Complex/direct NDIS Planner

[eligiu]

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a ed situation. To put it mildly, I've been monumentally screwed by my LACs that I've had.

The first one who did my first ever plan didn't submit the reports for my complex PTSD or bipolar, so I missed out on a bunch of funding for that. These impairments were added after, although the complex PTSD was mistakenly added as normal PTSD I actually phsyically handed her the reports on the day. She also filled out the participant questionnaire fraudulently on my behalf and said I did it, and stated I worked twice the hours I do and have informal support as both family and friends. I do not have any informal support. She neglected to suggest a postive behaviour support plan even though my psychosocial behaviours of concern are quite literally at the highest possible risk of harm to self and can be life threatening (and recently have been) although it was noted in the planning document I got released. My friend who is an OT who writes reports for PBSP said, after hearing the behaviours that I'd told them about, that the LAC was legitimately negligent in not suggesting this. My friends, up until I got the NDIS, were essentially running respite/positive behaviour support and behaviour of concern interventions on me for 5 years prior to getting access. They can't do that anymore, so someone needs to step up. I can't use the mental health care system (community) because as far as they're concerned I'm on the NDIS now so I'm not their problem. The issue is, the NDIS ridiculously views a good amount of my behaviour (especially my drug use, which is undeniably linked to trauma) as 'not being related to my disability'. Hopefully the functional capacity assessment makes it extremely clear that they are intertwined and they can't fob me off - because frankly I've already done every type of drug and alcohol treatment that exists bar inpatient and don't have $30,000 sitting in my bank account to sit in a fancy house for 3 months and then get told to go back to NA. This LAC messed up some of my goals and put ridiculous ones in - I want to go back and finish my studies and work as a lawyer. Yeah, right. With a 2 year plan you think that is going to be my goal? How about 'eat 3 meals a day, shower more than once a week, don't forget to take your medication and stay off drugs'. That seems far more reasonable. She came late, left early, gave me one of the shittest plans my recovery coach has ever seen for someone with level 3 ASD, and then quit without any notice and no advice on to how to use my brand new plan.

My second LAC was a bully from the start. She constantly spoke over me like she knew more than me. And just quietly - with my autism I hyperfixate on stuff I dedicate myself to doing. That, recently has been the DSP and the NDIS. I know *everything* there is to know and because of my strong sense of social justice *because* I'm super autistic, I often advocate for myself. This gets me into very sticky situations because the LAC didn't actually believe I was as autistic as my reports said. Apparently, as soon as you show any ability to self advocate, you lose your autism diagnosis. No one tells an autistic kid who plays 7 musical instruments they're less autistic for that, but I'm literally punished with less funding for doing my special interest. She told me I was fully funded at level 3 (my initial ASD disgnosis was 2/3) even though in my literal first ever NDIS plan after late disgnosed I got ZERO speech therapy and ZERO occupational therapy. Both gold standard treatments which would make a huge difference in my life. When my recovery coach heard what my plan was she thought it was amazing - for bipolar. When I added the complex PTSD she was a bit less impressed. When I dropped the level 2/3 autism she was appalled. It's literally 50% or less than what it should be. But the new LAC basically told me if I reviewed it I'd get less (I suppose her way of telling me she would push for less) and she also said I didn't miss out on Psychosocial funding because based on our phone and email conversations I don't seem that affected by my mental health.

ing astonishing that this woman was supposed to be the one pushing for me to have a better plan when she reckons I'm taking the NDIS for a ride and faked my way in. I am extremely smart and very insightful. I am still very functionally impaired. It just doesn't seem to click for these people.

I asked her about the complex stream, so I could be put directly with a planner who had a better understanding of my Psychosocial conditions and autism (this LAC called complex PTSD 'the post trauma syndrome' right yeah okay you don't even know how to pronounce the name of my impairment, seems legit) and she hammered me with questions about meeting the criteria. My autistic ass sees the questions and is like 'she is trying to help me I will be very detailed' and I was, with the exception of answering the 'what caused your trauma' question with 'a parent who I no longer speak to' which I (wrongfully) assumed she would be able to piece together. Nope. More questions. Says I have zero evidence that the trauma is still affecting me now even though I listed recent psych unit stays, issues with severe self harm, you name it. It's on the list of behavioural issues. And then she flat out wrote 'were you abused' and my stupid ass again just explicitly answered her question because despite my law degree I am vulnerable to this stuff. I just switch off and take people at face value. As I hit send, legit as I press it, I get another reply. She looked up the criteria more and it turns out because I can 'engage with the planning process' I'm ineligible.

