Special education assessment

If the client is a young person, they may have an assessment from the Ministry of Education for special education. MSD can use this to decide the client's eligibility to Supported Living Payment if the young person has:

• intellectual disabilities or
• severe physical disabilities or
• long-standing, severe ill health or
• sensory impairments

and

• they are still at school or
• they have recently left school

Special education is available for students with physical and/or intellectual impairments, hearing or vision difficulties, students who struggle with learning, communicating or getting along with others, or who have an emotional or behavioural difficulty.

Special education is the provision of extra help, adapted programmes, learning environments, or specialised equipment or materials to support students with their learning and help them participate in education.

There are several different levels of support a student can get from special education, including support for moderate special education needs and high special education needs.

Not all students who get special education qualify for Supported Living Payment.

However, young people who have received ongoing funding from the Ongoing Resourcing Schemes in their last year at school are likely to qualify for Supported Living Payment.

Students getting Ongoing Resourcing Schemes come from many different schooling environments including:

• mainstream schools
• day specialist schools
• residential specialist schools (including those run privately)
• correspondence school
• home school

A young person 16 years or over can get Supported Living Payment and remain a full-time student.

Clients may have been receiving special education services and not have met the eligibility to Ongoing Resourcing Scheme and still meet the Supported Living Payment criteria.

Just because a client didn't receive Ongoing Resourcing Scheme does not mean they won't meet the criteria for Supported Living Payment.

In these cases, the client may have an alternative assessment such as an assessment from their medical specialist or a NASC assessment that they could provide.

They could also provide a medical certificate from their registered medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or psychologist.

Note a psychologist cannot complete a medical certificate for the person who is being cared for when assessing a client's eligibility to Supported Living Payment (caring for a person).

There are diverse criteria for young people to be granted an exemption to attend special schools.

MSD cannot rely on attendance at a special school alone to determine if the client is permanently and severely restricted in their capacity to work.

However, many of these students are likely to have received Ongoing Resourcing Scheme funding while attending the special school.

If the client advises MSD they have been attending a special day school or residential school, MSD should ask them if they have been receiving ongoing assistance from the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.

Some young people with a high level of special education needs may get an exemption which allows them to attend school until they are 21 years old.

This is not sufficient on its own to determine if the client is permanently and severely restricted in their capacity to work.

However, these students are likely to have received Ongoing Resourcing Scheme funding to stay at school.

If the client advises they are still at school past 19 years of age, MSD should ask them if they have been getting ongoing assistance from the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme.