NDIS

[farmerge]

At least with Labor in power, these issues can be addressed, in a civil and balanced manner by the media.

'Not a sustainable proposition': Government to block sex work services from NDIS

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten confirms he will ban sex work from being accessed through the disability insurance scheme, which advocates say would rob participants of the freedom to control their own lives.

www.abc.net.au

In short:​

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten will ban sex workers from being accessed using NDIS funding.

Disability advocates say it will put the choice of which people with a disability have sex in the hands of the government.

What's next?​

A Senate committee is scrutinising broader NDIS reforms, and has invited state premiers to weigh in.

And in the meantime, the rorting goes on and on to the tune of millions of dollars.

 

[sptrawler]

'Can't get my head around it': NDIS participant and workers blow whistle on alleged $300k overcharge by provider

National Disability Insurance Scheme provider Katrina Chivell denies any wrongdoing after allegations from a former client and two former workers that she overcharged the NDIS by roughly $300,000.

www.abc.net.au

 

[farmerge]

'Can't get my head around it': NDIS participant and workers blow whistle on alleged $300k overcharge by provider

National Disability Insurance Scheme provider Katrina Chivell denies any wrongdoing after allegations from a former client and two former workers that she overcharged the NDIS by roughly $300,000.

www.abc.net.au

Just one of the many rorts that are taking place.
But the wheels of Govt that oversee NDIS only turn at a fraction of a minute.
Not to worry though, the poor taxpayer can just cough up more shekels to keep funding the rorts.
Come on Minister Shorten extract the digit and get this sorted out.

 

[sptrawler]

At least with Labor in power, these issues can be addressed, in a civil and balanced manner by the media.

'Not a sustainable proposition': Government to block sex work services from NDIS

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten confirms he will ban sex work from being accessed through the disability insurance scheme, which advocates say would rob participants of the freedom to control their own lives.

www.abc.net.au

In short:​

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten will ban sex workers from being accessed using NDIS funding.

Disability advocates say it will put the choice of which people with a disability have sex in the hands of the government.

What's next?​

A Senate committee is scrutinising broader NDIS reforms, and has invited state premiers to weigh in.

Well we are starting to get some outcomes regarding the NDIS.

It split the disability community — now we have more information on this controversial area of NDIS reform

Hundreds of thousands of participants and businesses that are part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme should be subject to a tiered, risk-proportionate registration process, a government-appointed taskforce recommends.

www.abc.net.au

From the article:

Hundreds of thousands of participants and businesses that are part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) should be subject to a tiered, risk-proportionate registration process, a government-appointed taskforce has recommended.

The recommended system​

Tier 0 – Purchase visibility: No registration requirements are needed and applies only to goods purchased from retailers, such as ramps from hardware stores, where no support is provided to the participant. Authorities would have visibility over this via real-time purchasing arrangements.

Tier 1 – Basic registration: Worker screening not needed. Subject to complaints process and must report incidents. This tier is for those providing lower-risk supports, such as sole traders and those with limited one-on-one contact with people with disability.

Tier 2 – Self-directed registration: This would apply to participants or their guardians who directly contract all their supports, such as service for one arrangements. Workers don’t have to register, but the participant or self-director will.

Tier 3 – General registration: Worker screening needed. This tier is subject to the complaints process and must report incidents. It could apply to providers offering supports that require skill and training, such as complex bowel care or injections, and those involving significant one-on-one contact with people with disability.

Tier 4 – Advanced registration: Worker screening needed. This tier is also subject to the complaints process and must report incidents. It could include those offering supports and services in high-risk settings or in closed settings like group homes.

Providers at a glance​

• At the end of 2023, only 6.7 per cent of service providers were registered (13,287 registered vs 186,244 unregistered)
• Unregistered providers currently don't have to go through audits, risk assessments or compliance monitoring to receive payment with NDIS funds
• Registration is currently voluntary and there is no incentive to sign up
• Providers who've attempted to register have complained about the bureaucracy and associated costs

 

[farmerge]

Well we are starting to get some outcomes regarding the NDIS.

It split the disability community — now we have more information on this controversial area of NDIS reform

Hundreds of thousands of participants and businesses that are part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme should be subject to a tiered, risk-proportionate registration process, a government-appointed taskforce recommends.

www.abc.net.au

From the article:

Hundreds of thousands of participants and businesses that are part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) should be subject to a tiered, risk-proportionate registration process, a government-appointed taskforce has recommended.

