Maitland disability support providers have been left with a gap of more than $3000 a week because of changes to transport funding.
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The National Disability Insurance Scheme, in its trial phase in Maitland, puts people in the drivers seat to navigate their own funding instead of the money going directly to service providers.
The change means transport is no longer part of a self-managed model, which funded the kilometres a person needed to travel during the week.
Under the new scheme there are multiple levels of support for assistance if a person is unable use public transport.
The lowest level of transport funding provides up to $1539 a year for participants who are not working, studying or attending day programs, but who want to access people and places in the community.
The highest level provides up to $3326 a year for participants who are working, looking for work, or studying at least 15 hours a week and are unable to use public transport because of their disability.
This is a problem for people in rural areas where public transport is not an option, because the NDIS funding does not cover the full cost of accessing transport, and disability service providers are the ones hit with the extra costs.
“It is a really important service because it links people with the community, so they can go to the library, the swimming pool, attend sport,” an Endeavour Group Australia’s spokeswoman said.
“We need the flexibility to provide this kind of transport.
“We are still in trial with the NDIS, so we are hoping it will look different in the new scheme.”
Mai-Wel CEO Pennie Kearney said that organisation was in the same boat.
“The issue of transport is big concern to Mai-Wel,” she said.
“We do not want to have to reduce services because of the cost, but these aren’t small losses that can just be carried over.
“Affordability for our organisation is a real issue.”
Challenge Community Services has estimated the gap in transport funding would cost the organisation about $100,000 a year.
Challenge CEO Barry Murphy said one of the main problems was that NDIS funding relied too heavily on access to public transport for people with disabilities.
“They have to get past the fact that public transport is responsible for moving people around,” he said.
“This just doesn’t happen in regional NSW.”
The National Disability Insurance Scheme is not available everywhere yet and is on trial in Maitland, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
The National Disability Insurance Agency sent this statement in response:
"The funding that is in a participant's plan is based on the participant's individual goals and the outcomes they are aiming to achieve. Participants engage with their providers to negotiate the delivery of the supports required to meet these outcomes.
"Participants whose disability prevents them from using public transport may have funds included in their plan to offset the additional cost of transport that they will incur."