Young woman receiving an NDIS speech therapy

Are You Eligible For NDIS Speech Therapy?

Sorting out NDIS speech therapy can be confusing and can take some time but it’s a fantastic opportunity for a lot of people to get the support they need. Often people haven’t been able to or couldn’t access such high caliber support if it wasn’t for the national disability insurance scheme. You likely have a lot of questions about NDIS speech therapy, so read on below to find out what is, whether you’re eligible and how you can access it.


What is NDIS speech therpy?

If you’re not familiar with the national disability insurance scheme then you should know that it’s a recently introduced scheme to provide support for people living with permanent disabilities. This support is offered in a number of different areas and represents a huge change for disability services in Australia. The approach is designed to give people the support they need based on their specific requirements and goals. The program is being rolled out in gradual stages across Australia. The scheme has been establishing in a way that allows people who meet the eligibility criteria to organised meetings with national disability scheme organiser who will work with people to come up with a tailored plan to help that person achieve their goals. Funding for the scheme is given to people based on their individual needs, there is no set amount for funding allocations. The kinds of goals established for therapy may include beginning training courses, search for work, creating a social network or receiving important care – for many people this may involve NDIS speech therapy. This new system replaces the old way of allocating individual blocks of funding to different organisations and recognises that everyone has different needs when it comes to support.

 
Who is eligible for NDIS speech therapy?

Qualifying for NDIS speech therapy will involve people meeting the eligibility criteria which means they must:

  • Have a permanent and significant disability which impact upon their daily lives
  • Be under the age of 56 when they first enter the scheme
  • Be an Australian citizen or have a permanent visa
  • They must also live in the country and in the areas where the scheme is available


Where is NDIS speech therapy available?

The scheme first began in Australia back in 2013 before it started to be rolled out around the county in 2016. Certain states are rolling the program out by region whilst others are rolling out by age group. To learn if it’s available where you live you should consult the website for the national insurance disability scheme.


How can you apply?

To apply to receive the treatment you should first check that your eligible before reaching out to them to request an application form. If you suffer from speech or hearing loss there are phone lines that you can reach out to, check them out directly with the national disability insurance scheme. Once you apply and have a meeting set up with a planner you should begin to consider your needs and goals. Think about what would help to improve your life and what your goals for your care are. Make sure you take a lot of time to think through your needs carefully. Next, you should go to your first planning meeting, a planner or representative will contact you if you are successful in your application. Your planner will discuss your life and your goals with you and help you come up with a list of the thing you would like to achieve. From there they will develop a tailored plan with you and help you decide on service providers, they’ll also talk to you about whether you want to manage the funding or nominate someone else or a registered manager to manage it for you.