Dear Senate Enquiry
I am an NDIS Mental Health Support Worker with ten years experience, have lived experience of childhood PTSD, anxiety and depression. I also have a family friend with severe Schizophrenia (since their late teens) who applied for the NDIS via my employer and was initially declined.
My NGO employer has worked in mental health for several decades and is focussed on clients with psycho-social needs ranging in age from 20 to 60s but mostly in mid 30s to 50s age group. Many of our clients and their families live with severe anxiety, depression and paranoia, schizophrenia, bipolar and some also with agoraphobia, complex PTSD, ABIs, development delays and some are on the autistic spectrum.
It is critical that the NDIA does its job thoroughly when Australians first apply for the NDIS. Currently the NDIA’ initial assessment of client’s needs, is stressful, time-consuming, demanding and their decisions/assessments can be wildly inaccurate.
An applicant’s initial application was declined by NDIA, despite many hospitalisations and life long diagnosed bipolar. Shortly after the NDIA said no, they went into a catatonic state and were hospitalised in a Mental Health Unit for a year.
There was a second applicant where the NDIA also declined their application (again many hospitalisations though this time lifelong schizophrenia). This applicant was awarded an NDIS package over $100,000 pa. So which as correct, the initial no $ or the $100K? This package was almost double or triple other applicants’ package yet this person had much lower needs than many other more complex applicants.
Then there’s a third applicant. Their NDIS Application has been declined two to three times despite long term NGO support, along with their GP, Psychologist and lifelong schizophrenia. They have decided to stop any future NDIS applications and now do not access any NDIS funded services. This is a very sad situation as they previously accessed many of our NSW Government block funded services.
The NDIA could easily request more thorough information from Centrelink, ATO, Medicare, Community Housing, Hospitalisations etc (with applicant’s permission) which frees applicants, their families & NGO’s to provide only minimal supporting or clarifying data. If the NDIA used the above records and information then NDIA’s well-paid and trained staff should be able to properly assess each individual application accurately and perhaps not need to review it for several years.
Most of our clients’ become very anxious at their annual review and it takes much support from their family, GPs, Psychologist, our support staff etc to get them there. Some clients can be so fearful that it can take three or four attempts to make an appointment. Our team also notices that our client’s anxiety is very high when it comes to dealing with Centrelink. Medicare and any other government departments.
Independent Assessments will create further and unnecessary anxiety for our clients and their already stretched families, be time-consuming and be a waste of NDIA funds. The ATO has a good model where staff do spot checks only on Tax Refunds for anything that looks unusual. The ATO targets the 5 to 10% of questionable cases and leave the other 90% law-abiding Australian residents to live their lives in peace.
Please stop Independent Assessments and treat Australians living with severe and persistent mental health issues with respect. Instead put checks and balances around NDIS’ processes rather than interview, re-interview and harass our clients. Australian families deserve better.