A person with multiple sclerosis's funding application was rejected because it lacked the word "degeneration", a Bendigo group has told a probe into a federal agency's capability and culture.
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The claim underscores frustrations with the beleaguered National Disability Insurance Agency, advocates from the Women with Disabilities' Bendigo hub say in a damning written submission to the parliamentary inquiry.
"If you have a basic understanding of medical conditions then it is obvious MS [multiple sclerosis] is degenerative," Women with Disabilities' Bendigo hub wrote in a submission to the inquiry.
The agency's perceived shortcomings have left Women With Disabilities Bendigo's members "frustrated and exhausted" as they try to secure National Disability Insurance Scheme funding, the submission says.
Group members felt discouraged, devalued and unsupported by the constant need to educate NDIA staff about their disabilities.
"Staff at NDIA are, for the majority, not easily approachable," they told the inquiry.
"Clearly their role is to save money for the NDIA. We need NDIA staff to be trained, and the organisation redesigned, to be clearly pro-disability."
Funding questions at National Disability Insurance Agency
The submission is one of 99 published so far by an inquiry gathering evidence for fresh rounds of public hearings.
The parliament's NDIS committee launched the inquiry last September as the NDIA grappled with a leadership exodus and financial pressures.
"There has been a deterioration in the level of participants' trust in the system," committee chair and Labor MP Libby Coker said at the time.
A secret review authorised by the former government - and revealed by ACM masthead The Canberra Times in 2022 - showed funding was "inadequate" to cope with the agency's growth.
Bendigo's Women with Disabilities group recommended people having a right to choose their medical support staff, ramp up agency training, and for personnel to dramatically increase the time they spend consulting with those seeking funding.
They suggested allowing up to 10 hours to spend time with those applying for funding. That would allow everyone the latitude to properly explore options for what can be very complicated care needs or situations.
Other suggestions included more transparency about funding decisions, better processes and options for people aged 65 and older.
The group wants people with disabilities to be heard properly.
"NDIA staff tend to be dismissive of applicants and their needs," it told the inquiry.
A spokesperson said the NDIA was committed to building a positive, participant-centred culture among staff and partner groups.
"The Agency provides training and continuous improvement opportunities for our staff to assist with delivering a quality experience for participants and their supports," they said.
"The NDIA welcomes all feedback and looks forward to the outcomes of the Joint Standing Committee's inquiry, as we continue to refine and strengthen the Scheme to ensure it is working effectively for those who depend on it."
The agency is in the midst of a separate improvement plan based on feedback from participants. It is being rolled out throughout the financial year.
People whose funding applications are rejected can reapply if their circumstances change or they can provide more evidence of what the NDIS defines as "functional impairment".
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
