Baw Baw to opt out of disability care

Baw Baw Shire Council will not register as a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider ahead of the scheme’s rollout locally later this year.

However, council will support disability service clients and their families in the transition to NDIS providers and will recruit a council officer to provide this support.

The NDIS is a national scheme to provide targeted support and better co-ordination and access to services for people with disabilities.

The scheme will replace existing support services. Transition to the national scheme for Baw Baw Shire residents will be part of the inner Gippsland region transition beginning on October 1.

In a report to council, officers said council had a small number of clients that will be eligible for the NDIS; about seven per cent of council’s total aged and disability support service delivery.

“Council has conducted a detailed assessment to determine the best approach to ensure our clients receive the best outcome for their care moving forward,” officers said.

Mayor Joe Gauci said the decision to not register as a NDIS provider was made on the basis that council was not a specialist provider of disability services.

He said the decision would ensure clients and community members received the best available service from the experts in this field of disability services once the NDIS is rolled out.

“We want to assure all NDIS eligible clients who currently receive disability support services through council that they will be fully supported throughout the transition process.

“Council will continue to provide the same high level of care and support throughout each step of our clients transition to the NDIS,” he said.

Clients who receive disability support services through council have the option to opt out immediately or be supported by council during the transition phase which could be anywhere up to two and a half years.

Cr Gauci said there would be no change to the high quality aged care services that council provides which form the vast majority, or 93 per cent, of total service delivery.

“Council is committed to continue to provide aged care services, which means that in many cases, support services for existing clients will not be affected by this decision,” he said.

Clients who are not eligible for the NDIS, such as those aged over 65 (50 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), or those who do not meet the residency requirements, will continue to receive services provided by council under the Commonwealth Home Support Program.

Those aged under 65 who are not eligible for NDIS also will continue to receive services provided by council through the Victorian Home and Community Care Program for Younger People (HACC PYP).

Cr Mikaela Power said this had been a complicated and difficult process for council.

She said there were still a number of unknowns about the scheme and a number of groups in the community affected by the changes.

Cr Power said council would support clients and their families through the transition.

Cr Jessica O’Donnell said the whole system and how it transpired had been very difficult.

“This is a very vulnerable group of people but some of the recommendations we are putting in place makes sure we will be there to support the transition and ensure no-one gets left behind.

“We have to make sure these people get as much support as possible that we can give them as they move on to other service providers,” she said.

Cr Darren Wallace said people’s quality of life was the central issue.

He said the important thing was not to leave anyone behind in the transition to NDIS.

Latrobe Community Health Service (LCHS) is the appointed local area coordinator for the NDIS rollout in the shire.

Council will work closely with the LCHS, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to give residents the information they need.