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Maryanne11Casual Contributor
Hi All
I have a 24 year old son with Schizoaffective Disorder and OCD. We have been granted access to the NDIS and are now in the planning stage. I am wondering whether anyone has feedback on their experiences with NDIS and what has worked for them.
In response to: NDIS
BunniekinsSenior Contributor
@Maryanne11 Hi Maryanne11 and welcome to the forums. I am going to tag @eth as she has written a huge and informative post on the ndis that you might find useful. She is the go to person concerning everything there is on the subject. Take care. greenpea
In response to: NDIS
L_MNew Contributor
Hi,
How did you manage to get the NDIS approved? Through which organisation?
My son, 40yo, has similar diagnosis but does not have motivation to apply for it. Because of the privacy, no one is speaking with me about it. Thanks
In response to: Re: NDIS
ethSenior Contributor
Thanks @Bunniekins and Hi there @Maryanne11 and @L_M I'm going away for a few days up the bush and won't be back here til Tuesday. I will respond to you then. Meanwhile you might like to have a look at this thread : Re: Anyone started with the NDIS . There is a lot there, but heaps of information peppered through it from my experience and that of others along the way. Basically it took me 18 months to be approved for NDIS for 'psychosocial' (mental) health reasons of complex PTSD and bipolar 1. We took them to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal after going through their internal appeals process and they ended up conceding 2 days before the hearing was scheduled ............ fast forward I had my first plan for 12 months and am now into my 2nd plan which is for 2 years and having it has changed my life!
I'll answer any specific questions you have on Tuesday if all goes to plan.
Regarding planning process I think it's around p57 or 58 of that thread where there's a list of planning questions that was almost exactly what they asked me. I didn't have any organisation helping me apply (although 2 had said they would). What I did have eventually was a disability advocate (you can google them for your state) who also got me a legal aid solicitor, along with my sister-in-law nominated to speak for me ... I know not everyone has an 'informal' support like her, but anyone can get the disability advocate and they are fantastic.
Hopefully I will be able to help you, but please be aware I can only speak from my own experience. If you @tag me I will see a notification of your post in my inbox. Feel free to join in on the other thread too if you want to. @eth
In response to: Re: NDIS
Maryanne11Casual Contributor
In response to: Re: NDIS
Maryanne11Casual Contributor
Hi L_M
We/I applied for access to the NDIS by completing the paperwork, including getting a psychiatrist to
fill in the appropriate section about the level of impairment and impact it has on daily life. I also included a letter from his GP outlining his diagnosis, current treatment, impairment, other caring commitments I have etc. We also included a letter from an occupational therapist we were lucky to come across, who was working at the clinic my son has to attend monthly.
We submitted all of this and then waited for a response which didn't come. When I enquired, they discovered that the documents were never uploaded into the system.. So, I had to reapply. Anyway that's another story. We did get a fairly prompt response and had a phone call from NDIS to verify and expand on a couple of details. We are now booked in for the planning meeting tomorrow. It's a phone appointment and I doubt that my son will be involved in the whole conversation, but he will give consent for me to continue without him.I also applied a couple of years ago and my son also was also granted access back then. We didn't follow it up at that time, but, it seems, getting access hasn't been a problem for us.
My son has not been keen on the idea and we did have to reschedule this meeeting, as last time he became very distressed and negative about the whole thing, especially as he's only 24 and hasn't or does't want to fully accept that he has a disability. However, when I remind him how much support I give him and how it could be good to have other supports/people in his life, he can see the value in it. So, we are going to give it a go.
In response to: Re: NDIS
Claire_85Casual Contributor
Hi, Although I have a different diagnosis, what helped me was getting a referral to a free social worker through my GP. This is only available in some areas though. It really helped to get some tips and general support from them, and the person came to my meeting with me. Maybe a socialworker could do the same thing. I was rejected initially because of something small my doctor wrote in my report that was misinterpreted but then I challeneged it and got it passed.
I'm sorry your son is feeling afriad of his privacy. I can see you really want the best for him. I hope there is someone that can support him with his fears.
It's been very positive for me overall. I use HireUp for some of my funding support and they are really good. It's just worth finding people the person really connects to. There are lots of nice people but some people are a better fit than others, so don't be afriad to try a number of people out. And it's amazing having funding to see my psychologist regularly.
I really wish you and your son all the best.
In response to: Re: NDIS
Unknown userMember
Hey @Maryanne11 it's great to hear you and your son have been able to persist, and though he has his reservations, he can also see the value of extra support, well done for keeping on going, I know it can be a lengthy process for some🌻
In response to: NDIS
zanegcCasual Contributor
Hey,
This maybe too late for you but there was a company called Jelly Support who we used to help us through the process. We applied and got rejected then this company helped us get approved for funding. They were amazing, we didn't think we would get approved. They helped us prepare and went through the planning meeting and helped us with our goals and getting a lot of funding. Their website is www.jellysupport.com.au
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Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
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