A big win for people with disabilities

The Government said they support the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) – and they’ve put their money where their mouth is!

The following is a direct extract from The Age.

Disability Services:

  • $1 billion over four years for rollout of National Disability Insurance Scheme.
  • First stage of scheme to begin in mid-2013 for about 10,000 Australians with a significant and permanent disability in up to four “launch” locations in Australia.
  • From mid-2014, scheme will be expanded to bring the total number of eligible people up to 20,000.

Breakdown of funding for the NDIS:

  • $342.5 million over three years from July 2013 to help with care and support for people with a disability.
  • $240.3 million over four years to build and operate an NDIS information technology system.
  • $154.8 million over three years to employ local area co-ordinators to help with one-on-one care for people with a disability.
  • $122.6 million over four years to help prepare the disability sector for delivering care under the NDIS, particularly in the launch locations for the first stage of the rollout.
  • $58.6 million over three years from 2013-2014 to assess people with a disability in the launch locations to determine their eligibility for the scheme and level of care needed.
  • $53 million over four years from 2012-13 to establish a National Disability Transition Agency to coordinate the care for people in the launch locations.
  • $18.3 million over four years from 2012-13 to continue the Commonwealth taskforce advising the government on the development of the NDIS.
  • $11.7 million over four years from 2012-13 for research into early intervention to improve support for people with a disability.
  • $5.2 million over four years from 2013-14 to evaluate the scheme in the launch locations.
  • States and territories that host the launch sites will have to contribute to the cost of care and support for people with a disability.

Read more at The Age – How the budget affects you.