Hi @Mazarita @Former-Member @catgirl @Former-Member and anyone else following this thread.
Friday last week was meant to be a full case conference but the AAT representative cancelled at the last minute so it ended up being a meeting of 'my team' - disability advocate, legal aid solicitor, sil and me. It was the first time we'd met the legal aid solicitor face to face. We went in thinking it was mainly a 'meet and greet' and came out nearly 3 hours later. The legal aid solicitor is thorough to say the least.
The NDIS solicitor had finally sent through the questions in writing that she tried to get me to answer on the phone and unprepared at the previous case conference. We spent a lot of time clarifying things like : what's an acute 'episode' that requires hospitalization vs. what it's like between episodes (almost never for me) , what a 'normal' day looks like. I don't know 'normal' anymore!
NDIS also wanted me to separate what cPTSD causes and what bipolar 1 causes - impossible to do as they are completely tangled, impacting on each other constantly. It took me ages and several attempts in different ways to explain what this is like to the legal aid solicitor (remember, she is on my side!). I was unable to do these things without being in tears a lot of the time.
So ...... (much more could be said about the content of the meeting but I've spent the last 2 1/2 days either wiped out from it or having some NDIS-free time) ..... main outcome was that sil and legal aid solicitor will collaborate on a statement which will eventually need to come from me about all the functional impacts of my 'psychosocial disability' and my goals and needs from NDIS - no simple matter as is probably obvious by now. Thank goodness they are going to help with this. Plus sil and bro need to do more detailed statements individually (they have previously done one together). Plus the questions in writing will probably be forwarded to my psychologist for her to do another report and possibly appear for me if this progresses to a hearing. There's still a small chance it will be a concilliation instead, but this seems unlikely at this time.
And case conference with AAT representative and NDIS solicitor still needs to happen.
I WAS TOLD AT 9 THIS MORNING THAT IT'S ON TODAY.
Hopefully sil and I won't have to say much as legal aid solicitor is very much onto the case and will be leading things for my team. Hopefully!
Stay tuned folks.