Assistance Dogs Being Denied Funding Under The NDIS

What is the NDIS?

The NDIS - National Disability Insurance Scheme is a new Australian organisation supporting people with a disability, their families and their carer’s, nationwide. They are assisting people with disabilities from a young age, and take a lifetime approach with supporting them in all aspects of their life.

Australian tax payers contribute to the funding of this scheme, providing approximately 460,000 whom have a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and essential supports they need to live an ordinary life, yet some are still being unfairly left out.

The NDIS helps people with disabilities access mainstream services and supports, access community services and supports, maintain informal support arrangements, and receive reasonable and necessary funded supports, but some people are being denied certain essential needs and we will talk about Jordan Country Groodles main priority below.

Assistance Dogs Being Denied Funding Under The NDIS

It has been brought to Jordan Country Groodle’s attention via Brama Labrador Inc. that some of their clients are receiving funding from The NDIS Scheme, but others are not, actually, the majority are not. We touched base with Amanda from Brama in February this year, to discuss our future involvement with their Assistance Dog program, and this issue is very close to our hearts.

There is no denying that dogs have a huge impact on their owners’ lives, especially those that rely on that dog for simple function every day. There is a strict criteria for being eligible for an assistance dog, and there is usually a very long wait for those in need. This proves that it is not a decision made lightly, neither a decision made for the sake of it.

For every 1 person granted funding there is up to 100 being denied. It seems like the NDIS doesn’t have its criteria set in stone as numerous cases with the same diagnosis aren’t being treated the equal.

If you have a current Assistance Dog don’t expect that you will be able to get a replacement via the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) once he has retired or passed. People living with Autism more than likely will not be eligible for funding under the new NDIS, neither will those with PTSD, mental health, mobility issues and other acute disabilities, as we said previously 1 out of 100 are being funded and to us that is not enough! We’re begging for 100%.

To train an Assistance Dog takes a lot of time and a lot of money, this ends up not being priority as families cannot afford to have the support that is essential.

When we say essential we mean it, an Assistance Dog can be trained to do all of the below: