Whether it be an assistance animal providing vital daily assistance, a companion animal or even an animal for therapy purposes, there is no denying that animals can have a big impact on our lives. However, there can be a lot of confusion around what the NDIS will and won’t fund. To make things a little easier, and to dispel some of the confusion, we have taken a deep dive into animals and the NDIS to help you to better understand what support you may be able to access.
Assistance animals
An assistance animal is more than just a cute face, they can help support people with disability to build their capacity, live safely, become more independent, and complete everyday tasks.
Assistance animals need to be specially trained by an accredited assistance animal provider to “perform at least three tasks or behaviours that reduce the functional impacts of a person’s impairment and is assessed by an authorised body for access.”
Those tasks or behaviours might be things like:
Open and close doors or fridges
Open and close drawers or cupboards
Pick up dropped items
Reassure you in times of extreme anxiety
Press the button at traffic lights
Take clothes out of the washing machine
Help you find your way around safely, including stopping at kerbs and stairs
Guide you through crowds
Find a spare seat on a bus
Help you find doors on cars and trains
Blocking or being a barrier to other people if needed
Examples of assistance animals that may be funded by the NDIS:
Dog guides (a.k.a. guide dogs or seeing eye dogs)
Medical alert animals
Hearing assistance animals
Mobility assistance animals
Psychiatric assistance animals
Assistance animals for developmental disorders
For an assistance animal to be approved by the NDIS, they need to pass a special test known as a Public Access Test to ensure they can access public places and transport safely and effectively.
Pets or companion animals are different from assistance animals and are typically not funded by the NDIS (see below for more details).
Pets and companion animals
Under the NDIS, there is a distinct difference between assistance animals and pets or companion animals. As a result, the NDIS are less likely to fund a pet or companion animal. This is because, unlike with an assistance animal, a companion animal doesn’t typically relate to a specific disability support need.
If you have a pet or companion animal, the NDIS won’t provide funding for training your pet, for support workers to care for your pet on your behalf or for the cost of food and veterinary care. However, if the NDIS considers it to be reasonable and necessary, they may fund disability related supports to help you take care of your pet.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animal assisted intervention (AAI) and animal-assisted activities (AAA) are occupational therapies that aim to assist people in achieving their goals through the involvement of an animal in a therapy-based setting.
Some effects that AAT, AAI and AAA can have include:
Improved cognitive function
Lower blood pressure
Skill building for human interactions
Reduction in agitation, stress, depression, and anxiety
Improved mood
Reducing the feeling of loneliness or boredom
Building better mobility
Building better self-esteem
One of the more popular AAT’s is equine assisted therapy (EAT), which can include things like grooming, feeding, riding, and other therapy-based treatments with a professional occupational therapist or psychologist.
As with any animal-based therapy, the NDIS will need to determine if it is reasonable and necessary, good value for money, and that it will be of benefit to you. If you would like funding for any animal-based therapies, then it is important to ensure that they connect to your NDIS goals.
Creating Goals
As you are probably aware, the NDIS is very goals focused. Your goals (short and long-term) help to shape your NDIS plan and plan funding. If having an assistance animal or animal therapies is something that you would like included in your plan, then you will need to factor that into your goals.
Here are some examples of assistance animal and animal therapy related goals:
Example #1
To meet new people and improve communication skills.
This goal can apply to having an assistance animal and to animal therapies. Both can provide the opportunity for you to socialise more within your community. For example, if a dog guide can help you to more easily and safely access your community, meet new people and improve your communication skills.
Example #2
To improve coordination and strength.
Again, this goal could apply to both, but is more in line with an animal-assisted therapy. For example, if you were to take part in equine assisted therapy, then this could help to build coordination, strength, and control through riding, grooming, and feeding the horse.
Example #3
To improve independence at home in in the community.
Having an assistance animal that can aid in completing necessary tasks in your day-to-day life, can give you greater independence and may reduce the need for other supports in your life. AAT can improve your independence through building confidence and capacity to manage daily tasks either on your own or with less assistance than prior to partaking in AAT.
Providing evidence
It’s important to remember that having an assistance animal or AAT needs to be reflected in your goals and those goals need to be reasonable and necessary under the NDIS for funding to be allocated in your NDIS plan. One of the best ways to show the NDIS that an assistance animal or AAT is reasonable and necessary for your needs, is to show evidence.
For assistance animal, the NDIS has developed an Assistance Animals Assessment Template that can help you to provide all the evidence and information needed to request this support. You can access that template here.
For an assistance animal and for AAT, it is a good idea to obtain a letter from an assistance animal provider, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or other relevant allied health professional outlining the type of assistance animal or AAT that they recommend and how having this support can help you to achieve your goals to use as evidence for the NDIS.
Read more about the benefits of working with an independent, professional Plan Manager. Alternatively, contact our friendly team on 1300 322 273 or support@first2care.com.au.