The recommended system​

Tier 0 – Purchase visibility: No registration requirements are needed and applies only to goods purchased from retailers, such as ramps from hardware stores, where no support is provided to the participant. Authorities would have visibility over this via real-time purchasing arrangements.

Tier 1 – Basic registration: Worker screening not needed. Subject to complaints process and must report incidents. This tier is for those providing lower-risk supports, such as sole traders and those with limited one-on-one contact with people with disability.

Tier 2 – Self-directed registration: This would apply to participants or their guardians who directly contract all their supports, such as service for one arrangements. Workers don’t have to register, but the participant or self-director will.

Tier 3 – General registration: Worker screening needed. This tier is subject to the complaints process and must report incidents. It could apply to providers offering supports that require skill and training, such as complex bowel care or injections, and those involving significant one-on-one contact with people with disability.

Tier 4 – Advanced registration: Worker screening needed. This tier is also subject to the complaints process and must report incidents. It could include those offering supports and services in high-risk settings or in closed settings like group homes.

Providers at a glance​

• At the end of 2023, only 6.7 per cent of service providers were registered (13,287 registered vs 186,244 unregistered)
• Unregistered providers currently don't have to go through audits, risk assessments or compliance monitoring to receive payment with NDIS funds
• Registration is currently voluntary and there is no incentive to sign up
• Providers who've attempted to register have complained about the bureaucracy and associated costs

Typical when it comes to the public purse (NDIS) just an open cheque book.
Would have thought that all and sundry MUST register and be ACCOUNTABLE, not this ad-hoc system that seems to be OK with the government.

 

[sptrawler]

It's good to see Bill is getting people off the welfare teat, this is the sort of rationalisation that the Coalition can't get done, but needs doing badly.

More children start exiting NDIS as scheme shows signs of slowing

The latest NDIS quarterly report reveals scheme spending came in $600 million below the budget estimate – the first time it has beaten the forecasts.

www.theage.com.au

Children are exiting the National Disability Insurance Scheme in growing numbers and 25,000 fewer Australians joined this financial year than the one before, in signs Bill Shorten’s reforms to the $42 billion program could start to slow its steep growth curve.

The latest NDIS quarterly report reveals scheme spending for 2023-24 came in $600 million below the budget estimate. The number of new participants grew 8 per cent but dropped below a double-digit increase for the first time in years.

The signs of moderation come as Shorten, the NDIS minister, seeks to push through major changes to the scheme that will temper growth further, including by limiting the type of support people can access. He faces a backlash from state premiers and disability advocates, although he is closer to securing Coalition support to get his bill through the Senate.
The new list of NDIS “in and outs”, which is open for public consultation this month, clarifies that daily living costs such as rent, household items, insurance costs, petrol and groceries should not be funded by the scheme. Lifestyle purchases such as alcohol, gambling, cigarettes, toys, sex work, clothing, beauty services and holidays will also be ruled out.

It also makes clear that mainstream health services – such as diagnostic assessments, pharmaceuticals and palliative care – should be funded outside the scheme, as should treatments for addiction or eating disorders. Similarly, education costs such as school fees, teaching aids or learning supports that focus on education, textbooks and school refusal programs will not be the responsibility of the NDIS.

The support list is one of several major changes Shorten wants to introduce, in addition to new needs assessments, longer plans and capped budgets that have strict limits on how much funding can be spent annually, with the money released in intervals.

The reforms act on last year’s NDIS review and are designed to limit the scheme to an 8 per cent growth trajectory by 2026. It has previously grown at up to 20 per cent a year, making it one of the federal budget’s biggest expenses.

The latest quarterly report shows signs that growth is moderating.

“I welcome the NDIS investment coming in $600 million less than was forecasted and provisioned for,” Shorten said.

There were 50,765 extra Australians on the NDIS in June this year than the year before, taking the total number to 661,267. This represented a fall in participant growth from the year before, when there were 75,847 additional people on the scheme.

The proportion of five- to seven-year-old children using the NDIS – the biggest age group as a share of the population and one of the fastest growth areas – also remained stable over the past six months, at 12.4 per cent of boys and 5.6 per cent of girls in that age group.
Last year, the proportion of young children on the scheme grew by as much as 1 percentage point in three months.

