Ongoing Resourcing Schemes (ORS) assessment
If your client is applying for Supported Living Payment while they are at school or if they have recently left school they may provide you with evidence that they are or have been receiving ongoing funding through the Ongoing Resourcing Schemes (ORS).
What is ORS?
The ORS scheme provides resources for a very small group of students throughout New Zealand with severe disabilities in the areas of learning, vision, hearing, mobility or language use and social communication. Most of these students have this level of need throughout their school years and are identified early in their development. Many receive a comprehensive early intervention service before they begin school.
There are two resourcing schemes available through Special Education:
Resourcing Scheme - for students who meet the criteria at the time of application but it is unclear whether their needs will remain at the same level throughout their school years. They are reviewed after four years of receiving the funding. After the reviewable period some students then receive support from the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.
Ongoing Resourcing Scheme - for students verified with very high or high needs at the time of application and where it is clear they will continue to require this high level of specialist support until they leave school.
Assessing permanent and severe
Your client may meet the medical criteria for Supported Living Payment if:
- they are currently receiving ongoing funding from the ORS scheme or
- they have recently left school and they received ongoing ORS funding from the ORS scheme in the year before they left school
If your client has been assessed as needing ongoing funding through the ORS scheme they need significant assistance to access the education curriculum and this impact is likely to be permanent.
It is reasonable to then translate the impact on accessing the curriculum to the impact on your client's ability to work for the purposes of benefit entitlement.
