NEWS SOURCE
The Australian Government’s NDIS amendment legislation has now passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives, following changes negotiated with the Opposition in the final stages of the Bill.
The amendments cover fraud and integrity measures, participant reassessment rights, reasonable and necessary supports, functional capacity assessments, plan management, debt recovery and access to other service systems.
For participants, several changes provide additional safeguards and clarification. These include clearer pathways for unscheduled plan reassessments, protections around the use of everyday aids such as glasses and walking sticks during functional capacity assessments, and safeguards for participants with high support needs who require continuous 24-hour care.
The amendments also strengthen protections against provider kickbacks and inducements, introduce new fraud and integrity offences, and enhance whistleblower protections.
Further changes will affect how compensation, plan funding and access to other service systems are considered under the NDIS. The Government has also provided additional safeguards around debt recovery, including requiring participants to be informed when a debt is raised and why.
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