A good way to find out more about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
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Introduction
Welcome to Disability Loop eNews for Spring 2019. Here you will find recent news about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and helpful NDIS-related resources either from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) or from other organisations.
Children to get faster access to NDIS supports
In June, the Minister for the NDIS announced a plan to fix delays for children with disability accessing Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) NDIS supports.
On 20 June 2019, the NDIA hosted a one hour webinar about assistive technology (AT), titled “Assistive Technology Talk: Wheelchairs, aids and devices”.
The webinar answered many questions about assistive technology and discussed recent changes to AT processes, how to prepare for an upcoming planning meeting where AT is needed, and how to escalate urgent AT issues with the NDIA.
The webinar included the following people:
Dr Lloyd Walker (NDIA Special Advisor, AT & Home Modifications)
Karun Gupta (NDIA General Manager, Service Delivery & Performance)
We also have braille and print hard copies available for $10. This includes the Workshop Handbook and the five Fact Sheets (inclusive of GST & postage within Australia).
If you are interested in purchasing hardcopies in print or braille, please call us on 1800 219 969 or you can place an order by sending us an email at: disabilityloop@afdo.org.au
Review of the NDIS Act and the new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee
During the 2019 Federal Election, the Australian Government said they would develop and put into law an NDIS Participant Service Guarantee, (The Guarantee).
The Guarantee will make new rules about how the NDIS should work. For example, it might say how long it should take to get an NDIS plan and start using it. The Guarantee will be made into law, which means that the NDIA has to obey the rules in it. The Guarantee will start on 1 July 2020.
It is important that people with disability and their families tell the government what should be in the Guarantee. The government want to know if you’ve had any problems with the NDIS, so they know what problems need to be fixed.
You can have your say by:
completing a survey online
making a written submission
attending a face-to-face community workshops in every state and territory
Sometimes there is a delay in the approval of a new NDIS plan. This can create a ‘gap’ between the old plan and the new plan.
From Wednesday 4 September 2019, the NDIA made the following changes:
All plans (except plans with periodic transport supports) that expired in the previous 28 days, or are due to expire in the next seven days, will be extended by 28 days.
There will be an alert in the NDIS Myplace participant portal and the NDIS Myplace provider portal when a plan has been extended.
This means you can continue to receive your services if there is a delay in the scheduled plan review process.
The RACGP, (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners), has developed a new resource that could help your GP doctor to assist you with your NDIS dealings. It is a fact sheet called “National Disability Insurance Scheme: Information for general practitioners”.
This resource can help doctors to assess patient eligibility for the NDIS and gives information on how to access it.
Your GP is likely to be one of your first points of contact when you are applying to become an NDIS participant. You may need to ask your GP to provide evidence of your disability and the functional impact on everyday living.
The Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS) asked young people to explain the NDIS and why young people should care about the NDIS. You can hear what young people had to say about the NDIS in this video “What is the NDIS? According to Young People” at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4-E2fIv5AI&utm_source
Amparo Advocacy’s translated fact sheets on disability & NDIS
AMPARO Advocacy has produced two Fact Sheets to provide information to people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities about disability and the NDIS:
Fact Sheet 1- Understanding Disability in Australia;
Fact Sheet 2- What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)?
AMPARO Advocacy is a Queensland-based, non-profit community organisation which provides advocacy on behalf of people with disability from CALD backgrounds.
MHCC Website supporting people living with mental health conditions
The Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) has developed information and resources to support people living with mental health conditions to navigate the NDIS. You can visit this website at: https://reimagine.today/
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