Cash-strapped providers ‘turn away patients’ due to NDIS bungle

Disability service providers who are out of pocket by thousands of dollars because of a technology bungle crippling the NDIS.

Speech pathologist Diana Bleby says she is owed more than $5000 by the NDIS.

Disability service providers who are out of pocket by thousands of dollars because of a technology bungle crippling the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme have warned they will have to start turning away ­patients.

NDIS providers said yesterday they were owed thousands of dollars by the federal government, with sporadic and unreliable emergency payments being made as a stopgap.

The technology bungle was revealed by The Australian last week, with disability service providers reporting that the ­federal government’s new online portal My Place was missing financ­ial data and failing to deliv­er payments and services.

Because of the missing inform­ation on spending, it is likely there will need to be forensic audit­ing of those with approved plans to prevent overpayments.

Speech pathologist Diana Bleby said she was owed more than $5000 by the NDIS and was now drawing on a line of credit to sustain her practice in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

“I don’t work as a speech pathologist to earn the big bucks,” Ms Bleby said. “We get some payments from the NDIS but it’s highly unpredictable.

“My line-of-credit loan is getting less and less flexible and I need to pay rent and contractors.”

Ms Bleby said she knew of providers who had stopped their services to NDIS clients while the system was broken down.

It is understood one provider, a specialist child psycholo­gist in Strathalbyn in southern Adelaide, withdrew treatment for two young autistic children last week after not receiving payments from the government.

Speech Pathology Australia disability adviser Cathy Olsson said there had been a constant stream of complaints from group members, who were now facing “incredible debts”.

“People have resorted to the emergency payment but that means they have to double-­handle all of those payment processes,” Ms Olsson said.

“The system is failing them and failing NDIS participants.”

Nationally, about 430,000 indiv­­idualised plans will be ­assessed and approved over the next three years, requiring the agency delivering the NDIS to ­approve 392 plans every day.

The agency said it had made “significant progress this week in supporting providers to finalise payment requests”, with more than 70,000 claims progressed since the system was activated on July 1.

“(We) understand this transition has caused providers some frustration and apologise for any impact,” a spokeswoman said.

“Participant services should not be impacted and payments continue to be available to providers.”

The Assistant Minister for Disabil­ity Services, Jane Prentice, said she was disappointed the problems had occurred and were ongoing.

“I had initial briefings with the department last Thursday and was informed that the (agency) was working as quickly as possible to fix the IT problems with the new portal,” she said.

“I have spoken to the (agency) about ongoing IT issues and have received assurances that fixing this issue is its No 1 priority.”

South Australian Dignity for Disability MP Kelly Vincent questioned why it had taken six weeks for the government to know providers were not being paid.

“I want them to reassure self-managed clients and service ­providers that they will receive all the money they are owed plus compensation for additional ­expenses they have incurred,” Ms Vincent said.