By Kristin Nuske

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Editor’s Note

Kristin Nuske has worked for BCA since February this year, providing support and advice to Victorians who are challenged by aspects of dealing with the NDIS or My Aged Care. More recently, she has begun providing support to members nationwide.

This support includes, but is not limited to, accessing information regarding the Scheme or My Aged Care, and whether someone could consider accessing, or may be eligible for either. Here, she discusses some of the challenges faced by members she has been assisting with NDIS planning and participation. A future article will explore issues relating to My Aged Care in similar detail.

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In March this year, I attended a panel discussion at the State Library as part of the Bold Series presented by Latrobe University. The panel broadly examined the NDIS since its roll out began in the Geelong trial site in 2013.

The conversation brought to my attention some of the roadblocks which are preventing the scheme from delivering on its promises. A lady in the audience raised a point, based on her experience as a Support Coordinator. She stated that in the time that she had worked at the organisation she represented, they had received more than 80 plans. It wasn’t clear whether a Local Area Coordinator or an NDIS planner facilitated them, but every one of those plans required a review.

In my role at BCA, I have seen a similar trend. Many of the members who I have had contact with share their experiences, most of which have warranted complaints. These complaints range from difficulties accessing information, to disappointment with their allocated Planner in their first meeting.

Accessing information seems to be a challenge for many of us. When I called the NDIA and asked for information to be provided in large print, I was told that the request was emailed to the print department while I waited on the telephone. Four months later, the information has still not arrived.

If you have made a request to either the NDIS or My Aged Care for information in an alternative format, and it has been responded to positively and swiftly, or you have not been treated as you expect and/or not provided with accessible information, please let us know of your experience.

The NDIS has, for many reasons, not approved items or reasonable and necessary supports once a plan has been prepared. Once complaints which relate to not funding supports have been made final through a “review of a reviewable decision” process, they may be brought to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, (AAT).

Sara Dingold from Disability Services Consulting recently wrote that as of March this year, some 757 cases have been referred to the AAT. This assures further delays for participants trying to activate their planned supports. An investigation by the Commonwealth Ombudsman into the nature and number of reviews by the NDIA found that as of February, it was dealing with about 8,100 reviews and receiving about 620 new review requests per week.

Assistive technology and equipment are funding areas that have impacted many people who are blind or vision impaired. Assistive technology specialists or occupational therapists are generally relied upon to help select the most appropriate pieces of equipment, and provide quotes and a report outlining why these items are reasonable and necessary according to the NDIS Act.

One of our members, Liz, after quotes for her items had been submitted, was shocked by a comment from her occupational therapist. “I was told to expect not to hear for three to four months whether the items were to be approved,” she said.

In fact, one of the items, a pair of prescription sunglasses, was not approved because the NDIS claimed that this was an everyday item. How is this so, when Liz experiences extreme glare and visual disruption resulting from her vision impairment?

Liz contacted BCA to see if we could provide some support to her, as she felt aspects of her experience since she has become an NDIS participant needed some attention. “Although it can be daunting to speak up,” she said, “it is worth doing in order to create a better system.” At this point, the issues Liz raised in a complaint, care of her MP, have not yet been responded to or resolved by a delegate from the NDIA.

Another person contacted me recently who is now in his second year as a participant. His gripe is that he continues to wait after almost a year to have items approved. After 18 months this gentleman has only accessed transport from his plan. This is largely due to the reporting by the Assistive Technology Specialist not satisfying the NDIA’s reporting and supportive evidence requirements.

One last issue, and general complaint, relates to the language and context used in important documents such as a person’s individual plan. The assumption is that one can understand the ideas presented, and what dollars relate to the various supports one requires. This is indeed not the case for Liz. “The language that was presented in my plan I believe is a barrier to being able to move forward with implementing my supports,” she said.

Despite all the problems I’ve described, the overall impression I drew from the panel I attended in March was that the NDIS is a good policy, and we need to remain optimistic. On the surface there is a will and a want to see the NDIS deliver the supports that individuals may need to live the best life that they can.

NDIA CEO Rob De Luca has acknowledged some of the inconsistencies in the delivery of the scheme. “We realise that improvements are still needed to make sure that the participant experience is consistently positive,” he wrote in a recent report.

In an effort to address problems like those described here, De Luca has committed to consulting with a number of service providers, and met in September with BCA’s CEO, Emma Bennison. This meeting represents an encouraging step in the right direction.

We agree there is no smooth sailing, but many bumps in the road. It is only the courage and persistence of many voices that will create a system that can be benchmarked across the world.

Editor’s Note

Don’t forget that as well as assistance for Victorians, Kristin can now offer telephone assistance with accessing the NDIS or My Aged Care to people who are blind or vision impaired nationally. For further information or to discuss the sorts of assistance that can be provided, please call BCA on 1800 033 660, or email kristin.nuske@bca.org.au.

