A NUNDLE man has spoken of his frustration with the National Disability Insurance Scheme after he was deemed “too mobile” to receive funding.
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Drew Schofield is wheelchair-bound. He can walk, but only for two metres at a time and with the aid of parallel bars to support him.
Earlier this week he was told by the National Disability Insurance Agency he was “too mobile” to be eligible for funding.
On Friday morning, after inquiries made by The Leader, the agency backflipped on its decision and deemed him eligible for the scheme.
The Nundle man suffers from muscular dystrophy, which has gradually seen his muscles degenerate. He first applied for the scheme in late January.
“They asked if I could walk, I said yeah ... a couple of metres between parallel bars and then they said I’d be ineligible,” Mr Schofield said.
“I didn’t qualify due to my mobility being too good.”
Mr Schofield was then forced to pay about $200 an hour for a private occupational therapist to prove his immobility to the NDIA, only for the agency to reverse their decision on Friday.
“I’ve come to realise now that the first ‘no’ is not often right,” he said.
“There are obviously flaws in the system, and no is not always possibly the correct answer.
“I received a phone call that said they made a really bad mistake and they were so sorry.
“They are going to proceed and process my application and they will see what they can do to get my money reimbursed.
“It’s awesome, but it just goes to show you can wait six weeks for something to happen, but it took about two working hours to turn this around, they should be able to perform a bit better than what they are.”
News of his ineligibility came in the same week his hopes of participating in an American stem cell trial were dashed, after it was found there was currently no intake for the trials.
But Mr Schofield is assessing his options for more stem cell trials and research into a cure for muscular dystrophy, thanks to local fundraising efforts.
“All the funds we have raised are still there and untouched, and we are looking at other options,” he said.
“We might be able to take the bull by the horns and get our own researchers on board. I’m trying to do everything I can do and see what is out there for sufferers of muscular dystrophy. If anything, muscular dystrophy has put me in good stead to fight the good fight.”
In a statement issued to The Leader on Friday, the National Disability Insurance Agency confirmed the error and that representatives had been in touch with Mr Schofield to fix the problem.
“The National Disability Insurance Agency acknowledges this person’s experience was not consistent with the standard NDIS access process,” A spokesperson said.
“We have made contact with this person and are in the process of resolving the matter as a priority today.
“We are looking into our processes to prevent situations such as this occurring in the future.”
As the roll out of the scheme continues across the nation about 13,300 people in the Hunter New England health region already have an approved NDIS plan.
The region was one of the first in the nation to transition to the scheme which offers personalised funding to the needs of individuals living with a disability.
