Children and Young People with Disability want to hear from people about changes to the Mobility Allowance. The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee is currently conducting an Inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Transition Mobility Allowance to the National Disability Insurance Scheme). CYDA is completing a submission about the proposed changes for the Inquiry and is keen to hear from young people with disability and their families on how these changes will affect them and other feedback about the legislation.
The payment provides assistance with travel costs for people with disability who work, volunteer, study or are seeking employment. Currently, to be eligible people must be over 16 years and “unable to use public transport without substantial assistance because of disability, illness or injury”.
From January 1, 2017 the eligibility criteria for new Mobility Allowance claims will be changed to reflect the eligibility criteria for the NDIS. People who are currently receiving the Mobility Allowance who become ineligible (if they stop working, volunteering, studying or looking for work) will be able to access the payment for an additional four weeks. This has been reduced from the previous 12-week grace period. The Allowance will cease from 2020.
The proposed legislation means that people eligible for the NDIS will be able to access transport support through their individual funding package. If an NDIS participant exits the Scheme, they will not be able to access the Allowance again. However, people who currently receive the Allowance but are not eligible for the NDIS, will continue to access a payment for travel costs, referred to as a ‘continuity of support arrangements.’
Further, new Allowance claimants in 2017 must have a “significant or permanent disability which prevents them from using public transport without substantial assistance.” People who do not currently receive the Allowance and do not meet the new criteria will not be able to access the Allowance from January 1, 2017.
According to CYDA, while an estimated 460,000 people will access the NDIS when it is fully implemented in 2019, the majority of the approximately four million people with disability in Australia will not have a funded plan through the Scheme.
To provide feedback by Monday, October 31 email: winniebridie@cda.org.au or phone: 1800 222 660