Fact Sheet on the bilateral agreements for transition to the NDIS and transitioning of responsibilities for aged care and disability services
Purpose
This Fact Sheet provides information on two Bilateral Agreements between the Commonwealth and Victoria:
1. Transition to a National Disability Insurance Scheme
2. Transitioning Responsibilities for Aged Care and Disability Services in Victoria
The National Disability Insurance Scheme
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a national approach based on insurance principles that will provide individualised support and services for people with a disability, their families and carers to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Bilateral Agreement for Transition to a National Disability Insurance Scheme
The Commonwealth and Victorian Governments have demonstrated their commitment to the implementation of the NDIS through the signing of an agreement, the ‘Bilateral Agreement between the Commonwealth and Victoria: Transition to a National Disability Insurance Scheme’.
The Bilateral Agreement describes how and when the NDIS will be rolled out across Victoria from July 2016, and provides broad information on how the transition will be made and who is responsible.
As shareholders to the NDIS both governments are making significant financial contributions to the NDIS to ensure that eligible Victorians with disability have, throughout their life, choice and control over the support and services they need to meet their goals and aspirations.
The NDIS will be rolled out progressively in Victoria over a three year period from July 2016. By July 2019, it is estimated that 105,000 Victorians will have transitioned to the scheme. This includes 76,000 clients from the existing Victorian specialist disability and mainstream systems that will be replaced by the NDIS.
Bilateral Agreement Transitioning Responsibilities for Aged Care and Disability Services in Victoria
As part of this agreement, the Home and Community Care (HACC) program and specialist disability services will be split from July 2016 where:
· Services for older people (people aged 65 and over and 50 and over for Aboriginal people) will be directly funded and managed by the Commonwealth Government through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme or other arrangements for specialist disability services.
· Services for younger people (people aged under 65 and under 50 for Aboriginal people) will be funded and managed solely by the Victorian Government, until the NDIS is in full operation. It is expected that some of these people will become participants in the NDIS.
Transition to the NDIS in Victoria
The NDIS roll out in Victoria has been carefully planned to give Victorians with disability their families and carers the time, information and resources to move from the current state based system to the NDIS.
In making the decision to have an area-based transition we have considered many factors including:
· the number and the needs of people with a disability (people currently using Victorian disability services) living in the area
· the readiness and availability of disability providers to support clients to transition to the NDIS
· the experience to date from Barwon and other NDIS trial sites.
The sequence of Victoria’s area-based transition is outlined below, and can be accessed here: www.ndis.gov.au/vic
Accessing the NDIS for people on the Disability Support Register or ECIS waitlist
The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that people with urgent needs are prioritised when the NDIS is rolled out.
People on the Victorian Disability Support Register (DSR) and Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) waitlist and Mental Health Community Support Needs Register will enter the scheme as the first groups in each geographical area.
In addition, children on the ECIS waitlist and people on the DSR who have the most urgent need for supports will enter the scheme within the first two years of the transition period ahead of their geographic area entering the scheme.
Urgent needs will be assessed on a case by case basis. Factors that will be considered include the need for additional support to ensure safety and wellbeing and a stable living situation.
Some people with a disability will not be eligible for the NDIS - continuity of support
The National Disability Insurance Agency will consider a range of eligibility criteria such as a person’s age, where they live, and their support requirements.
Not all clients currently receiving supports and services will be supported under the NDIS. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements of the NDIS and are currently receiving care and support you will continue to receive supports to ensure that you are not disadvantaged by the transition to the NDIS. This is known as ‘continuity of support’.
Both governments have agreed to provide continuity of support for clients of their funded programs. The Commonwealth will have responsibility for continuity of support arrangements for people aged 65 years and over (and indigenous people 50 to 64 years), which will be implemented to coincide with the roll out of the NDIS.
Specific continuity of support arrangements will be finalised by the Commonwealth and Victoria by March 2016.
Through the transition period what quality and safeguards will be in place to ensure people are protected?
Victoria will continue to have high quality and strong safeguards in place during transition to full scheme and Victorians with disability will continue to have the same avenues for raising concerns and making complaints.
Until a nationally consistent quality and safeguards framework for the NDIS is agreed and implemented, Victoria’s existing legislation and policies will continue to apply to the registration and vetting of providers and their staff.
Victorian disability sector and workforce
The NDIS represents a significant change in the way in which people with disability will be accessing services which will change the way in which service providers do business and workers provide support.
The Victorian and Commonwealth governments recognise that the existing sector and workforce are the building blocks upon which the future NDIS market will be built and critical for the transition of existing state clients to transition to the NDIS.
While the agreement for transition has been finalised, the Victorian Government will continue to work with the National Disability Insurance Agency to support the transition and readiness of providers and the workforce.
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Sequence of Victoria’s geographic approach to transition
The sequence of Victoria’s transition is outlined below
Time / Department of Health and Human Services Area / Local Government AreaFrom 1 July 2016 / North East Melbourne / Banyule
Darebin
Nillumbik
Whittlesea
Yarra
From 1 January 2017 / Central Highlands / Ararat
Ballarat
Golden Plains
Hepburn
Moorabool
Pyrenees
From 1 May 2017 / Loddon / Campaspe
Central Goldfields
Greater Bendigo
Loddon
Macedon Ranges
Mount Alexander
From 1 October 2017 / Inner Gippsland / Bass Coast
Baw Baw
Latrobe
South Gippsland
From 1 October 2017 / Western District / Corangamite
Glenelg
Hindmarsh
Horsham
Moyne
Northern Grampians
Southern Grampians
Warrnambool
West Wimmera
Yarriambiack
From 1 October 2017 / Ovens Murray / Alpine
Benalla
Indigo
Mansfield
Towong
Wangaratta
Wodonga
From 1 November 2017 / Inner Eastern Melbourne / Boroondara
Manningham
Monash
Whitehorse
From 1 November 2017 / Outer Eastern Melbourne / Knox
Maroondah
Yarra Ranges
From 1 March 2018 / Hume Moreland / Hume
Moreland
From 1 April 2018 / Bayside Peninsula / Bayside
Frankston
Glen Eira
Kingston
Mornington Peninsula
Port Phillip
Stonnington
From 1 September 2018 / Southern Melbourne / Cardinia
Casey
Greater Dandenong
From 1 October 2018 / Brimbank Melton / Brimbank
Melton
From 1 October 2018 / Western Melbourne / Hobsons Bay
Maribynong
Melbourne
Moonee Valley
Wyndham
From 1 January 2019 / Goulburn / Greater Shepparton
Mitchell
Moira
Murrindindi
Strathbogie
From 1 January 2019 / Mallee / Buloke
Gannawarra
Mildura
Swan Hill
From 1 January 2019 / Outer Gippsland / East Gippsland
Wellington
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