'Disability funding isn't charity:stop making us beg for it
Dec 7, 2020 6:41:12 GMT 7
nomadic and itsmylife08 like this
Post by bear on Dec 7, 2020 6:41:12 GMT 7
The widely, almost exclusively, used term TAXPAYERS' MONEY is the single most damaging cause because it fuels the perception (illusion) that MY hard work should pay for YOUR irresponsible choices. It divides society into taxpayers (honest, hard working people) and dole bludgers. And promotes unnecessary restrictions of funding for essential services & support for some of our most vulnerable.
FACT is as the monopoly issuer of the AUD is the Federal Government via the Reserve Bank of Australia Act of 1959, they must first spend the money into existence before anyone has AUD to pay taxes. THAT initial spending of the AUD into existence creates a Liability for the Government (that debt/deficit) & an Asset for the receiptient of that spending. SO when taxes are paid all that does is reduce the initial Liability of money creation (that is money in the economy), making it functionally impossible for taxation to fund anything at the Federal level. The Federal Government spends money into existence and taxes it out of existence.
The myth of TAXPAYERS' MONEY is, in my opinion, the single most damaging myth (lie) out there, used by mostly everyone. Even by those who receive public support. So stop using it! And start to call it out as being a lie! - AWN
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'Disability funding isn't charity so stop making us beg for it'
OPINION -- I won't pretend to understand how disability funding works in Australia. I'd argue there aren't many who do understand it. And I know how lucky we are to have any funding at all. When compared to other countries, we've got it pretty good here.
But, it could be much, much better.
The complexity of how we support Australians with disabilities flies in the face of everything we stand for as a country. I say this as the mother of two children with diagnosed disabilities, not as someone with a disability myself.
I say this as someone who can see the potential in my children who, with the right supports, can live full and productive lives including as tax payers.
If my children are given the support they need now, they will be able to work and pay taxes and contribute to the public purse from which you are making us beg for help. If you think of it in cold, hard, dollar terms, disability funding is an investment.
If you invest, you get a return.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme has been a godsend for some and a nightmare for others with its fatal flaw being the hoops it requires families to go through to access funding. Our lives are already hard enough and filled with paperwork.
And it's not a simple system to navigate. It is complicated, tedious and patchy. Some families get exactly what they need and others are left fighting for what they need. How much funding a family receives depends on how well the family can advocate for themselves, how much supporting paperwork they have been able to collect from medical professionals, the level of understanding the random case worker assigned to the family has and how well they communicate the families needs to the funding body the NDIA.
That's way too many variables when it comes to our most vulnerable citizens. There are so many potential points of failure.
And all before factoring in the exhaustion felt by so many parents of children with disabilities who spend their lives fighting... fighting to have their children diagnosed, fighting to have the diagnosis accepted by family and friends, fighting with educators to provide what our children need, fighting our own exhaustion and all of the fighting.
What burns most brightly amid the torture of being a special needs parent is our love for our children and that is what keeps us going.
But we are tired, and we need the process of gaining access to everything made easier, starting off with disability funding.
If I could wave a magic wand here is how it would go.
The second a child receives a medical diagnosis for a disability, they automatically qualify for NDIS funding. No additional action is needed. They don't have to make a phone call or send in the diagnosis and supporting paperwork from medical professionals or parent and teacher questionnaires.
The diagnosis is enough.
And for those whose children aren't diagnosed at birth or younger, the diagnostic process is free and accessible, not costing thousands of dollars and with no waiting period.
Then the NDIS calls us to discuss the level of funding we will need. We don't have to prove anything. We don't have to show how much we have spent or explain why OT and speech therapy is more affective weekly rather than fortnightly.
If we haven't spent all the money one year that doesn't mean we get less the following year. And while I'm at it, why does it cost almost double to pay for therapy for my son if I am paying with NDIS money.
One therapist charged $95 if I was paying out of my own money, but $145 if I was using NDIS money which is simply outrageous. I need to stretch the NDIS money as far as possible. To me, this seems to be service providers taking advantage of the system.
Unless the extra cost is due to the mountains of paperwork they have to do to access the money on behalf of our children in which case I stand corrected. But almost double?
The NDIS is meant to provide disabled Australians with whatever they need for the rest of their lives, but I can't imagine my boys navigating the system each year. The irony is that if they get the funding they need now, if we do the work now, they are perfectly capable of getting jobs and careers and contributing to the public purse.
Philip wants to be a vet nurse.
Giovanni wants to do something in computing.
If we had enough money for therapy and OT and speech and anything else they need they will have full and happy lives. They'll be educated, have jobs, and most importantly feel supported and be able to access the support they need through the NDIS so they can continue to be productive members of society.
I feel like I shouldn't have to explain all of this. It seem so simple to me. And before putting the magic wand down I would remove waiting lists from these services, schools would have everything in place for my child before they begin school having to apply for additional funding with even more paperwork and disability services would step in to help with work experience and jobs and tertiary education, without more paperwork.
So why is it all so hard?
I can only conclude the reason it is made so hard is to save money. By making the process difficult we simply give up and made do with the money we are given which is a recipe for disaster. It will relegate my boys to smaller, less productive lives because I simply don't have $600 a week to spend on therapies for them. I am reliant on the public purse to which I have contributed for the past three decades of my working life and to which my boys will contribute to if they get the support they need.
I'm frustrated. I'm tired. I'm sad at the current state of the NDIS.
What I am calling for is for it to be simplified and for it to be consistent. Until then, the fight for funding continues for so many of us.
