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planHELP

2 months ago

The NDIA have provided very little information on what self-management is and the rules we need to follow: strong evidence that this is a self-regulating market where Self-Managing Participants create their own regulations governing what is an acceptable use of funding. As a community, we need to demand that we cut the red tape.

When we hear that an industry is “self-regulating” we think of those that skirt the edges legally and morally:
• The finance industry: Royal Commission as evidence;
• The pharmaceutical industry: currently under-fire as self-regulation has resulted in a lack of transparency between marketing products to GPs and the increase in those particular medications being prescribed.

In my household, a media claim that an industry is ‘self-regulated’ is typically followed by an eyeroll and a deep knowledge that this most likely won’t end up well for consumers.

So it was a bit of a shock when I realised that NDIS Self-Management is exactly that. A self-regulated industry/marketplace where Self-Managing Participants create their own regulations governing what is an acceptable use of funding.

The NDIA have provided very little information on what self-management is and the rules we need to follow.

Information on how to meet the government regulations imposed on self-managers is confined to one webpage and one booklet www.ndis.gov.au/participants/using-your-plan/self-management
If we want to stretch, we can also include “Booklet 3” which is the overarching booklet of how to use your NDIS plan for all Participants and provided as an information source at the bottom of most NDIS Plans www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/publications/booklets-and-factsheets

Minister Robert announced at the Press Club on 14 November 2019 that from 1 July 2020 the NDIS will aim to “remove the distinction between core and capacity building so that participants and their families can use plan funding more flexibly on those supports that best meet their needs” ministers.dss.gov.au/speeches/5266. So we know that the aspiration for the scheme is to create greater flexibility.

Instead of proudly pushing the envelope and creating a marketplace that challenges the inadequacies of the old system and supports our community to use “mainstream” supports, our community is terrified and is self-regulating so tightly that we risk losing any potential benefit from having individualised budgets.

Are we really taking a risk?

With little information around self-management audits and what is “allowable” expenditure, let’s take a look at the real risk. There is obvious fraud (buying a Lamborghini) – we are not talking about this. We are talking about:
• Using core supports to cover transport so that I am not stuck in my house all day and leaving a large staff budget unspent
• Using core supports to cover the costs of mainstream Zumba class rather than the day program Zumba class a local disability service provider offers (activity cost included in the day program fee)
• Using core supports to have NBN connected to my home because my DSP doesn’t stretch that far and reliable home internet means I can access all the information about the NDIS, use the MyPlace Portal, connect with staff and also watch a bunch of Netflix which helps reduce my social isolation as I can connect with fans of a show via facebook/insta etc.

We hear that if “caught” you can be asked to pay back the amount or lose the right to self management.

Pay back the amount
This is a Reviewable Decision: (p) a decision to give a notice the CEO proposes to recover an amount;
Which means that you can submit an Internal Review (Review of a Reviewable Decision Form) and then continue through to the AAT (Tribunal) if needed. Using the checklist on page 8 of the NDIS Guide to Self Management, do you back your decision to make that purchase all the way to the AAT?

You can also ask the CEO to write off a debt, and this in itself is a Reviewable Decision too: (r) a decision not to write off a debt;


You may lose the right to self-management and have to use Plan Management.
Again, Reviewable Decision: (i) a decision to make, or not to make, a determination in relation to a person;

Also, don’t forget that Minister Robert charged $2832 to his expense account for a month of home internet – and had been charging over $1000 per month for more than 2 years. www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/06/liberal-mp-stuart-robert-to-repay-huge-home-intern...

This is what self-regulation typically looks like: Expectations should be high. ... See MoreSee Less

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planHELP

2 months ago

This is a week of big, positive moments for our family.

My kid, Siobhan Daley, is currently in Dubai about to roll on court to compete for Australia. With an individual BC3 slot and a position in the BC3 pairs, her campaign for Tokyo 2020 is right on track.

Her beloved sport of boccia has consumed our lives since she first discovered it in a cow paddock in the middle of nowhere back in 2009.

Through winning the first ever game she played at a state titles (and creating this infamous poster) back in 2011; the countless hours spent in extreme temperatures in basketball halls across the country (and NZ) to well, every single NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme promo video, she has never missed a beat in trying to get more people playing the sport she loves.

I am soo proud of you kiddo - for your dedication, hard work and perseverance and can’t wait to see you smash the opposition while you are wearing the green and gold.

To all of Team Daley: You guys are the best and this would not be possible without your hard work, dedication and perseverance either. Not sure it’s fair that the Ramp Assistant is the only one who will win a medal.

Image description: 2 photos
First photo: black and white poster of a young girl with pigtails, a huge grin and right arm raised in a victory pose. She is sitting in a wheelchair with her communication device in front of her. Text on the poster reads “success over adversity: boccia Australia participation program”

Second photo: Colour. The same girl 8 years older, short hair, wearing her NSW jersey while competing for her state at the Boccia Australia National Titles. She has her right hand on her chest in her sign for “love” and a look of sheer bliss on her face. ... See MoreSee Less

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planHELP

5 months ago

Today's soapbox and blog post:
Don't lie to the Professionals who support us

I have become aware of an incredibly disturbing trend: people lying to the Allied Health Professionals that they are engaging. From the start of that relationship.

The lie: "No, I don't have NDIS".

The reason stated for lying is that in many cases the hourly rate decreases.

Now, I'm all for negotiating a bargain but this is not the way to do it.

* If you don't have enough funds in your NDIS plan
- Gather your evidence
- Request a Review of a Reviewable Decision (RoRD)
- Take the decision through to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) if necessary
If the NDIS believes that you have sufficient funds then they will not increase them in the next plan

* If your Allied Health Professional does NOT try to get you to request access to the NDIS
- If you (or your child) appears to be eligible for the NDIS, and they do not attempt to assist you to get the support that you need then they are not doing their job properly. What else are they missing when it comes to supporting you?

* NDIS Reporting is light years apart from the usual reports they write
- NDIS is a while new world when it comes to writing reports that will get the funding that you require next year.
- Allied Health Professionals need to use different language, different formats and speak about you and your needs in a completely different way.
- By lying to your therapist and getting them to "write a report" you are really doing yourself a huge disservice - and ultimately costing yourself a bunch of funding in next years' plan.

* You need to base this relationship on trust
- Allied Health Professional are just that: Professionals. In order for them to truly help us in our homes and communities they need to know how we live, and what we can realistically do. Don't base that relationship on a lie.

The NDIS is new. We need to set the standard that we will accept. I am hoping that lying to our supports is not the way we want this to continue ... See MoreSee Less

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