Weekend Reading

If you haven't already got a copy of Fiona Place's fantastic book Portrait of the Artist's Mother you can now read the first chapter online via the link below.

Read the first chapter link

The book has also been reviewed by Selena Ewing in Mercatornet

"This joyful and deeply moving book interlaces the many aspects of Fiona's and Fraser's lives to craft a compelling story. It leaves many varied imprints on the heart of the reader. It is not difficult to move through the short chapters, and wonderful lessons are learned through Fiona's skilful storytelling."

Read Selena's review here

Estate Planning Seminar

Down Sydrome NSW will be hosting an Estate Planning Seminar in August.
The presentation will cover a number of important topics such as:

• Wills
• Estate Plans
• Guardianship
• Powers of Attorney
• Testamentary Trusts and Special Disability Trusts
• Centrelink issues
• Managing the interests and financial arrangements of family members
• Using a 'memorandum of wishes to achieve intended outcomes
• Costs associated with these types of arrangements

Presenter: Jonathan Harris, Director at Harrison Friedman Lawyers. He has over 30 years experience Estate Planning, Business  Law and Commercial Property transactions.









Date: Wednesday 14 August
Time: 6pm - 8pm
Venue: KPMG Offices, 300 Barangaroo Ave, Sydney
Bookings: Online registration here
RSVP: Monday 5 August 2019

For more information call DS NSW 9841 4444

AAT NDIS Decision Digest

The Winter 2019 edition is now available. This digest provides summaries of Administrative Appeals Tribunal decisions abour the NDIS. It is prepared by the Living with Disability Research Centre at La Trobe University. Always good reading.

The issue highlights the following

• The need for a proper and balanced use of operational guidelines
• Downsides of flexible use of funding
• The health system and the NDIS interface
• The importance of impairment
• Availability and access do not affect ‘availability’ of treatment

PDF free to download











LiDS Seminar series

Staying at La Trobe University, next week, Wednesday 10 July.
Two seminars that you can join live via video link 
More information here

3pm - Dr Ilan Wiesel: Finding the mainstream city: the ambiguities of 'mainstream participation' by people with intellectual disability

4pm - A/Prof Karen Soldatic & Dr Michelle Fitts: Sorting myself out of the system: Social sorting and the disability income support system for Indigenous Australians living with disability

NDIS Price Guide Revised

The pricing in the Support Catalogue has now been amended so that the group rates do indeed increase. The most accurate version of the Support Catalogue is now 1.1.

Major Changes to the New Price Guide published on Disability Services Consulting website.
This article provides some clarification regarding adjustment to individual participants available funds which will not include the TTP (Temporary Transformation Payment) and more. 


TTP Defined
Regarding the Temporary Transformation Payment - only registered providers can claim the TTP. To be eligible for the TTP providers are required to do the following

• publish their service prices;

• list their business contact details in the Provider Finder and ensure those details are kept up-to-date; and

• participate annually in an Agency-approved market benchmarking survey.

To continue reading about the TTP go to pages 12-13 in the Price Guide 2019-2020 Download PDF or Word document.


Health Supports & the NDIS
The Disability Reform Council has published a communique from its most recent meeting and a Health Related Supports Factsheet. The factsheet provides some good news for people who use CPAP and BiPAP machines and other "disability-related health supports where the supports are a regular part of the participant’s daily life, and result from the participant’s disability."
Communique from the Reform Council available from the DSS website 

Nominees
For all people who are nominees - please check that you have been appointed correctly and have your appointment letter from the NDIA. We are still hearing of people who still have not had the appointment formally made ie they are not in receipt of a "copy of the instrument of nominee appointment".
For details regarding the issue see Nominees Operational Guideline - Appointment of Nominees.

Focus on Ability Short Film Festival

The Focus on Ability Film Festival has received entries from 26 countries in 2019.
Plenty of great films to watch for the cineastes among you. Official voting for films will close on 3 July.

Two films to get you started

Our Trojan Robot by the Caringbah Craft Centre

Step Up for Down Syndrome: Confidential by Live Lab Griffith Film School 

New Financial Year - New Price Guide

New pricing for supports as of today 1 July 2019.
There are a couple of changes to the format, the information has been split into two documents.

The NDIS Catalogue of Supports (52 pages) - table format, containing line items, brief descriptions and pricing. Many more listed than we are used too and very small typeface.
The NDIS Price Guide (45 pages) is now the explanatory companion to the Catalogue of Supports

Not every category of support will be increasing. Group supports are decreasing by varying amounts. This is well summarised in The Fine Print & Corrections in the New Price Guide by Evie Naufal on The Disability Services Consulting website