Capability and Culture of the NDIA
Submission 141
Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS
Capability and Culture of the NDIA
The following is a summary of my experience of the capability and culture of NDIA.
I contacted the NDIA to arrange a change of circumstances with my plan due to recent hearing loss. I had not been using hearing aids when the plan was first put in place, so I was wanting to adjust my plan to include these. The person I initially spoke to at the NDIA was respectful and helpful. She explained that my Support Co-ordinator had already provided evidence for the hearing loss and therefore a change in circumstances review was initiated. The NDIA added that it would help the NDIA if another piece of evidence from my GP was provided.
However, rather than undertake a change of circumstances review, the NDIA decided to do a full review of my plan. The senior officer who undertook the review denied the changes I needed. The justification provided was that hearing aids could not be approved as they were not in my original plan.
At this point I was feeling frustrated and angry as the reason for asking for the change of circumstances was to add something new to the plan, due to my change of circumstances, as I was now experiencing hearing loss.
The information I received from the NDIA made me feel as if they were questioning whether I should be on the NDIS. This was upsetting, particularly as the disability I live with is on the List B they sent me. Moreover, the listed side effects of that disability included hearing loss.
Furthermore, the senior officer who made the decision stated that the report provided was not adequate for the purposes of the NDIA as it had not come from an approved audiologist. This made me feel angry as the audiologist who wrote the report belongs to the hearing services program which is a NDIA approved organisation.
I felt that the person making the decision was looking for reasons to deny my application.
Overall, this experience with the NDIA has made me feel frustrated and upset.
I believe that the NDIA culture would improve if decision makers took time to do appropriate research before making decisions.