22 Aug 2019
Dear NDIS Planning Committee,
It is exciting to hear there will be review of the ‘NDIS planning’ process, we would liket share our experience with you.
In summary we waited 608.3 days for our first suitable plan, not the 127 days on average as reported in early August.
In summary our experience was:
waiting 18 months, after date of application, to provide our son with an unsuitable plan (plan 1), or 547.5 days,
20 months (608.3 days) to deliver a suitable plan (plan 4), via a successful challenge via the AAT,
I am sure these records are not on the NDIA’s system, the NDIA appeared to lose our file for about 12 months, without explanation.
We currently have a complaint open with the NDIA to explain the delay and to fund treatment provided while we waited, (Complaint Reference Number 8001210328, complaint lodge on the 11 Nov 2019, this complaint has not been properly address, 256 days).
We would expect that the NDIA should have provided a first plan within a reasonable time from being accepted into the scheme, we would see a reasonable time frame to be no more than 90 days. This is based on my experience with Comcare where both parties are required to complete transactions within 90 day, maximum.
After our experience we would have been happy with 127 day, and a target of 50 days would be impressive.
We are working with James Steven’s office (Hon Member of Sturt) to assist the NDIA with addressing the complaint properly.
To assist your review we are more than happy to share our records and experience with you. This may assist you in understanding what is going wrong with the NDIA.
We have had 5 years of experience with the NDIA, our first child’s plan was excellent, the staff at the NDIA were excellent and the results have been excellent, the timeframe for delivering that plan was reasonable and we had face to face contact with the NDIA, not through third parties. We believe the third parties may be the issue in our case, but as these are the NDIA’s contractors, this issue sits with the NDIA.
I am not sure what has happened in the last 5 years but our recent experience would indicate the NDIA is dysfunctional as an organisation, although there are signs things are getting better.
We have had to fight every step of the way to get our son his first suitable plan, it has been a very difficult experience for our family and the participant. I am of the opinion the NDIA does not care what harm they have caused our child and our family. In our case we are capable and willing to fight. As I work with the government in a professional capacity I know to keep pushing the process. I just did not imagine this would take years. I can only imagine what devastation the NDIA has caused others.
A brief timeline of events is shown below to illustrate our experience with ‘waiting’ for a suitable plan:
Date Event Time since
first contact
May 2017 First Contact We contacted NDIS to request access. 0 months
Aug 2017 We followed up NDIS as we received 3 months (~90
no information. days)
NDIA informed us our ‘mail had been stopped at the mailroom’.
Aug 2017 Received first letter Received letter from NDIA date ’30 3 months (~90
from NDIA May 2017’. days)
15 May 2018 Accepted into Sebastian accepted into the NDIS. 12 months
scheme (~365 days)
5 Aug 2018 Planning meeting Planning meeting held – we had to 15 months
insist on this meeting. (~455 days)
20 Nov 2018 PLAN 1 PLAN 1 - Received plan dated 20 Nov 18 months
2018 via myGov. (~547 days)
Nov 2018 Complaint and Made a formal complaint in writing and 18 months
request for review 1 in person regarding PLAN 1 – dated 20 Nov 2018
04 Dec 2018 PLAN 2 PLAN 2 - Received DNIS Plan Date 04 19 months
Dec 2018 – no review documents (~577 days)
Date Event Time since
first contact provided – described as a light touch review – we were not informed of this review at any point in the process.
05 Dec 2018 Request for review Requested review of plan dated 04 Dec 19 Months
2 2018 in person at NDIS office. (~577 days)
17 Jan 2019 PLAN 3 PLAN 3 - Received NDIS Plan and 20 months
Review documents. (~600 days)
Please find attached a copy of our original complaint which remains open, the NDIA has not informed us that they have closed this complaint.