The Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, has today announced temporary changes in response to the Queensland Government's new Disability Accommodation Services Direction.
Temporary changes in restricted areas of Queensland include allowing:
- NDIS participants to claim the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, for use when a worker is with them
- NDIS providers to directly claim the costs of PPE for workers from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
'Today the Federal Government is taking proactive steps to support the disability sector in Queensland, as part of the Government wider plan to support the disability sector through the coronavirus pandemic' Minister Robert said.
'Our focus is squarely on ensuring the disability sector in Queensland has what it needs to keep people safe and ensure the continuity of essential disability supports,'
'We know that participants who receive face-to-face supports may be at higher risk of transmission, with daily support from their workers regularly involving close physical contact,'
'We're extending the temporary measures already in place in Victoria and New South Wales, so participants, their support workers and providers in restricted areas of Queensland can continue to provide essential disability supports in a COVID safe environment.'
From today, NDIS participants in restricted areas of Queensland who rely on face-to-face supports and assistance with their daily living will be able to use an existing support item (Low Cost Disability-Related Health Consumables) to claim on the cost of PPE for their own use at times their worker is with them.
The changes will also see providers in restricted areas of Queensland able to claim an allowance of $1.70 per hour of support delivered in the Activities of Daily Life Support Category, to cover the cost of PPE for workers, directly from the NDIA. This will ensure participant plan funds are not impacted by the use of PPE by their providers and workers.
Providers will be able to claim for costs that they have incurred for delivering daily living supports since the Queensland Government's new Disability Accommodation Services Direction came into effect at 8am on 22 August 2020.
Impacted Queensland providers will be contacted over the coming days with further detail on the new way of claiming for PPE.
Today's announcement is in addition to existing NDIS initiatives that are available nationally:
- In situations where there is a known positive case of COVID-19, participants and providers can access $300 in funding for deep-cleaning
- Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers can claim up to $1,200 per day for higher intensity supports to cover situations where there is a positive, or potential positive, COVID-19 case of a participant and they are required to self-isolate or quarantine
- Participants who live in SIL and non-SIL arrangements now have access to additional Assistance with Daily Living (ADL) and Short Term Accommodation (STA) funding as needed when quarantining or self-isolating
