National Disability Insurance Scheme - Fact Sheet on the Bilateral Agreements for Transition

National Disability Insurance Scheme

Fact Sheet on the bilateral agreements for transition to the NDIS and transitioning of responsibilities for aged care and disability services

Purpose This Fact Sheet provides information on two Bilateral Agreements between the Commonwealth and Victoria: 1. Transition to a National Disability Insurance Scheme 2. Transitioning Responsibilities for Aged Care and Disability Services in Victoria

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Support Programme or other arrangements for specialist disability services. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a national approach based on insurance principles that will provide  Services for younger people (people aged under 65 and individualised support and services for people with a under 50 for Aboriginal people) will be funded and disability, their families and carers to achieve their goals and managed solely by the Victorian Government, until the aspirations. NDIS is in full operation. It is expected that some of these people will become participants in the NDIS. Bilateral Agreement for Transition to a National Disability Insurance Scheme Transition to the NDIS in Victoria The Commonwealth and Victorian Governments have The NDIS roll out in Victoria has been carefully planned to demonstrated their commitment to the implementation of give Victorians with disability their families and carers the the NDIS through the signing of an agreement, the ‘Bilateral time, information and resources to move from the current Agreement between the Commonwealth and Victoria: state based system to the NDIS. Transition to a National Disability Insurance Scheme’. In making the decision to have an area-based transition we The Bilateral Agreement describes how and when the NDIS have considered many factors including: will be rolled out across Victoria from July 2016, and provides broad information on how the transition will be  the number and the needs of people with a disability made and who is responsible. (people currently using Victorian disability services) living in the area As shareholders to the NDIS both governments are making significant financial contributions to the NDIS to ensure that  the readiness and availability of disability providers to eligible Victorians with disability have, throughout their life, support clients to transition to the NDIS choice and control over the support and services they need to meet their goals and aspirations.  the experience to date from Barwon and other NDIS trial sites. The NDIS will be rolled out progressively in Victoria over a three year period from July 2016. By July 2019, it is The sequence of Victoria’s area-based transition is outlined estimated that 105,000 Victorians will have transitioned to below, and can be accessed here: www.ndis.gov.au/vic the scheme. This includes 76,000 clients from the existing Accessing the NDIS for people on the Disability Support Victorian specialist disability and mainstream systems that Register or ECIS waitlist will be replaced by the NDIS. The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that Bilateral Agreement Transitioning Responsibilities for Aged people with urgent needs are prioritised when the NDIS is Care and Disability Services in Victoria rolled out. As part of this agreement, the Home and Community Care People on the Victorian Disability Support Register (DSR) and (HACC) program and specialist disability services will be split Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) waitlist and from July 2016 where: Mental Health Community Support Needs Register will enter the scheme as the first groups in each geographical area.  Services for older people (people aged 65 and over and 50 and over for Aboriginal people) will be directly In addition, children on the ECIS waitlist and people on the funded and managed by the Commonwealth DSR who have the most urgent need for supports will enter Government through the Commonwealth Home the scheme within the first two years of the transition period ahead of their geographic area entering the scheme. Urgent needs will be assessed on a case by case basis. Factors that will be considered include the need for additional support to ensure safety and wellbeing and a stable living situation. Some people with a disability will not be eligible for the NDIS - continuity of support The National Disability Insurance Agency will consider a range of eligibility criteria such as a person’s age, where they live, and their support requirements. Not all clients currently receiving supports and services will be supported under the NDIS. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements of the NDIS and are currently receiving care and support you will continue to receive supports to ensure that you are not disadvantaged by the transition to the NDIS. This is known as ‘continuity of support’. Both governments have agreed to provide continuity of support for clients of their funded programs. The Commonwealth will have responsibility for continuity of support arrangements for people aged 65 years and over (and indigenous people 50 to 64 years), which will be implemented to coincide with the roll out of the NDIS. Specific continuity of support arrangements will be finalised by the Commonwealth and Victoria by March 2016. Through the transition period what quality and safeguards will be in place to ensure people are protected? Victoria will continue to have high quality and strong safeguards in place during transition to full scheme and Victorians with disability will continue to have the same avenues for raising concerns and making complaints. Until a nationally consistent quality and safeguards framework for the NDIS is agreed and implemented, Victoria’s existing legislation and policies will continue to apply to the registration and vetting of providers and their staff. Victorian disability sector and workforce The NDIS represents a significant change in the way in which people with disability will be accessing services which will change the way in which service providers do business and workers provide support. The Victorian and Commonwealth governments recognise that the existing sector and workforce are the building blocks upon which the future NDIS market will be built and critical for the transition of existing state clients to transition to the NDIS. While the agreement for transition has been finalised, the Victorian Government will continue to work with the National Disability Insurance Agency to support the transition and readiness of providers and the workforce. Sequence of Victoria’s geographic approach to transition The sequence of Victoria’s transition is outlined below Department of Health and Human Time Local Government Area Services Area From 1 July 2016 North East Melbourne Banyule Darebin Nillumbik Whittlesea Yarra From 1 January 2017 Central Highlands Ararat Ballarat Golden Plains Hepburn Moorabool Pyrenees From 1 May 2017 Loddon Campaspe Central Goldfields Greater Bendigo Loddon Macedon Ranges Mount Alexander From 1 October 2017 Inner Gippsland Bass Coast Baw Baw Latrobe South Gippsland From 1 October 2017 Western District Corangamite Glenelg Hindmarsh Horsham Moyne Northern Grampians Southern Grampians Warrnambool West Wimmera Yarriambiack From 1 October 2017 Ovens Murray Alpine Benalla Indigo Mansfield Towong Wangaratta Wodonga From 1 November 2017 Inner Eastern Melbourne Boroondara Manningham Monash Whitehorse From 1 November 2017 Outer Eastern Melbourne Knox Maroondah Yarra Ranges From 1 March 2018 Hume Moreland Hume Moreland From 1 April 2018 Bayside Peninsula Bayside Frankston Glen Eira Kingston Mornington Peninsula Port Phillip Stonnington From 1 September 2018 Southern Melbourne Cardinia Casey Greater Dandenong

From 1 October 2018 Brimbank Melton Brimbank Melton From 1 October 2018 Western Melbourne Hobsons Bay Maribynong Melbourne Moonee Valley Wyndham From 1 January 2019 Goulburn Greater Shepparton Mitchell Moira Murrindindi Strathbogie From 1 January 2019 Mallee Buloke Gannawarra Mildura Swan Hill From 1 January 2019 Outer Gippsland East Gippsland Wellington