Independent Assessments

                                 Submission 115

I am a 42 year old woman with a psychosocial disability who was granted my first NDIS package in October 2020. I am a professional Theatre Director and teaching artist and have become unable to work or care for myself adequately in most areas of my life. My package of around $25,000 has been vital in assisting me to recover some level of functionality and return to work. Unfortunately it is not enough and my husband is still strained trying to care for me, manage work and study.

It took me around 2 years and one failed application to gain this small package. To get the package I needed highly skilled medical and social work professionals who knew my medical history and my area of disability to assess me and help my husband and I prepare the forms. On our first attempt, I was unsuccessful because we could find no help in navigating the bureaucratic language of the application process..

In my experience, it is already much harder to get an NDIS package for psychosocial disability than other areas. In fact, the stress of the process of applying, being rejected and applying again adversely impacted my health and the health of my husband who is my carer. I am concerned that additional reviews by an independently appointed individual or panel, who may not have adequate medical or health related training, will make poor and inadequate assessments.

I acknowledge there are issues in how individuals are assessed and funds allocated, I believe this was the case for me. However, it seems incongruent that the government would question the expertise of Medicare approved professionals and require additional assessment. The medical and professional assessments required for the current review process already impose significant costs on NDIS recipients and the health system, in addition to recipients’ normal health care needs. It does not make sense to add yet more costly assessments.

Some of my suggestions to improve the system are:

• Create a standardised “diary” or form that carers and/or recipients can use to track their care needs and is used in reviews. I think it could be helpful to have different forms for people with psychosocial disabilities or mental impairment to those with physical disabilities.
• Use qualified medical professionals or social workers, who have worked in the specific area of disability of an individual being reviewed i.e. psychologist/psychiatrist, specialist in autism, specialists in cerebral palsy etc. This is done for the Disability Support Pension and it would benefit the NDIA to look at the DSP processes and procedures to assist with their reviews of the NDIS.

The NDIS application and review process is already challenging and requires a huge amount of resources. My husband and I ask the committee to please consider any changes carefully and make this process easier and more respectful, not harder.

Respectfully yours,