The agency attributed the stabilising figures to more children than usual leaving the scheme, as well as a higher number of participants exiting in general.
“More participants, especially those on the early childhood pathway, are seeing the benefits of early intervention,” the report said.
“Of the participants who have left the NDIS, some have built capacity through their NDIS supports and are living a more independent life, while others are continuing to receive supports from outside the scheme.”
It also said people were changing their spending as the agency had started proactively contacting people who appeared at risk of exceeding their plan limits.
The latest data bodes well for Shorten, who has invested his political capital in dampening the scheme’s growth so it does not blow out to a forecast $100 billion within a decade.

But disability advocates have argued his restrictions could make it harder for people to get the support they need, while state governments are nervous about being on the hook for billions more in disability spending.

Shorten said this week he understood the disability sector was anxious about change.
“They have muscle memory,” he said. But he said no other country made the per capita investment in disability that Australia did.
“I want this scheme to be here in the future. So going to this issue of ripping off the Band-Aid, I will do just about everything to try to convince the states to like what we’re doing,” he said.

Shorten said he was having constructive discussions with the Coalition and working on amendments that could guarantee its support for the legislation.

 

[farmerge]

It's good to see Bill is getting people off the welfare teat, this is the sort of rationalisation that the Coalition can't get done, but needs doing badly.

More children start exiting NDIS as scheme shows signs of slowing

The latest NDIS quarterly report reveals scheme spending came in $600 million below the budget estimate – the first time it has beaten the forecasts.

www.theage.com.au

Children are exiting the National Disability Insurance Scheme in growing numbers and 25,000 fewer Australians joined this financial year than the one before, in signs Bill Shorten’s reforms to the $42 billion program could start to slow its steep growth curve.

The latest NDIS quarterly report reveals scheme spending for 2023-24 came in $600 million below the budget estimate. The number of new participants grew 8 per cent but dropped below a double-digit increase for the first time in years.

The signs of moderation come as Shorten, the NDIS minister, seeks to push through major changes to the scheme that will temper growth further, including by limiting the type of support people can access. He faces a backlash from state premiers and disability advocates, although he is closer to securing Coalition support to get his bill through the Senate.
The new list of NDIS “in and outs”, which is open for public consultation this month, clarifies that daily living costs such as rent, household items, insurance costs, petrol and groceries should not be funded by the scheme. Lifestyle purchases such as alcohol, gambling, cigarettes, toys, sex work, clothing, beauty services and holidays will also be ruled out.

It also makes clear that mainstream health services – such as diagnostic assessments, pharmaceuticals and palliative care – should be funded outside the scheme, as should treatments for addiction or eating disorders. Similarly, education costs such as school fees, teaching aids or learning supports that focus on education, textbooks and school refusal programs will not be the responsibility of the NDIS.

The support list is one of several major changes Shorten wants to introduce, in addition to new needs assessments, longer plans and capped budgets that have strict limits on how much funding can be spent annually, with the money released in intervals.

The reforms act on last year’s NDIS review and are designed to limit the scheme to an 8 per cent growth trajectory by 2026. It has previously grown at up to 20 per cent a year, making it one of the federal budget’s biggest expenses.

The latest quarterly report shows signs that growth is moderating.

“I welcome the NDIS investment coming in $600 million less than was forecasted and provisioned for,” Shorten said.

There were 50,765 extra Australians on the NDIS in June this year than the year before, taking the total number to 661,267. This represented a fall in participant growth from the year before, when there were 75,847 additional people on the scheme.

The proportion of five- to seven-year-old children using the NDIS – the biggest age group as a share of the population and one of the fastest growth areas – also remained stable over the past six months, at 12.4 per cent of boys and 5.6 per cent of girls in that age group.
Last year, the proportion of young children on the scheme grew by as much as 1 percentage point in three months.

The agency attributed the stabilising figures to more children than usual leaving the scheme, as well as a higher number of participants exiting in general.
“More participants, especially those on the early childhood pathway, are seeing the benefits of early intervention,” the report said.
“Of the participants who have left the NDIS, some have built capacity through their NDIS supports and are living a more independent life, while others are continuing to receive supports from outside the scheme.”
It also said people were changing their spending as the agency had started proactively contacting people who appeared at risk of exceeding their plan limits.
The latest data bodes well for Shorten, who has invested his political capital in dampening the scheme’s growth so it does not blow out to a forecast $100 billion within a decade.

But disability advocates have argued his restrictions could make it harder for people to get the support they need, while state governments are nervous about being on the hook for billions more in disability spending.

