Fears over how funding appeals will work under NDIS’ new I-CAN assessment tool
Questioning from Greens Senator Jordan Steele-John and Shadow Minister for the NDIS Anne Ruston revealed that “the rules are still being written” for a new NDIS funding tool, with fears over what it means for appeals.
A controversial interview tool which will use a computer program to spit out how much NDIS funding someone should get based on a series of personal questions, is very much still in the design stage, six months out from its planned rollout.
And there are suggestions that the Appeals Review Tribunal will have fewer powers to change the amount of funding someone gets, according to a Senate Estimates hearing on Thursday.
Questioning from Greens Senator Jordan Steele-John and Shadow Minister for the NDIS Anne Ruston revealed that “the rules are still being written” when it comes to how the I-CAN assessment tool will look and how the appeals process will work.
The tool, developed by the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies, will see non-clinically trained assessors ask questions, such as, ‘Can you get on and off the toilet by yourself?’ and ‘Can you fold washing?’. They will then be graded on their answers.
The interview will ideally be face-to-face or over video, the NDIA said.
For the first time it was revealed that in addition to the interview, people will also undergo a questionnaire where they will be asked about their diagnosis, age and living circumstances.
Sen Steele-John battled to wring out answers from the NDIA about what the appeals process will look like, eventually concluding there will be a “significant change” in the role of the Appeals Review Tribunal (ART), with it having less powers to change the funding of someone’s plans.
“We are going from a space where the ART has a role in ordering that additional funds be allocated to the total funding amount given by a participant, to a model in which that is not a question before the tribunal,” Mr Steel-John said.
He emphasised that currently the agency makes a lot of wrong decisions, evidenced by the fact that 72 per cent of cases that end up at tribunal see the original decision changed.
NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said the new tool will be fairer than the current model.
Disability advocate Shirley Humphris who has been pushing for more transparency around the new supports needs assessment tool, said the agency is “winging it” six months out from the rollout.
“Everything about this is experimental,” Ms Humphris said. “It doesn’t sound ready. It’s winging it as we go.”
The Community Affairs committee also heard how the proposed introduction of a new community-based program Thriving Kids – designed for children with milder disabilities – is also a long way off from being ready, with a funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the states and territories still not achieved.
Fraud Fusion Taskforce chief John Dardo responded to questions as to why there had been 7000 tip offs and just 16 prosecutions, saying that there are many live cases and that the court process is taking up to three years.
He said a better indication of their work is that in the first four months of this year they issued 34 warrants, which is a 12 fold increase in activity for the taskforce.
He said the team is also making big system investments to prevent fraud in the first place by making it easier for people to do the right thing, and harder for them to do the wrong thing.
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Originally published as Fears over how funding appeals will work under NDIS’ new I-CAN assessment tool
