An NDIS bungle nearly cost young Aussie Stevie Howson his life

Instead of getting the wheelchair and physiotherapy he desperately needed, Stevie Howson was given the wrong NDIS plan, leaving him battling the system for three years and pushing him to the brink of suicide.

EXCLUSIVE: When Stevie Howson got his NDIS plan, it looked like it had been written for someone else – an autistic person with challenging behaviours.

It included $3000 for speech therapy and $15,000 for behavioural support.

At the time he was an adult living in his own home and holding down a mainstream job.

What he actually needed and asked for was a wheelchair, physiotherapy and support at home, due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a devastating connective tissue disorder, which had robbed him of his mobility.

He’d also asked for some therapy due to a late diagnosis of autism.

The 34-year-old from Armidale in NSW, later found autism had been assigned as his “primary disability” and believes his plan was created by an algorithm, somehow “generated through automation”.

“I suspect what happened is that I received a template plan for autistic people,” Mr Howson said.

Stevie Howson, 34, from Armidale, NSW, was given an NDIS plan for someone with autism, when he needed funding for a wheelchair. Picture: Supplied

However, the plan error happened; it should have been an easy fix.

Instead it took three years for the agency to put it right, a battle that pushed Mr Howson to the brink of suicide.

Frustratingly, there were multiple opportunities where the NDIA could have fixed its mistake.

Medical professionals – including an independent occupational therapist chosen by the NDIA – agreed he didn’t need speech or behavioural therapy, he needed help with his mobility. Their opinions were ignored.

In subsequent meetings the agency never mentioned the independent OT’s report and Mr Howson has never seen a copy of it.

When Stevie Howson got his NDIS plan, it looked like it had been written for someone else – an autistic person with challenging behaviours. Picture: Supplied

He later found out through an Freedom of Information request that someone in the agency’s early intervention team had suggested resolving his matter back in November 2024.

However, her advice was overruled by the ‘TAPIB’ Technical Branch at the NDIA, a faceless group of allied health professionals who provide clinical advice for the agency.

“They didn’t see me, speak to me, or talk to anyone who had,” Mr Howson said. “I want to complain about the person who made the decision about me, but I don’t know who they are.”

In July, two weeks before the hearing date, the NDIA offered to settle his matter in full and increased the value of his plan by more than $100,000. Ironically, at the start of the process Mr Howson wasn’t asking for any more money, he was just asking to be allowed to spend the money he had been allocated in his plan on things that would help.

Mr Howson has been left deeply scarred the NDIS saga. Picture: Supplied

The farcical process will have cost the taxpayer thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, Mr Howson has been left deeply scarred.

“I have lost years of my life to this appeal process,” Mr Howson said. “I’ve lost years of my child’s childhood that I will never get back.”

He said deficient administrative systems and processes urgently require government scrutiny.

“The way that the NDIS is being run is not worthy of the trust of this parliament or the generosity of the Australian people who fund this scheme,” Mr Howson said.

Mr Howson is now turning his attention to concerns around a new support needs assessment tool which will do without the input of medical reports that the agency insisted it needed in his case, and instead rely on an interview undertaken by people without medical backgrounds, trained by the TAPIB team.

A spokeswoman for the agency said it does not use algorithms in developing or approving plans and a participant’s NDIS funding is informed through planning conversations and by the evidence provided. She said a “clearer and simpler planning process” will be rolled out next year.

If you or someone you know needs help call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline (for people aged 5–25 years) on 1800 55 1800.

Originally published as An NDIS bungle nearly cost young Aussie Stevie Howson his life