NDIS cuts could leave some participants with a funding gap. How will the changes affect you?

The proposed changes, revealed on Thursday, will also grant the health minister, Mark Butler , god-like powers to reduce overall funding for support categories, determine pricing guides and caps for services and support, and the ability to change NDIS rules without state and territory approval for the first 12 months. The changes form part of a major savings measure designed to tip $36.2bn back into the federal budget over the next four years. As we peel back hundreds of pages of legislation and accompanying explanatory documents, here’s what you need to know. How is NDIS eligibility changing? Starting with one of its most contentious proposals, Labor’s plan will establish a legal framework to determine who can, and cannot, access the NDIS. Butler said this will be focused on limiting scheme entry to people with “substantially reduced functional capacity”, which will be determined by a standardised, evidence-based tool. The bill will also clarify the meaning of permanence and only grant participants access to the NDIS if they can first show they have exhausted “all appropriate” treatment options. Finally, it will include more detail on how NDIS eligibility may be limited for individuals already accessing support from other mainstream services. For example, if a person is receiving workers compensation or motor vehicle accident scheme support, they may not be eligible for the NDIS. …