diagnosis of their condition or disability that causes their care needs, for those needs to be relevant. For example, one condition relevant for the PADP cohort is frailty. Some individuals might not have a formal diagnosis of this condition, but their care needs caused by this condition would still be relevant.

You should factor in time for recovery and adjustment. For example, if the individual has surgery planned for the near future which would be expected to impact their level of need in a way that it would change their entitlement, a review at a point following the anticipated recovery period after surgery might be appropriate. Depending on the condition and treatment or surgery, the length of the recovery period will differ. For more information refer to the guidance on planned treatment or surgery.