NDIA Accountability Project

Concerns regarding psychosocial disability assessment and funding misuse

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National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 118

Hi there I am an NDIS participant and had dreadful experiences with a delegate. The following changes deeply concern me.

  • Co-design is not required: The Bill now requires the Minister to consider co-design principles, but it doesn’t make this a legal requirement.

  • Does not take a Whole of Person Approach: The Bill may not fully account for people with multiple and interrelated disabilities, which could lead to inadequate support. This is of serious concern to me with psychosocial disabilities. The agency cannot see what things are like from inside my mind. The agency staff are not clinicians and should not be disputing clinicians reports.

  • Unclear review and appeal rights: The Bill lacks a clear way to appeal or replace your needs assessment. There is no clear detail of what appealing decisions involve. My needs are individual I’m not a person who fits into a textbook.

  • Broad powers to require assessments: The Bill provides the.NDIA with broad powers to require medical assessments, which could be difficult to obtain. This is traumatic I have personally experienced at least 20 assessments. My treatment team know me and my behaviours. Spending an hour with a clinical to articulate 15 years of psychological disabilities and how they affect my daily living,

  • Limits on Support and Spending: The Bill gives the NDIA a lot of power to control how participants use their funding, reducing participant choice and control. Choice and control is a basic human right. Reducing this will exacerbate and reinforce feelings of worthlessness and create labels. My treatment team know my needs as I do.

  • Punitive measures: The Bill gives the NDIA new powers to change how participants’ plans are managed and raise debts if they decide funding has been misused. I have no issues with (when appropriate) to question misused funding. There is a big issue with terminology in the payment section of the portal on what support

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 118

category to select as the terminology is different within my plan. Myself and many other participants struggle with this. I don’t consider this misuse of funds. It’s the agency’s poor planning when building plans and payment infrastructure. Using a service code or a drop-down selection would be far more advantageous.

The agency should make it mandatory to upload a receipt or invoice when a participant is making a claim. When claiming via the app you are not required to substantiate the expense incurred. This is deeply concerning and making changes to the requirements could reduce the misuse.

Regards