$800k NDIA plan for Koa

A dying Armstrong Creek girl’s financial support will be bolstered fourfold after the Geelong Advertiser exposed the family’s plight.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has approved a new plan to increase funding for Koa Gibson.

The three-year-old has multiple health conditions and entered palliative care in January. Her mum, Aleisha, this week told the Geelong Advertiser the NDIA was wasting precious time the family had with Koa in her remaining months.

She said she felt let down by the agency and did not understand why they were removing Koa’s 24/7 nursing care.

But in recent days a new plan, worth about $813,000 and including services such as high intensity support workers and delegated nursing workers, who deliver some nursing support, has been approved.

The NDIA will also meet with Koa’s parents next week. A spokesman for the agency said Koa’s level of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding was never reduced.

“In addition, this week the NDIA has significantly increased her funding,” he said. “The NDIA provided funding for Koa to receive disability-related supports including high intensity support workers, disability-related health equipment, therapy, assistive technology (such as a wheelchair and commode) and continence products.”

Koa’s previous 12-month NDIS plan was about $247,000.

It is understood those funds ran out in February and again in early May as 24/7 nursing support was incorrectly provided using NDIS funds, despite not being approved in Koa’s plan.

The NDIA was not designed to provide 24/7 nursing. Mrs Gibson said the information provided by the NDIA to the Addy did not tell the whole story, and she felt there had been a lack of communication from the agency.

She said it had only acted when Koa’s situation gained media attention.

On Friday, she said she had not discussed the details of the new plan with the agency yet, and was waiting for the meeting to be able to assess whether it suited Koa. “I’ve learnt this the hard way, nothing is set in stone until we see it,” she said.

“I’m only asking for the essentials for Koa.”

Koa has a congenital brain abnormality, is dependent on life support oxygen, and suffers from daily seizures.

She also has multiple conditions including cerebral palsy.

Family friends have established a GoFundMe which has raised more than $15,000.