Questionnaire about the Proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme

Please note that this is only a short version of the questions asked by the Productivity Commission.  If you want to make a full submission and want to view the full discussion paper go to http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/disability-support and find all the papers and Terms of Reference on that site.
Submissions have to be made by 16th of August, hence I would like to receive your questionnaires back by the 8th of August.
You questionnaires will form part of the Disability Advocacy and Complaints Services of South Australia Inc.’s submission to the Productivity Commission.
Thank you for the time taken to respond to this questionnaire.
Please return the questionnaire by attaching it to an email and send it to monika@dacssa.org.au

Introduction
The Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Services Bill Shorten and many advocates have lobbied strongly to find a different way of funding disability services.
Advocates have long lobbied that access to disability services should be a right and an entitlement and not a win in a lottery.  
Currently State Governments are providing funding for disability services such as day care programs, accommodation, accommodation support, attendant care services, aids and equipment, transport vouchers and respite services.
The Commonwealth Government is providing assistance for employment programs and employment support programs such as employment search and accommodations for employers.  Obviously the Federal Government is also providing the Disability Support Pension and other financial benefits such as Mobility Allowance, rent assistance and assistance to pay for utility bills.
The idea of a National Disability Insurance scheme is not new.  Many countries have a similar scheme in place.  In Australia, people who obtain an impairment as a result of a car accident are able to access insurance pay outs for their lifelong care.  Many people with an insurance payout do not need to struggle to access adequate care.  They are entitled to a service and the money is provided by the insurance to access adequate services to enable people with disabilities to participate in society.

The proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme has not been developed yet.  Nothing has been set in concrete.  There are ideas about how it could look, but it is now up to the people to advise the Productivity Commission how such a scheme should look like.

This questionnaire is based on the questions raised by the Productivity Commission which has been given the task to submit their ideas and examine the feasibility of a different funding system for people with disabilities.
 
Please turn over and answer the following questions.  We are aware that these questions are not going too deep into the proposed scheme.  If you wish to reply to them at length feel free to make comments to any of the questions.  You can just type into the questionnaire.  Make sure you save your file on your computer if you wish to work over a period of time on your questionnaire.

Once again, thank you for your time and effort, we truly appreciate it!  

1.	Who should be eligible for such a scheme?  (please delete the answers you do not want)

1.1 	All people with disabilities and mental health problems

People with disabilities only

People with severe and profound disabilities only

1.2	People should be eligible from birth until they die

People should be eligible from birth until they turn 65

2.	How should eligibility be assessed?
		
2.1	Eligibility should be based on the kind of disability people have

Anyone who needs assistance to live with a disability should be eligible

Comments:

3.	What kind of services should be provided through the scheme?

3.1  	All assistance needed should be part of the scheme, including access to transport and access to participation in recreational activities, and access to education assistance

In addition to all assistance needed for the individual person the scheme should also provide community organisations and for example, advocacy organisations with general funding to allow organisations to continue to provide assistance to people with disabilities on a systemic level

Only respite, home care and accommodation support should be part of the scheme

Comments:

3.2	Should informal arrangements be part of the scheme?

Yes, for example relatives who provide a support service  for a person with a disability should be reimbursed

No, volunteers should continue to provide a service without any monetary rewards
 
4.	Should people also receive income support, i.e. the Disability Support Pension?

Yes, people should continue to receive Disability Support Pension, Rent Assistance, Mobility Allowance, Carer Payment and Carer Allowance.

No, all funding for people with disabilities should come out of the scheme, income support should be paid for through the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Comments:

5.	How can we ensure that application and eligibility is dealt with in a fair manner?

5.1  How should people be assessed:
a)  based on medical evidence
b) their ability to do things should be assessed, ie. can they get out of bed?
c) people should be able to self assess their degree of functioning
d) there should be an organisation that should assess people based on medical records and functions they can perform
e)  Other ideas:  (please outline)

5.2	What should the assessment process look like?
a)	 It should be short and functional
b)	It needs to be thorough and should be repeated regularly
c)	Government needs make sure nobody cheats the system, therefore the process needs to be thorough like the DSP assessment
d)	Existing assessments for DSP should be used

Comments:

6.	What kind of safeguards should be implemented?

Please outline briefly how the scheme should ensure that people with disabilities are treated fairly (for example increased advocacy services)

7.	How should the scheme be financed?  Who should pay?

7.1   	Everyone who works should pay through the tax system like the Medicare system

Everyone, including pensioners, students and the unemployed should make a contribution through a levy, like paying the GST

The government should invest into a fund, like the Future Fund, out of the tax revenue

Only high income earners and businesses should pay into a fund

Comments:

8.	Who should administer the scheme?  Please outline who should administer the scheme, ie State or Federal Government, an independent body, or disability organisations, or an insurance company?

Comments:

9.	Who should assist people to get access to services?

Government

Insurance organisations administering the system

Medicare

Disability Organisation

Independent Living Centres run by people with disabilities

Local Councils

10.	Would such a system assist in changes to service culture, and is that needed?

Please write a few words to comment on this:

Thank You!  Please return the questionnaire to monika@dacssa.org.au