Autism to face cutbacks in NDIS as secret plan revealed

A secret plan to restrict the access of autistic people to the $22bn NDIS would prevent them from qualifying ‘automatically’.

National Disability Insurance Agency chief executive Rob de Luca. Picture: Colin Murty

A secret plan to restrict the access of autistic people to the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme would prevent them from qualifying “automatically” for taxpayer-funded support as part of a sweeping overhaul to rein in costs.

The Weekend Australian has confirmed bureaucrats have been working on a strategy since late last year to pare back the number of people with autism receiving funding packages.

The agency running the NDIS accidentally published part of its plan to restrict access for autism cases on Monday when it updated a list of pre-qualifying conditions for the scheme. It later suggested it had “incorrectly” posted the wrong document.

A mid-ranking National Disability Insurance Agency staff member, without the knowledge of the deputy chief executive ­responsible, altered a list of conditions for autism spectrum disorders, which was not meant to be made public.

The update, which was taken down the next day and labelled “incorrect” by the NDIA, has been confirmed as genuine, making it the first clear sign the ­agency is attempting to restrict the number of people with autism qualifying for funding support.

Under the globally accepted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, autism is broken into three levels of need with one being the lowest, level two requiring substantial support and level three requiring “very substantial support”.

The first list of conditions eligible for NDIS support — which is called “List A” and includes double amputees and people with brain injuries — has long contained autism levels two and three but level two was removed on Monday. The agency restored the original list the next day.

“We apologise for any inconvenience,” the NDIA posted.

Agency staff rang autism ­advocates and special interest groups to reassure them that the change was a mistake but The Weekend Australian has confirmed the organisation is working on a plan to restrict or remove automatic qualification for ­autism cases.

A spokeswoman for the NDIA said last night no changes had been made as yet.

“If and when any changes were to be made to List A and List B, they would be informed by ­research and evidence and only ­following consultation with stake­holders and with appropriate authorisation,” the spokes­woman said.

“Any person with autism who is eligible for the NDIS will receive the reasonable and necessary supports they need.”

About 30,000 children aged 14 and under have an NDIS plan.

Almost half of these are considered high functioning, meaning they have a “low level of disability”.

There are 142,000 participants in the disability scheme and 29 per cent of these have autism, the same proportion as those with ­intellectual disabilities. The proportion of those with autism has been increasing slightly — up from 28 per cent a year ago — while the incidence of intellectual disability has dropped sharply from 37 per cent. Among participants aged 25 and over, autism ­accounts for 5 per cent of clients.

“I think the agency has realised what a massive deal autism is for them with regard to the sustainability of the scheme,” said a source involved in the plans.

“They are strongly looking at the right way to solve this issue and I understand they are extremely keen to consult with the autism community.”

The source said there was a “very strong case the NDIS shot themselves in the foot” by including autism on the automatic qualification list. “It is a spectrum disorder — everyone has different needs,” the source said.

Removing autism from List A would not ban access to the scheme but it would require that every person be independently assessed before qualifying for support, according to their functional impairment.

In its submission to the Productivity Commission review of scheme costs last year, the NDIA conceded it had concerns about autism being included on List A.

“The NDIA has noted that ­autism spectrum disorders may represent a difficulty for List A, and there is evidence to suggest that use of the diagnosis process for autism may differ from the process’s intent, resulting in ­access to the scheme where eligibility requirements would not otherwise be met,” the NDIA submission says.

In its final report in October, the Productivity Commission said the condition lists were “a key entry pathway” to the NDIS and monitoring them was essential to ensure they worked as intended. “A process for quickly changing the lists as new information comes to light is necessary, as is transparency about what is on the lists and why changes are made,” the Productivity Commission report says.