Access to Disability issuesA mother says without a local charity’s funding she would not have been able to afford to have her son assessed for the NDIS. An advocacy group says cost is a major barrier. The National Disability Insurance Agency says it is continually looking at how to simplify the application process.


 

The cost of the assessments required to get access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is making it hard for Shontay Mulcahy’s family to get support.

“Especially when you’ve got other bills you’ve got to pay, you’ve still got to live. It can be quite extreme,” she said.

Her son Norman has an intellectual disability and a rare metabolic condition, and she has been trying to get him on to the NDIS for two years.

A psychologist’s assessment for autism was required before Norman could be assessed for the NDIS, but Ms Mulcahy could not afford the $1,200 up-front cost.

“It’s been a tremendous stress to look after my son and get everything else done on top of it,” she said.

Shontay Mulcahy says it cost a total of $2,100 for her son Norman to be assessed by a psychologist to simply begin the process.

That was until local charity Leeton JumpStart Fund stepped in and paid for the assessment.

“[It was] tremendous. I wouldn’t have been able to get the first assessment done,” she said.

The psychologist concluded that Norman was not autistic, but instead should be assessed for a learning disability that would cost another $900, which Ms Mulcahy was able to pay for.

 

Australians with disability struggling

Her family was one of many for whom advocacy group People with Disabilities (PWD) said the price of medical assessments were a barrier to accessing the NDIS.

Leeton JumpStart Fund assists locals with bills, including medical expenses and utilities.

 

A woman standing in the street in Leeton.

Grace Capaldi says her organisation has spent more than $9,000 helping locals access the NDIS. (ABC News: Lucas Forbes)

Chairperson Grace Capaldi said they had spent $9,025 to help five people be assessed for the NDIS who otherwise might not have been able to afford to access the scheme.

“Most people that need to access the NDIS are on either a disability pension or Newstart, and really the funds they receive on a fortnightly basis are just enough to help them on a week-to-week basis,” she said.

PWD deputy CEO Megan Spindler-Smith said many people with disabilities struggled to afford to get assessed in the first place.

“You can in theory get some of these costs returned to you if you are lucky enough to get on to the NDIS but … for many people with disability they don’t have the money in the first place,” they said.

 

Calls for more support

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2018, 38 per cent of households with a person with a disability had a low level of income compared with 18 per cent of households without disability.

Mx Spinder-Smith wanted to see more support for people with disabilities to afford the assessments they need.

 

A person with red lipstick and glasses.

Megan Spindler-Smith says many Australians with disabilities struggle to afford assessments. (Supplied: People with Disability)

“When we’re in a cost-of-living crisis — especially those who are multiple marginalised, especially like our First Nations community, our linguistically diverse community — how are we making sure they’re not being left behind even further?” they said.

Ms Mulcahy said she wanted to see psychologist appointments subsidised by the federal government to make accessing assessments easier.

“The government really needs to understand that it’s hard for a lot of people. No-one can keep affording all these specialist appointments,” she said.

In a written statement a spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency, which operates the NDIS, said it was always looking at simplifying the application process.

“To meet access for the NDIS a person must meet all eligibility criteria, as well as provide evidence of how their disability and reduced level functional capacity impacts their everyday life,” the statement said.

“The agency continues to refine the access process to make it more transparent and simpler.”

 

Looking for In-Home Disability Care in Shepparton? Contact us.

 

Amoscare is your NDIS Registered Provider in Shepparton

Amoscare is your NDIS Registered Provider in Shepparton

 


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Tags: financial hurdle for families with disability, Leeton JumpStart Fund, National Disability Insurance Agency, People with Disabilities