Anyone started with the NDIS?

[Former-Member]

That's a great idea @eth 🙂

If you could drop us a quick email with it that would be helpful, thank you 🙂

[eth]

All I can say is I tried to link the most helpful information I've seen to date about the NDIS process, unsuccessfully.

[eth]

NDIS PLANNING MEETING QUESTIONS


LAC planner starts with introduction, role, purpose of visit, invitation to take breaks where needed, can come back another time if too distressful
Starts with following questions:
Participant statement
Goals?
How to achieve them?
Tell me who you live with?
Describe a normal day? 
What time do you wake up?
Do you go out?
Where do you go?
With whom?
How do you get there?

Uses laptop with pre-populated questions from NDIA
Following questions are for all types of disabilities 5-65 years, some questions may not be appropriate for individual but are to be asked anyway.

Do you have any trouble standing for 30 mins?
Do you have any trouble attending to house responsibilities?
Do you have any trouble learning new tasks?
Do you have any trouble attending community activities?
Do you have any trouble with your emotional health?
Do you have any trouble concentrating for 10 mins or more?
Do you have any trouble Walking 1km or more?
Do you have any trouble washing/bathing yourself?
Do you have any trouble dressing and grooming?
Do you have any trouble speaking with people you don’t know?
Do you have any trouble maintaining friends?
Do you have any trouble managing day to day activities?
Do you have any trouble managing day to day tasks in the last 30 days? (how many?)
Anything you couldn’t do in the last 30 days?
What level of schooling did you complete?
Any post schooling study?
Do you live alone/ with others?
Public/private rental or owned?
Are you employed? 
How long since employed?
Are you looking for work?

Income Questions
What type of income do you receive?

Do you require support with…..
Educational studies?
Do/have you any compensation claims?
Are you able to choose who helps you?
Are you able to choose what you want to do?
Who makes the decisions for you?
Are you able to advocate for yourself?
Do you want more choice and control over your life?
Do you require support with domestic and community tasks?
Do you require support with personal care?
Do you require support with travel and transport?
Do you require support to communicate with others?
Do you require support with getting out of the house?
Does the support you receive meet your needs?
Would you like to get out more?
Do you require support with finances and money?
Do you require support with reading and writing?
Do you require support with accessing and using technology?
Do you require support with self-advocacy and participation?
Do you require support with increasing activities of daily living?
Are you able to call someone if you need help?
Are you happy with how often you see family/friends?
Do you care for others?
Do you have any friends outside of support services?

Are you happy with your home environment?
Where do you see yourself living in 5 years time?
Do you feel safe where you currently live?
How would you describe your current health? (excellent/good/fair/poor)
Do you have regular G.P?
Do you experience problems accessing health care services?
Have you been in hospital in the last 12 months? How often?
Do you feel safe in the community?
Do you have the opportunities to learn new things?
Do you want to access education, training or develop new skills?
In the last 12 months has there been any opportunity to learn new skills that you weren’t able to attend?
Do you spend your free time doing the things you want?
Do you volunteer anywhere or have any community connections (cultural/religious/disability)?
How often do you have a say in the supports you receive?

Family Questionnaire
Do you have a guardian?
Do you receive help planning supports?
Who would you like to help you with planning of supports?

(THIS IS WHERE LAC PLANNER INTRODUCES SUPPORT CONNECTION, SUPPORT COORDINATION AND HOW FUNDING OPTIONS- NDIA, SHARED, SELF-FUNDED)
- Not obligated to make a decision on the day. Can inform LAC planner when they call back a few days later before sending plan to NDIA
Do you worry about people taking money from you?
Do you need help managing money?
Do you receive a mobility allowance?
Have you ever declare bankruptcy?
If you choose to self-manage can you anticipate any problems that may arise?
Is your current disability as the result of an accident?

Do you agree to sharing your plan online with providers? (personal details, NDIS number)
Who would you like to share it with? 
Do you currently use aids or equipment?
Do you think you might need assistance aids in the future?
Do you use any continence products?
Are you a recent school leaver?
Do you want to work?
Do you have any worries with anger?

LAC planner then reads NDIS disclaimer statement talking about reasonable and necessary requests, mainstream, formal/informal and community supports.

Are you receiving help now?
Who are you receiving it from?
How often/how many hours per week? (have this figure before the plan meeting)

Support worker is given the opportunity to speak about support provided. Some useful tips is to include:
How long consumer been with service
How often/hours per week (include travel, case-notes, phone calls, coordinating supports etc)
Areas of current support (any assessments/reports you have eg: psych assessment; if you have an ABI you could provide a psy/neuro assessment; if you have an OT assessment you could provide this etc)
Advocate that current support is minimum consumer requires to maintain wellbeing, ask for more

LAC Planner
What do you want?
Outline goals?
How often/hours per week?
Summary of goals
LAC planner advises a report shall be written and a follow up phone call to consumer 3-5 days later to discuss plan goals, check if correct, request to add more to plan, plan sent to NDIA for approval. 
Send through any additional evidence not provided at planning meeting before LAC planner completes report
Once NDIA approved Consumer shall be sent a letter informing them of outcome, before LAC is even aware
Consumer asked if plan wants to be shared with providers? (YES if you want SP to be aware of what’s happening, otherwise you can choose how much or little you share with a SP)
*Ask for LAC planners email and phone number*

[eth]

@Former-Member @Former-Member @Former-Members  hopefully the copied and pasted version of the planning meeting questions is acceptable.

@catgirl @Former-Member @Mazarita @Appleblossom @MattyToo and others who may read the above post - this is the format currently being used if you get approved for NDIS access and proceed to a planning meeting.  I am not at that stage yet but feel this document is extremely helpful in preparing and as a guideline for anyone writing a supporting report for an application.

[Mazarita]

Just saw this morning that the University of Sydney has put out a report on NDIS processes to date, specifically in relation to 'psychosocial disability' (ie mental illness). Thought it might be interesting to anyone in this thread...

https://cesphn.sharepoint.com/disability/Shared%20Documents/NDIS_Disabilities/Psychosocial%20Disabil...

[Former-Member]

@eth

this is a tremendous contribution on your part...to a minefield of government red tape..

it just never fails to amaze me that the more in need a person is....the harder it becomes to obtain much needed help...

the way of the world...

I think this is a brilliant idea for a thread..

the hardest part for some of us is where to start...we are so overwhelmed ...confused...distressed...unwell at the time of reaching out for help..

Invaluable

keep on posting

will keep on reading..

if my son ever comes home this will be of great assistance for him...although he was already on the dap when NDIS rolled out...I have a feeling ...in my foggy memory that reading who would automatically qualify he was in that category...I felt at the time thank goodness..

will talk to you on long rave thread ..

[eth]

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. 

[Mazarita]

@eth, very best wishes on it going well today. I am crossing fingers this ends quickly for you with a good outcome. Off to womens group now. Maybe catch up later. 

[eth]

Thanks @Mazarita  It's on in just over 1/2 hour.

[Former-Member]

@eth