The NDIS is currently seeking feedback which you can provide at admin@disabilityservicesconsulting.com.au.
honey.nine.com.au/latest/ndis-how-it-works-for-some-families-and-not-others/6d472922-7f3f-4a96-8ce3-4ca09dbc2711
FACT is as the monopoly issuer of the AUD is the Federal Government via the Reserve Bank of Australia Act of 1959, they must first spend the money into existence before anyone has AUD to pay taxes. THAT initial spending of the AUD into existence creates a Liability for the Government (that debt/deficit) & an Asset for the receiptient of that spending. SO when taxes are paid all that does is reduce the initial Liability of money creation (that is money in the economy), making it functionally impossible for taxation to fund anything at the Federal level. The Federal Government spends money into existence and taxes it out of existence.
The myth of TAXPAYERS' MONEY is, in my opinion, the single most damaging myth (lie) out there, used by mostly everyone. Even by those who receive public support. So stop using it! And start to call it out as being a lie! - AWN
.
.
'Disability funding isn't charity so stop making us beg for it'
OPINION -- I won't pretend to understand how disability funding works in Australia. I'd argue there aren't many who do understand it. And I know how lucky we are to have any funding at all. When compared to other countries, we've got it pretty good here.
But, it could be much, much better.
The complexity of how we support Australians with disabilities flies in the face of everything we stand for as a country. I say this as the mother of two children with diagnosed disabilities, not as someone with a disability myself.
I say this as someone who can see the potential in my children who, with the right supports, can live full and productive lives including as tax payers.
If my children are given the support they need now, they will be able to work and pay taxes and contribute to the public purse from which you are making us beg for help. If you think of it in cold, hard, dollar terms, disability funding is an investment.
If you invest, you get a return.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme has been a godsend for some and a nightmare for others with its fatal flaw being the hoops it requires families to go through to access funding. Our lives are already hard enough and filled with paperwork.
And it's not a simple system to navigate. It is complicated, tedious and patchy. Some families get exactly what they need and others are left fighting for what they need. How much funding a family receives depends on how well the family can advocate for themselves, how much supporting paperwork they have been able to collect from medical professionals, the level of understanding the random case worker assigned to the family has and how well they communicate the families needs to the funding body the NDIA.
That's way too many variables when it comes to our most vulnerable citizens. There are so many potential points of failure.
And all before factoring in the exhaustion felt by so many parents of children with disabilities who spend their lives fighting... fighting to have their children diagnosed, fighting to have the diagnosis accepted by family and friends, fighting with educators to provide what our children need, fighting our own exhaustion and all of the fighting.
What burns most brightly amid the torture of being a special needs parent is our love for our children and that is what keeps us going.
But we are tired, and we need the process of gaining access to everything made easier, starting off with disability funding.
If I could wave a magic wand here is how it would go.
The second a child receives a medical diagnosis for a disability, they automatically qualify for NDIS funding. No additional action is needed. They don't have to make a phone call or send in the diagnosis and supporting paperwork from medical professionals or parent and teacher questionnaires.
The diagnosis is enough.
And for those whose children aren't diagnosed at birth or younger, the diagnostic process is free and accessible, not costing thousands of dollars and with no waiting period.
Then the NDIS calls us to discuss the level of funding we will need. We don't have to prove anything. We don't have to show how much we have spent or explain why OT and speech therapy is more affective weekly rather than fortnightly.
If we haven't spent all the money one year that doesn't mean we get less the following year. And while I'm at it, why does it cost almost double to pay for therapy for my son if I am paying with NDIS money.
One therapist charged $95 if I was paying out of my own money, but $145 if I was using NDIS money which is simply outrageous. I need to stretch the NDIS money as far as possible. To me, this seems to be service providers taking advantage of the system.
Unless the extra cost is due to the mountains of paperwork they have to do to access the money on behalf of our children in which case I stand corrected. But almost double?
The NDIS is meant to provide disabled Australians with whatever they need for the rest of their lives, but I can't imagine my boys navigating the system each year. The irony is that if they get the funding they need now, if we do the work now, they are perfectly capable of getting jobs and careers and contributing to the public purse.
Philip wants to be a vet nurse.
Giovanni wants to do something in computing.
If we had enough money for therapy and OT and speech and anything else they need they will have full and happy lives. They'll be educated, have jobs, and most importantly feel supported and be able to access the support they need through the NDIS so they can continue to be productive members of society.
I feel like I shouldn't have to explain all of this. It seem so simple to me. And before putting the magic wand down I would remove waiting lists from these services, schools would have everything in place for my child before they begin school having to apply for additional funding with even more paperwork and disability services would step in to help with work experience and jobs and tertiary education, without more paperwork.
So why is it all so hard?
I can only conclude the reason it is made so hard is to save money. By making the process difficult we simply give up and made do with the money we are given which is a recipe for disaster. It will relegate my boys to smaller, less productive lives because I simply don't have $600 a week to spend on therapies for them. I am reliant on the public purse to which I have contributed for the past three decades of my working life and to which my boys will contribute to if they get the support they need.
I'm frustrated. I'm tired. I'm sad at the current state of the NDIS.
What I am calling for is for it to be simplified and for it to be consistent. Until then, the fight for funding continues for so many of us.
The NDIS is currently seeking feedback which you can provide at admin@disabilityservicesconsulting.com.au.
honey.nine.com.au/latest/ndis-how-it-works-for-some-families-and-not-others/6d472922-7f3f-4a96-8ce3-4ca09dbc2711