National Disability Insurance Scheme review reveals many have 'frustrations' with the bureaucracy

The National Disability Insurance Scheme, which supports some of the nation's most vulnerable people, is plagued with serious delays and is frustratingly difficult to understand, according to a review. Key points: A recommendation of the report was to extend the life of funding support for recipients from two to three years if their needs are "stable" People with disability reported poor experiences when working with NDIA staff Other recommendations include calls for more flexibility for how NDIS funds are used by recipients and measures to make funding plans easier to understand The NDIS was heralded as a landmark program for Australians with a disability when it was established in 2013, but it has long been criticised as being bogged down in red tape and bureaucracy. After the election in May 2019, the Federal Government commissioned former senior public servant David Tune to review the NDIS and the way it is managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency. The 29 recommendations include calls for more flexibility for how NDIS funds are used by recipients, measures to make funding plans easier to understand, and putting in place a "participant service guarantee" to ensure basic standards are met. "The review's findings reaffirmed what we have been hearing from participants, their families and carers and the disability sector," NDIS Minister Stuart Robert said in a statement.