on the provision of supporting evidence that their relocation was for a legitimate reason (ie employment, education, family support, etc). Any person who is deemed eligible for NDIS, who subsequently moves out of the Launch site, for whatever reason, should be entitled to portability of funding. Question 6: What boundary issues between launch and non-launch locations are likely to arise, and how could these be resolved in developing the rules? The boundaries around launch locations need to be clearly articulated. People are then assessed for eligibility in accordance with the residence requirement. Continuity of Support Question 7: What factors should be considered in deciding whether the NDIS should provide continuity of support to someone who has been receiving assistance under other programs, but who would not otherwise be eligible for NDIS support? Any person who was receiving support under existing programs as at 1 July 2013 should be entitled to ongoing support through the NDIS, regardless of timeframes in order to satisfy the no disadvantage clause. It would be considered unlikely that there is sufficient resource in the current system to shoehorn otherwise ineligible participants into a funded program prior to the introduction of NDIS purely to allow them to retain services they may otherwise be ineligible for under an NDIS. People who are blind or vision impaired will be highly unlikely to be captured by the recommendation in the above paragraph. People who access blindness and vision impairment services primarily do so on a periodic (episodic) basis. They will receive a service, develop a skill set and then exist the service to utilise the acquired skill set as and when required. They may re-access the service to develop further skills, enhance current skills, or perhaps engage with new equipment or services. People who access services in such a manner should not be penalised because they do not have a structured ongoing service program. Therefore ABF recommends that any person who has received services from a recognised service provider in the blindness and low vision sector within the last 3-5 years, should automatically be entitled to ongoing support through NDIS. Careful consideration needs to be given to ensure that the no disadvantage process applies to people with disability who are receiving supports related specifically to their disability from sources that are not government funded. For example, where a person is receiving services provided for through philanthropy or volunteerism, they
on the provision of supporting evidence that their relocation was for a legitimate reason (ie employment, education, family support, etc). Any person who is deemed eligible for NDIS, who subsequently moves out of the Launch site, for whatever reason, should be entitled to portability of funding. Question 6: What boundary issues between launch and non-launch locations are likely to arise, and how could these be resolved in developing the rules? The boundaries around launch locations need to be clearly articulated. People are then assessed for eligibility in accordance with the residence requirement. Continuity of Support Question 7: What factors should be considered in deciding whether the NDIS should provide continuity of support to someone who has been receiving assistance under other programs, but who would not otherwise be eligible for NDIS support? Any person who was receiving support under existing programs as at 1 July 2013 should be entitled to ongoing support through the NDIS, regardless of timeframes in order to satisfy the no disadvantage clause. It would be considered unlikely that there is sufficient resource in the current system to shoehorn otherwise ineligible participants into a funded program prior to the introduction of NDIS purely to allow them to retain services they may otherwise be ineligible for under an NDIS. People who are blind or vision impaired will be highly unlikely to be captured by the recommendation in the above paragraph. People who access blindness and vision impairment services primarily do so on a periodic (episodic) basis. They will receive a service, develop a skill set and then exist the service to utilise the acquired skill set as and when required. They may re-access the service to develop further skills, enhance current skills, or perhaps engage with new equipment or services. People who access services in such a manner should not be penalised because they do not have a structured ongoing service program. Therefore ABF recommends that any person who has received services from a recognised service provider in the blindness and low vision sector within the last 3-5 years, should automatically be entitled to ongoing support through NDIS. Careful consideration needs to be given to ensure that the no disadvantage process applies to people with disability who are receiving supports related specifically to their disability from sources that are not government funded. For example, where a person is receiving services provided for through philanthropy or volunteerism, they
NDIS_Rules_March_2013.docx