Now there's several issues with this. Firstly, I have bipolar with psychosis. When I'm manic, I am 'lets join a church manic' and I will absolutely not be engaging in any planning. I brought this up and she said 'you seem fine now' and I stated 'yes I am, but I could be psychotic in 6 months or a year and I cannot predict that. What happens to me if I'm in psychosis when my planning meeting comes around and I miss it? Will I get cut off and starve to death like that poor man with schizoprenia because the NDIS doesn't understand fluctuating mental health conditions? No answer for me.

The issue this now presents is I felt utterly manipulated by the second LAC. I felt like she just weasled any personal information she could get out of me to only AFTER state I wasn't eligible. And more importantly, she clearly has zero understanding of PTSD or moreover complex PTSD if she reckons asking a participant if they were abused is appropriate at all.

So now I don't want another LAC. They both ed me. My friend got an incredible first plan, like $60,000 more than me a year with a lower level of ASD and her secondary impairment was actually correctly added. I am unwilling entirely to engage with another untrained corporate step in who will pass judgement on my substantial functional impairment during a 1 hour meeting which will then decide my supports.

But my application for the complex stream got rejected, even when meeting the recent hospitalisation due to mental health, severe issues with self regulation which result in high risk of harm to self, being socially isolated with zero informal supports, and having a history of significant trauma.

Like I honestly feel like they just saw my law degree in my information and decided I was fine when I'm not.

Thanks to being rejected, my LAC has stated that our planning meeting will consist of me sitting silently in a chair while the LAC, my recovery coach, and my support coordinator discuss what the future might hold for me.

How the hell is that me being engaged? The only way I could be less engaged would be by walking out the room.

I have however heard that there is a step down from complex planners where you still get ndis planners, but you aren't in the complex stream. This would be my goal now, so if anyone has information about that please let me know.

I've just put my change of circumstances in and with everything that we are asking for my plan should max out at between $150,000-$200,000 a year. But some of that is unavoidable - positive behaviour support is $30,000 a year, respite for avoiding the psych units (I'm transgender and that is a hellish experience) is $20,000 a year so that's already $50,000 for two things. $30,000 capacity building would be amazing to hit therapies, then however much in recovery coaching and specialist support coordination which ive been recommended to have. After that it's just core.

I just know if another LAC does this plan that they will screw it. I meet the criteria, meeting 4 is MORE than enough. Hardly anyone meets that many, most people only meet one and they get accepted. Plus my disabilities (ASD 3, complex PTSD and a psychotic disoder, add on medical issues associated with substance use) that's a pretty damn complex situation.

Please don't let my eloquence and ability to explain myself coherently fool you. I am on the brink of giving up again.

[bear]

To put it mildly, I've been monumentally screwed by my LACs that I've had.

if anyone has information about that please let me know.

From the media reports I've read, you're far from alone in being screwed over. In fact it seems to be part of this government's agenda to eventually fully dismantle the organisation; or at least make it almost impossible for an incoming administration with a different view to easily rebuild to the original legislated standard.

Hopefully there is a member fully engaged with the NDIS that has info for you eligiu . I'm not personally familiar with any of the processes involved and am finding it difficult just trying to keep up with the latest DSP legislation at my advanced age. Cheers bear

[genx]

NDIS is going absolutely nuts with rejection of psychosocial conditions. Clearly a memo has gone out to the decision makers that they are to use any means to deny an application or reduce the funding.

[eligiu]

Mar 10, 2022 13:05:38 GMT 7 genx said:

NDIS is going absolutely nuts with rejection of psychosocial conditions. Clearly a memo has gone out to the decision makers that they are to use any means to deny an application or reduce the funding.

Oh mine got accepted with zero issues. Like she just ed up adding it. Once the report was in, it was accepted in 2 weeks.

I can't actually really highlight that there are zero trauma interventions left for me. I have even done free therapy groups and counselling services. I have a friend who got in for PTSD and she's done hardly any therapy.

I did CBT, TBCBT, exposure therapy, CPT (2x group, 1x individual), psychodynamic psychotherapy, DBT, EMDR, an 8 week peer survivors group, free counselling through the SA government, 2 years of trauma based free social work counselling.

Like I dont want to toot my own horn but they actually have zero, and I mean zero grounds to reject me. There is no more treatment to try, it's all been tried. I've done it.