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Sally Aurisch and Lauren Henley

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We recently delivered a number of workshops across NSW to help people understand how to get the support they need under the NDIS or My Aged Care. We will also be making teleconferences available to members in each state and territory over the next few months. In the meantime, though, here we answer some of the most common questions we received during our workshops.

My Aged Care FAQs

NDIS FAQs

My Aged Care

Before we get into the FAQ part, it’s important to understand that there are two different levels of care available under the aged care system. These come in the format of:

• An entry level program called the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. This level of support lets you access a range of subsidised services within your local community.
• A home care package. If you are allocated a home care package, you are given a sum of money each year which you can spend on services that meet your needs.

FAQs

Are assessments for technology and equipment covered by My Aged Care, or do I have to pay for them myself?

Can you use up to five years’ worth of equipment allowance to get JAWS?

Will you still be charged a co contribution if you are not accessing the service, like when you are on holidays?

What constitutes financial hardship?

Are assessments for technology and equipment covered by My Aged Care, or do I have to pay for them myself?

Home Care Package: If this need is identified in your care plan and there are adequate funds in your package, the cost of the assessment can be covered.

Entry Level Package (Commonwealth Home Support Programme): Support from an occupational therapist is available as part of the programme. They may be able to recommend specific items. Limited funds are available to support the purchase of items.

Can you use up to five years’ worth of equipment allowance to get JAWS?

No. It is expected that you would contribute anything that the aids and equipment fund does not cover.

Will you still be charged a co contribution if you are not accessing the service, like when you are on holidays?

The basic daily fee is still paid while you are on social leave or hospital leave from your package, but your home care provider cannot ask you to pay this fee while you are on leave from your package because you are in transition care or residential respite care. (Taken from the My Aged Care website)

What constitutes financial hardship?

If contributing to your care and support arrangements would cause you financial hardship, you can also apply for the Hardship Supplement. If you are assessed as being unable to pay part or all of the required co-payments once submitting your application, the government can provide your service provider with an additional supplement to ensure that you still get the support you need.

To apply for the hardship supplement, you will need to submit a hardship supplement application form to the department of human services. For further information about the application process, you can contact the Department of Human Services on 1800 227 475.

NDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme was established to help people under the age of 65 access the support they need to live an independent life.

FAQs

What are the exact criteria for an individual to be classified as blind or deaf blind?

What can a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) assist me with once I receive my plan?

What sort of things can I use the funds allocated to “dog guide Maintenance” for?

What are the exact criteria for an individual to be classified as blind or deaf blind?

Permanent blindness in both eyes, diagnosed and assessed by an ophthalmologist as follows:

• Corrected visual acuity (extent to which an object can be brought into focus) on the Snellen Scale must be less than or equal to 6/60 in both eyes; or
• Constriction to within 10 degrees or less of arc of central fixation in the better eye, irrespective of corrected visual acuity (i.e. visual fields are reduced to a measured arc of 10 degrees or less); or
• A combination of visual defects resulting in the same degree of visual impairment as that occurring in the above points.
  (An optometrist report is not sufficient for NDIS purposes.)

Deaf-blindness is confirmed by an ophthalmologist and audiologist, and assessed as resulting in permanent and severe to total impairment of visual function and hearing.

What can a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) assist me with once I receive my plan?

An LAC can:

• Explain the different budgets in your plan and how you can use them
• Assist you to locate and connect with suitable service providers in your local area
• Show you how to use the Provider Portal and make claims if you are Self Managing or would like to be able to review your budgets
• Support you to find mainstream and community based programs and organisations that may meet your needs
• Answer any ongoing questions that you may have about the NDIS and your plan.

What sort of things can I use the funds allocated to “dog guide Maintenance” for?

You can use this money to cover any costs associated with your dog guide. These include:

• Food
• Flea, tick and worm control products
• Grooming and washing
• Veterinary costs
• Any other items that your dog may require.

BCA will be continuing to seek opportunities to provide workshops in other states. We will also be making a series of fact sheets available to members that relate to specific aspects of the NDIS and My Aged Care. These factsheets will be available in the coming weeks, so watch this space.

If people are treated unfairly or discriminated against in their dealings with the NDIS, for example, being denied access to information in their preferred format, they may be able to access support to resolve the issue through our individual advocacy service.

In Victoria, we have received funding to employ a Support Linkages Officer. Our Support Linkages Officer, Kristin Nuske, can work one-on-one with Victorian residents who are blind or vision impaired who are just starting out on their NDIS or My Aged Care journey.

Kristin can assist with pre-planning, support people during planning meetings and assessments, and help people to resolve issues of concern with the National Disability Insurance Agency or the My Aged Care Contact Centre. We are aware that this service is desperately required in all states and territories, and are working hard to secure funding to enable us to address this need.

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