This article will benefit anyone who is new to NDIS and feel overwhelmed with what they are to do and how it works. The NDIS Process.
Many people experience a variety of reasons for contacting NDIA:
- referred by other Government Agencies
- referred by Doctor or physician (ie GP, Paediatrician)
- referred by family or friends
- referred by other professional organisation
Sometimes families are referred to NDIS because they are transferred from other Government Funded supports. Sometimes families have just received a diagnosis.
If you suspect or have been referred from another agency, families go to NDIA to seek eligibility for the scheme.
NB: NDIS is the scheme (legislation), and NDIA is the agency implementing the scheme.
Application for NDIS
You will need to apply for eligibility for the Scheme. You can do this by:
- calling NDIA directly and they will post out the forms or email them to you,
- going into a local office and asking for the forms.
When completing the form, participant means the person with the disability (ie applicant).
Completing the Application
To complete the forms you can:
- Go into the local office and ask the NDIA staff to help you;
- See a Service Provider* and ask them to help you
- See a Support Coordinator and ask them to help you
- Ask a friend or family member to help you
NB: *Some providers /services may charge a fee for this service.
Documents to provide
When you receive your NDIS Application for services form, there is a section where you will need to provide “evidence” of the disability.
It is encouraged that you:
- gather all assessments relating to the disability of the applicant/participant
- gather all reports relating to the disability of the applicant/participant
- gather all diagnosis’ relating to the disability of the applicant/participant
- school reports, therapist reports, childcare reports/assessments, anything
- any medical reports ie Paediatrician, Hospital, etc.
The more the merrier, the more information they have, the better!
Another thing to think about is how old the reports are, the more recent the easier they can process based on current circumstances. For example if you have a diagnosis report that is 5 years old, I would suggest having a more recent reassessment of current needs from a therapist/doctor/physician/service.
Submitting the Application
Go over the application one more time.
Make sure all the information is completed correctly, such as ensure full birth names are completed on the form.
There are two main options when submitting the application and all supporting documents:
- Hand in at your local office
- Post into the processing team
You could email in the application, but with such large volumes of data your email server may not allow sending so much information. You may need to break it down into multiple emails. This could get messy and confusing to the NDIA staff when processing.
Resources
https://www.ndis.gov.au/people-disability/access-requirements.html
Disclaimer: at the time of writing this information, all contents were true and correct based on personal lived experience. Please note that is a guide only and over time they may change their processes and some information contained in this article may become void and irrelevant. If in doubt, please go directly to the source, NDIS to seek clarity and clarification.