I know a lot of people apply for PSSD for the NDIS but honestly I have a distinct feeling that many of them haven't engaged in as much therapy as they need to, or much at all. And I totally understand why - to treat PTSD (and especially complex PTSD) you actually deteriorate rapidly before you see any kind of substantial improvement at all. The 6 months that U did exposure therapy send me into a drastic nosedive and I was back on drugs faster than you could say relapse. But my psychologist knew that would happen and just asked me to not use when writing the accounts, and be sober for the sessions. I would have nightmares and flashbacks every single night all week between appointments. But like I had to do it, at that stage I knew my drug use was tied to my trauma and if I didn't address the trauma, my substance use would forever be a serious and life threatening issue. So I had zero choice. My friend I mentioned keeps waiting for the 'right time' to do more trauma therapy but honestly there is no right time. It's gonna ing suck no matter when you do it. She said that she is 'slow progress' because of the nature and extent of her trauma and I totally get grabbing on to that comfort as a reason not to push yourself out of your comfort zone ever, but in a lot of ways I see her being impacted by her unwillingness to engage in treatment more so than the disability. However they are functionally the same thing with cptsd as the treatment directly exacerbates the symptoms unlike any other kind of mental illness. However, part of the issue with trauma is avoidance - you'll do anything to avoid thinking about the trauma, which is exactly what you are being asked to do in therapy. So it literally is asking you to do the one thing you find impossible to do, which you know will make you much worse before it ever makes you any better.

My life was ed when I decided I do all these therapies. I just wanted to do anything to make it better. I would have died. My drug use was exceptionally dangerous with many accidental overdoses and mixing of poorly chosen substances. But at the end of the day, I asked myself was doing the therapy possibly worse than what actually happened to me all those years ago? Like what I experienced, when I eventually disclosed to friends - they used the word sickening to describe it. They were horrified. One of them (a prior housemate) actually apologised for the many times he berated me for my drug use and told me had he known it was that horrifying then he would have not resisted actually buying me the drugs at times.

So I mean therapy? I just felt like I couldn't talk about it, but I honestly wanted to feel like a survivor. I didn't want to feel like a victim and I wanted to do anything I could to fix the issues I was having because they caused so many damn problems in my life. But I also really loathe using disabilities or mental health as an excuse for anything. It can be an explanation, and it often was, but I find it deplorable to use it as an excuse.

And some of my behaviour was really erratic. Random drug binges, severe self harm, huge trust issues, problems with intimacy, issues with boundaries, poor self worth, bad self esteem, self blame, massive feelings of shame and guilt. And it manifested in all of my friendships. I'm a likeable enough person, that's evidenced by my significant amount of friends in my outer circle, but I don't let anyone close enough in to really get to know me and they all respect but resent that. So despite all of these difficult qualities, I have loads of friends who love hanging out with me and who see my value as a person. And I felt like I was doing them a disservice by not engaging in treatment and just constantly bringing up my horrendous experience of abuse whenever they called me out on something, because really if you use something as an explanation too often, it actually does become an excuse.

So I wanted to be a better person and a friend and I refused to stay stuck in the era of my life where I let the fear of what would happen in therapy prevent me from just seeing if it could get better. I mean, what did I really have to lose? I'd been a homeless junky, nothing was really worse than that. I had secure housing, a decent housemate, loving friends. The one glaring issue was that my abuser was still actively abusing me so my therapy actually progressed immensely slowly due to the fact that we would make two steps forward and then I'd be shoved face first into the dirt and held down for 6 months.

My point is, the NDIS does hate Psychosocial. They never wanted it to begin with honestly. It was shoe-horned in rather brutally. And it doesn't even fit with the NDIS model - all mental health treatment is about recovery, but NDIS is about permanency so how do you reconcile that?

I'm pretty fortunate. Bipolar is indisputably permanent by definition and sadly will worsen as I age so I'll really need more support with it later.

The complex trauma? Man if you can actually find me someone who experienced the same type of trauma as I did by the same type of perpetrator who has legitimately healed from it, I'll give you $1000 here and now.

But I think a lot of people apply specifically with PTSD CPTSD (will not speak for other mental health conditions) who unquestionably meet the impairment criteria - as I would have in 2016 without a shadow of a doubt if I could have applied then. However I did not meet the treatment criteria and really did not properly meet it until early last year. And I think that honestly is where a lot of their applications fall short.

And I totally get it, I am massively sympathetic. Having one of the only mental health issues where the only treatment will make your symptoms skyrocket? Who the hell would want to do that?

But realistically the NDIS is for people who have tried it, and it didn't achieve what it maybe could have. I have a few friends with PTSD and mate they would never dream of applying to the NDIS. They have off days, but day to day they cope just fine. So it's impossible to blanket access Psychosocial conditions to the NDIS. And given many people do drastically improve with treatment, I get why the NDIS makes it so that you need to pretty much try everything. They don't want to fund someone if with the right treatment they'd get better.

Unfortunately, having had a diagnosis for a significant period of time is not sufficient for access. It's absolutely brutal, as someone who lived through utterly debilitating cPTSD when it was at my worst I wanted to die and needed this type of support more than anything in my life. But I actually did get better. I'm not great, but I did improve.

And I really would encourage anyone with the means and access to therapy and treatment and any free services to utilise them before going the nuclear option and acknowledging that your childhood trauma made you so disabled the government gives you tens of thousands in funding to pay for your impairments.