National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024
Submission 145
Hello,
I have some real concerns about the proposed changes to the NDIS Bill. My son’s plan as of today, which is only 3 months into it’s use has reached its limit! Having been through the worst process to get the plan written and approved with the new delegate system was appalling. All current reports supplied were ignored, terapists and professionals for my son written into his plan were all outdated - basically all wrong - as was information about the school he attends. The delegate was completely incompetent!
Not wishing to have my delegate meeting conducted over the phone was also ignored three imes and I was made to engage in a 2.5hr Teams call with a delegate on the other side of the country! (WA to NSW rather than being allowed to go into my local NDIS office and have the face-to-face meeting with a WA delegate). This NSW delegate spent a lot of time telling me all the current changes, spent much of the time mansplaining how NDIS and Bill Shorten is all about catching fraudulent businesses vs listening to my son’s needs, reading through my son’s reports and allocating funds required and needed under various correct categories. I was told several times in that call I was NOT allowed several therapies that my son was currently having. For example, exercise physiologists are only allowed if my son toe walks!!!! Exercise Physiologists are so much more about toe walking!
A core budget was refused several times. A core budget which would give me some flexibility to use the funds required for my son. Of all the people I know who are part of the NDIS, more than 10 families with children who range in age from 6yrs to 16yrs, my child is the only one who has been refused any Core Budget, being told he needs to wait until he is at least 13yrs of age. There is no clear reason for this!
My son is at a critical age where he is transitioning to secondary school and we as parents, are doing all we can to try and help him catch up to his same age peers so he can be a productive citizen and be a part of the workforce in future. In trying to catch him up, we are requiring more allied health professionals support as school teachers do not have the training or know how to fully support this. The specialists are there to work with the school to support my son.
This takes time and multiple sessions, more than what the delegate would provide, despite all the reports he was provided. If a Core budget had been given, I would be in a position to use the funds awarded as needed vs being locked down in categories that I cannot access or use within the plan period. As mentioned, his category for Allied Health Professionals is now exhausted only 3 months into his plan. His progress will now be cut short because I do not have the funds or financial means to pay for these.
I am also in a position where I have allocated funds that cannot be used but are available for NDIA registered providers only. A mistake again made by an incompetent delegate who stated in my son’s plan that Plan Managed and Self Managed Plans could use the funds for Behaviour Support.
My Plan Manager has been operating under stressful conditions as well, paying my son’s specialists with funds from categories that do not have a high enough % of the total plan funds. They have also withheld funds which has caused me much stress. I have had to take
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024
Submission 145
days off work! I have had to pay for therapists out of my own pocket and try to use Private health funds to subsidise the cost!
I am a primary school teacher who is already frustrated with the lack of support for teachers by the federal and state governments for supporting students in schools who need support from the NDIS as well as stressed for my own child!
Putting Limits on Support and Spending is absolutely WRONG and unjust! This new Bill gives the NDIA a lot of power to control how participants use their funding, reducing participant choice and control.
Introducing Punitive measures that punish participants for using their funds as needed is also wrong and unjust! This nee Bill gives the NDIA new powers to change how participants’ plans are managed and raise debts if they decide funding has been misused.
Listen to what participants actually need and trust the people who are supporting their dependents please. Make the process and fair one vs trying to conduct business meetings with people who are not in business. And finally, don’t punish autistic people because their disability isn’t as visible as other people with disabilities.
Do the right thing for the people who need to live in this society and don’t cut off more supports that they actually need.
Sincerely,