Submission 371
Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee:
As the parent of a daughter with disability, | am extremely concerned at the decision by the NDIA to use independent assessors and the negative impact this will have on both existing and new NDIS participants.
An ‘independent assessment’ is the assessment of a person’s functional capacity done by an independent assessor who has never seen the participant and will spend a very limited time with the participant. This assessment will then be used to inform decisions about eligibility for the NDIS and funding in a participant’s plan.
How can a ‘standardised assessment tool’ correctly capture the diverse needs of people with all kinds of disabilities?
Furthermore, the participant will only receive a ‘summary’ of the assessment but not the full notes.
As the parent of a daughter with disability, | am horrified at the thought of an assessment by an ‘Independent assessor’ who has no experience of my daughter’s disability, who is not qualified as:
- Occupational therapist,
- Physiotherapist
- Speech therapist
- Neurologist
- Orthopaedic Surgeon
- General Practitioner
These are the people who have the expertise and write reports on my daughter’s disability and ongoing condition.
The ’independent assessor who would be sent to make an INFORMED DECISION regarding my daughter’s eligibility for different therapies and funding for her plan will not have the collective expertise of the above therapists and medical practitioners who now provide well-informed, ongoing reports.
So many other aspects of this decision by the NDIA are concerning.
| urge the Parliamentary Committee to please consider the concerns of so many people with disability and their families and take the necessary steps to ensure that this decision be reconsidered.
Yours Sincerely