NDIS Payment System in Crisis
07/07/2016
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent – Media release
Mid-winter meltdown: National Disability Insurance Scheme gridlocked
NDIS payment system in crisis with workers unpaid for three weeks
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent is calling on the federal government to urgently intervene and fund emergency supports in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). For three weeks, there has been no payment system available for providers and participants to access, with the new system that commenced July 1 not currently working.
“With service providers, agencies and self-managed clients all unable to access the new payment website, people with disabilities are being left in crisis, as are small agencies, since they’re unable to remunerate low paid, casual support staff,” says Kelly Vincent.
“With federal government departments having been in caretaker mode for nine weeks now, the rollout of the NDIS is being seriously hampered as this once-in-a-generation reform awaits leadership from relevant Ministers.
“If we have to breach caretaker conventions to solve this problem then so be it – the NDIA has been left swinging in the breeze while this IT catastrophe cascades across the disability community.
“The new payment system is low on detail, and it doesn’t even tell a service provider whether their client has any money available in their Plan.
“Apparently clients have to register their Plans with the new payment system – this is beyond the computer literacy and access of many family carers of children currently in the Scheme here in SA.
“Leaving people with disabilities and small businesses without any access to their allocated funds for weeks on end is just not acceptable.
“When service providers and clients call the NDIA’s 1800 number they are waiting up to two hours to speak to someone about the new system.
“We need an urgent transition arrangement before small service providers collapse under the weight of administrative mayhem.