Shorten said this week he understood the disability sector was anxious about change.
“They have muscle memory,” he said. But he said no other country made the per capita investment in disability that Australia did.
“I want this scheme to be here in the future. So going to this issue of ripping off the Band-Aid, I will do just about everything to try to convince the states to like what we’re doing,” he said.

Shorten said he was having constructive discussions with the Coalition and working on amendments that could guarantee its support for the legislation.

The one thing that I personally would like to see is means testing.
I wonder just how many who can pay their own way are on the jelly bean wagon, when they shouldn't be.
I know first hand of someone with plenty of investment money and who is getting a sizeable chunk of NDIS support yearly.
But because they system lacks checks and balances that one would assume should be there, for them it is all ok.

 

[sptrawler]

At least with Labor in power, these issues can be addressed, in a civil and balanced manner by the media.

The uproar would be deafening under different circumstances.

NDIS participants could be made to pay cost of mandatory 'needs' test, in an eleventh-hour revelation

With an impending vote on an NDIS overhaul, the federal government reveals it has left the door open for an NDIS "needs assessment" to be paid by participants, which disability groups say could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

www.abc.net.au

In short:​

The fee for a mandatory NDIS assessment could be passed on to participants under reforms designed to rein in spending

The eleventh-hour revelation has shocked disability groups, who have demanded a pause on the NDIS bill.

What's next?​

The NDIS bill is before the Senate, with the government in negotiations with the Coalition.

 

[sptrawler]

Well it will be interesting to see how this reduces the cost. Eventually common sense prevails and secondly it is allowed to be applied.

A major NDIS change has just been finalised. Here's what you need to know

Significant changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme start kicking in this week. Here's what you need to know.

www.abc.net.au

What's changing?​

The most high-profile change is a clear definition of "NDIS support" – in other words, what can and cannot be funded by the scheme.

The list of approved supports, which you can see in full here, is extremely detailed and largely includes items or services directly linked to managing a disability.

It includes eligible and accredited assistance animals, specialist disability housing, assistance for household tasks and early intervention supports for children.

Things that won't be covered are services which are "not evidence based", or directly linked to someone's disability, such as childcare fees, crystal and wilderness therapy, and day-to-day living costs such as rent, groceries and bills.

If a participant needs something to manage their disability which isn't on the list, they can make a request to the agency that runs the scheme, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

 

[farmerge]

Well it will be interesting to see how this reduces the cost. Eventually common sense prevails and secondly it is allowed to be applied.

A major NDIS change has just been finalised. Here's what you need to know

Significant changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme start kicking in this week. Here's what you need to know.

www.abc.net.au

What's changing?​

The most high-profile change is a clear definition of "NDIS support" – in other words, what can and cannot be funded by the scheme.

The list of approved supports, which you can see in full here, is extremely detailed and largely includes items or services directly linked to managing a disability.

It includes eligible and accredited assistance animals, specialist disability housing, assistance for household tasks and early intervention supports for children.

Things that won't be covered are services which are "not evidence based", or directly linked to someone's disability, such as childcare fees, crystal and wilderness therapy, and day-to-day living costs such as rent, groceries and bills.

If a participant needs something to manage their disability which isn't on the list, they can make a request to the agency that runs the scheme, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

Long overdue changes. Though plenty more needs to be done to get rid of the shonks and sharks.

 

[moXJO]

They went quiet on ndis, but it's wasting money like water.
Deaf people don't need cleaners to clean their house. Nor should we be paying for hookers.
Companies that don't send workers to a client are still charging anyway. This whole thing is a bloody mess. The entitlement is off the charts.

 

[farmerge]

They went quiet on ndis, but it's wasting money like water.
Deaf people don't need cleaners to clean their house. Nor should we be paying for hookers.
Companies that don't send workers to a client are still charging anyway. This whole thing is a bloody mess. The entitlement is off the charts.

@moXJO The whole of NDIS has been shambolic since its inception.
No checks or balances, she'll be right just let it run its course.
Utter BS.

 

[qldfrog]

The one thing that I personally would like to see is means testing.
I wonder just how many who can pay their own way are on the jelly bean wagon, when they shouldn't be.
I know first hand of someone with plenty of investment money and who is getting a sizeable chunk of NDIS support yearly.
But because they system lacks checks and balances that one would assume should be there, for them it is all ok.

