Anyone started with the NDIS?

@saturnzoon Your story is very sad. Nothing I can say can make it better. Glad we have been warned of some pitfalls.

@Bunniekins Love your discussion re political parties and voting. I swung slightly right after I had many years in 2 different small businesses, but .. lol ... I was starting out from a loooong way left ... my first union was a luke warm one .. the public servant union ... then I worked at the Arbitration Commission and was wary of getting in the lifts when some of the unions showed up to court ... that was an eye opener.

The unecessary generation of paperwork concerns me .... it does not seem to be helping those in need.

On a personal note ... I am concerned about my son who is reluctant to take hand outs and comes from our small business background ...

Concerned enough to keep pressing my lips together .. but no point worrying til it rolls out in our area.

@Appleblossom@eth@utopia@Bunniekins@Sophia1 and everyone else on here that is applying for the NDIS

I have the NDIS since it started here in Adelaide as a trial for my son in 2016 who is on the Autism spectrum disorders and we received a good package for early intervention and social skills and living skills with enough money for the year and then was renewed for another 6 months until January 2018. We then lost all services for him and finally contacted my MP who helped get them to complete it in May, which he only got half of the amount of what we had.

I have attended the NDIS sessions we had here letting us know obout common problems related to the application form of the NDIS and applying. we found out that it is taking up to 6 months for them to review plans that have had one and the majority of them are only getting half of what they had. The next stage is everyone up to 25yrs, then everyone else and could take up to 2yrs for some

It is very important when filling in the forms you must make sure that your GPS, psychiatrist and psychologist note down what the worse day looks like for the person involved, and that it is a lifelong disability. Also if you recieve a call from the NDIS asking to clarify information about your forms please do not answer them and ask to go in,to see them as they have been counting the call as the review without informing you, i also have first hand information that this has been done to people from the Autism group i go to. Also when you get to the stage of having an interview please do not go yourself, have a case worker go with you of a community group that offers workers, have an appointment with them to work out exactly what you need to help the person and have goals set out that you want to work on for the year as that is what they look at, and have them go with you to the interview also if it is for one of your family take them with you and let them act like they would at home by not sitting and keeping still as that shows them your not exaggerating.

Unfortunately we found out the people like us that have a Mental Health disorder are mostly being knocked back or not getting much money for the year, they are still in the process of classifying all Mental Health, we have had some inconsistencies where some people have been accepted with about $25,000 that has to last a year and have had others where there mental health is severe but have been knocked back, so at the moment it depends on who looks after some of them, they are disputing the fact that not all mental health is a life long disability and as a result we are the last ones that will be looked at.

Apparently the powers that be for NDIS are looking to recruit more people to reduce the waiting periods but have not given them more money to help, they had money to help 61% of everyone, but now know that there is at least 85% of applicants so all new packages will not get enough money to help them for a year and they are still closing down most disability places that offer help who are not NDIS funded.

I know it doesn't sound like a good outcome, but i hope the information i have supplied will help a lot of your family members that have a disability and needs a lot of care. For the ones that have a family on the Autism spectrum lets hope their 3 teered, high medium and low does not happen as they will only help ones that are in the high range and for us with Mental Health disability we are not discriminated against.

I wish everyone here that is going for a package or your family the best of luck and when i get new information will let you all know so we are not kept in the dark

@saturnzoon@eth@Appleblossom@utopia@Mazarita and everyone the way the NDIS is being spread across so many sectors of need says to me there could be a move to make the whole thing collapse under its own weight. White anting it maybe ... I hope I am wrong.

@@utopi yes I couldnt agree with you more.

@saturnzoon thanks very much for sharing your story here. I agree with all the advice you have given although I have a different diagnosis - Bipolar 1 and complex PTSD with depression and anxiety. To cut a long story short (described previously here) I have just done an Administrative Appeals Tribunal appeal and the NDIS approved me at the last minute so we didn't actually have the hearing.

We suspect they conceded and accepted me to prevent a judgment at hearing which would become a legal precedent for others to use in their appeals. Cynical, hey?! No wonder after a 15 month period of jumpintg through all their hoops.

Hi to all following this thread. I am having a much needed respite and will be away for the next 2 weeks. If possible and you see this, please don't tag me until 13 June as I will be off-line and unable to reply.

@utopia @Bunniekins @Appleblossom

Hi all, i just recieved a letter from NDIS and was knocked back saying that i did not meet the requirements under section 24 1c that you must have an impairment or impairments that result in substantially reduced functional capacity to undertake, or psychosocial fuctioning in undertaking, one or more of the following activities:

Communication, social interaction, learning, obility, self-care, self-management.

Early Intervention Requirements: Section 25 3, which requires that the early intervention supports you need are most appropriately funded by the NDIS and that I do not meet these requirements either as they are more appropriately met through mainstream services, which i don't really understand and will have a look on their guidlines of what they mean especially as the services i recieve now are saying they will loose their funding once the NDIS is set up fully.

under Mental Health Section, so, if you can have a look at these section under NDIS, try to make sure you have them covered for yourself.

I will be reviewing this decision, they give you 3 months,but it's a harder process.

Sorry you have an ongoing battle to get your son's needs met. @saturnzoon

Keep strong through the long haul.