So if you are unlucky to get paralysed after working your whole life you pay for your own but not if you end up tetraplegic after a 18y old stolen car joyride?
Aren't these "rich people" the only ones who actually contributed for the scheme?
Just saying...
And why should "rich" people be able to claim on their insurance after a house fire,?
Only uninsured or poor people should....
Same same...take a step back..

 

[sptrawler]

It's a shame Bill is retiring, just when he has started doing something useful, in politics.

Bill Shorten flags NDIS changes to music and art therapy funding, prompting concerns about costs

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has flagged changes to the way music and art therapy are funded, raising concerns about access for participants.

www.abc.net.au

 

[farmerge]

It's a shame Bill is retiring, just when he has started doing something useful, in politics.

Bill Shorten flags NDIS changes to music and art therapy funding, prompting concerns about costs

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has flagged changes to the way music and art therapy are funded, raising concerns about access for participants.

www.abc.net.au

And how many years has that taken????

 

[farmerge]

The uproar would be deafening under different circumstances.

NDIS participants could be made to pay cost of mandatory 'needs' test, in an eleventh-hour revelation

With an impending vote on an NDIS overhaul, the federal government reveals it has left the door open for an NDIS "needs assessment" to be paid by participants, which disability groups say could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

www.abc.net.au

In short:​

The fee for a mandatory NDIS assessment could be passed on to participants under reforms designed to rein in spending

The eleventh-hour revelation has shocked disability groups, who have demanded a pause on the NDIS bill.

What's next?​

The NDIS bill is before the Senate, with the government in negotiations with the Coalition.

This should be a no brainer when it comes to cost savings and getting it right.

 

[sptrawler]

This should be a no brainer when it comes to cost savings and getting it right.

It is always dependent on whether the media agree or not, fortunately we have Labor in so the changes quietly go through. Hopefully they get another term to really sort out the NDIS.

 

[moXJO]

It is always dependent on whether the media agree or not, fortunately we have Labor in so the changes quietly go through. Hopefully they get another term to really sort out the NDIS.

I have to agree. I don't like everything Labor is doing. In fact I'm strongly opposed to a lot of stuff.
But the NDIS needs to be cut by billions. It's an absolute rort right now. I think another term is probably needed

 

[sptrawler]

I have to agree. I don't like everything Labor is doing. In fact I'm strongly opposed to a lot of stuff.
But the NDIS needs to be cut by billions. It's an absolute rort right now. I think another term is probably needed

Absolutely IMO, even on the energy side of things, if Labor were to be removed now, there would be a never ending ongoing claim that if Labor had stayed in the renewable transition would have happened in the next term.

I think it would be a tragedy for Labor to not get in and see it through, for better or for worse, it needs to happen IMO.

Nothing is learned without experience, so let's get on with it, I think it will actually force Labors hand on a sensible compromise.

 

[sptrawler]

The NDIS cleanout continues.

NDIS gets $1b injection to slow growth even as budget slides into deficit

New ways of assessing people for NDIS support will add to a series of changes that are slowing growth of the $47 billion scheme but also revoking people’s plans at higher rates.

www.theage.com.au

The federal government will spend $1 billion as it reboots assessments for the National Disability Insurance Scheme after years of argument about who should qualify for support, scaling up the key agencies charged with bringing its spiralling costs under control.

The investment in 1000 more staff and a crackdown on NDIS fraud are part of a broader spending program to be revealed in Wednesday’s mid-year budget update, adding to a series of changes that are slowing the growth of the $47 billion scheme but also revoking people’s plans at higher rates.

With the budget sliding into years of deficits after two years of surplus, the government is anxious to scale back growth in the NDIS, having been warned that spending was on track to reach $97 billion a year within a decade. The $47 billion scheme is due to grow 12 per cent this financial year after peaking at 23 per cent in the final year of Coalition government

The scheme’s actuary says the government is on track to limit annual growth of the NDIS to 8 per cent, down from about 20 per cent in recent years, but Labor says more staff and technology support are needed to enact major changes.

Under NDIS Minister Bill Shorten’s reboot, people will have to complete a new needs-based assessment before receiving a capped budget that lasts up to five years but has strict limits on how much can be spent a year.

The agency is reassessing about 1200 participants a week, with almost half of them moving off the NDIS as a result. Most are children, and officials say almost 80 per cent of children are exiting the scheme when they’re reassessed, easing a massive source of budget pressure.

A further $4.5 million in Wednesday’s budget update will go into designing an early intervention pathway for the NDIS so that children with mild autism and developmental delays are more easily identified and moved onto supports outside the scheme.