Is someone profiting from your loved one's care benefits? This family's fear could be your warning sign!
- Replies 11
*Names have been changed to protect individuals' privacy.
Navigating the complexities of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can be challenging enough without the added worry of potential exploitation.
For many Australian families, the NDIS provides essential support for loved ones with disabilities, but it can also, unfortunately, make them targets for unscrupulous providers.
The distressing experience of one family whose son's substantial NDIS plan became a magnet for questionable care providers serves as a cautionary tale for all of us in the Seniors Discount Club community.
The family of Mike*, a 27-year-old with an acquired brain injury and schizoaffective disorder, has been living a nightmare.
Mike's* NDIS plan, valued at a staggering $670,000 per year, was intended to ensure he received round-the-clock care, allied health services, and suitable accommodation.
Instead, it seems to have painted a target on his back for those looking to profit from his vulnerability.
Eric*, Mike’s* father, is worn out. Strangers surround Mike's* hospital bed, urging Mike* to join their disability care facility.
These men are NDIS operators, but they are not Mike's authorised provider.
This situation has occurred many times for Mike's family, where unethical providers persuade him to leave with them, causing his family not to see him for months.
Eric* stepped outside Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne's west with the two men for a conversation.
‘What's the go?’ he asked the strangers. ‘We don't know who you are…Who are you?’
They didn't provide their names but claimed to be support workers who had been caring for Mike* for the past two days. They asserted that Mike* wanted their care.
‘No-one's going to force nothing down his throat, so it's all good, there is no issues,’ Eric* said. ‘I'm saying we can all sit down and work something out.’
They dismissed any concerns from Mike's* family about the legitimacy of their operation, insisting that they were only worried his authorised providers might be mistreating him.
‘He's got problems with whoever you guys employ, whatever's going on,’ one of the men stated.
The men are among those who have been looking after Mike* since he left his supported independent living home to spend time with some ‘friends’ in late November.
Mike's* authorised NDIS provider, Amina*, stated that she stayed in touch with him for a few days after and suspected he was using illicit drugs.
On the third day, Mike* told her he wasn't returning.
‘He said there were people that were willing to still take care of him, and he was happy with them, and he didn't want to go into it because he didn't want to ruffle his mother's feathers,’ Amina said.
This is a common issue for individuals with mental health conditions, who are vulnerable to being persuaded by various, often unethical, NDIS providers offering the promise of better living conditions.
Last year, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten vowed to eliminate this type of ‘human trafficking’ within the scheme. Mike's* family fears his situation highlights that it is still occurring.
‘I do feel it's like a type of kidnapping. I really do,’ Mike’s* mum, Sarah* remarked.
‘It's almost like it's a consensual kidnapping because…they'll be offering him [things] that will keep him there.’
What's driving these groups is the high-paying NDIS packages.
Mike's* $670,000 annual plan is intended to cover 24-hour care, allied health services, and accommodation.
However, due to gaps in the NDIS payment and safeguarding systems, Mike's* family claims he is at risk of being exploited by providers who will take the money without delivering the necessary support.
The reason the two men brought Mike* to Sunshine Hospital on December 4, seven days after leaving Amina's* care, remains unclear.
Amina* believes the hospital had her contact details, so they called her to inform her that Mike* was there, and she subsequently notified his parents.
Even though Mike's* family requested the hospital not to discharge him without their consent, he checked himself out on December 5.
His family has not seen him since. Western Health stated it could not comment on individual patients.
Based on what his family has gathered, Mike* has stayed at several homes around his hospital visit, including one in Glenroy, in Melbourne's north, and another in nearby Hadfield.
During this period, the individuals with Mike* have continuously changed the name of the NDIS provider they claim to represent, stating that Mike* no longer wants care from his current provider, Amina*.
His parents and Amina* are worried that he hasn't been taking his medication.
‘It's a s*******. It's actually scary; this is a human being essentially kidnapped, and [a] whole family doesn't know where he is,’ Amina* said.
Charlotte Jones, CEO of the Mental Health Legal Centre, which assists individuals with psychosocial issues, stated that this is a common tactic used by unethical providers.
‘Often moving around is to destabilise the relationships that they have established. It also destabilises them from environments that they know,’ Ms Jones explained.
‘It could be seen as their choice and control, but that choice and control is being manipulated through coercive control.’
When contacted, the provider refused to disclose their name but stated they had taken Mike* to the hospital when needed and had also taken him to the police station for a welfare check.
They emphasised that Mike* no longer wanted to return to his previous provider.
The police, however, stated they could not confirm these events due to privacy concerns.
The provider mentioned they were willing to meet with Mike's* family, but Sarah* confirmed she did not want to engage with them, explaining she had no intention of speaking to anyone who acted in such a manner.
‘Any legitimate provider would not keep their location a secret or lie about who they work for,’ she pointed out.
For Amina*, the situation has been equally terrifying for her and her staff.
On the night Eric* confronted the men outside Sunshine Hospital, a window at her business's Langwarrin location was shattered.
The garden was uprooted and scattered across the car park, with a shovel left behind.
Amina* believes this was a warning from the other NDIS provider, urging her not to try to retain Mike* as a client.
‘We've been at that property well over a year and a half, and we've never had something like this happen,’ she shared.
‘And it's very scary. It's scary enough to…worry about my workers, but now I'm stressing about our clients.’
When this was raised with the provider who was currently looking after Mike*, they firmly denied any involvement.
Nevertheless, Amina* admitted she is frightened. She informed Mike's* mum that she can no longer offer him support due to concerns for her safety.
None of the individuals involved wished to be identified for the same reason. The police have stated they are investigating the damage.
This isn't the first time Mike's* family has lost contact with him after he was taken in by individuals his family had concerns about.
For much of last year, he stayed with various providers who kept him in a shared house in Maidstone, Melbourne's west, depleting his $460,000 plan by billing the NDIS for support services.
At the same time, they were reportedly providing him with drugs like GHB and ice, along with vapes, to keep him under their control.
‘That time was just an absolute nightmare,’ Sarah* lamented.
At that time, Mike* had full control over his NDIS funds and the providers he chose to spend them with.
However, earlier this year, after nearly a year of complaints from his family, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which oversees the scheme, placed his mum in charge of managing his plan's funds.
The NDIS Commission, responsible for safeguarding NDIS participants, also eventually banned four individuals from the scheme due to Mike's* mistreatment.
Sarah* expressed her shock at the lack of action taken by both the NDIA and the NDIS Commission during that period.
‘They didn't take it seriously enough, and they failed to safeguard their participant,’ she claimed.
From March this year until Mike* left Amina's* care in November, Sarah* stated that he had consistent and reliable support.
‘We know that [Amina's* company] take him to the beach regularly, that he gets his exercise, we know that he eats well…they've done an excellent job,’ she stated.
However, things began to change in October when various individuals, including one of the banned providers, began contacting Mike* by phone and using drugs with him, according to Amina*.
She added that Mike* suddenly started asking about the balance on his NDIS plan and expressed that he should have control over the funding.
‘It was honestly all centred around drugs…and we noticed there was people in his ear,’ Amina said.
Since Mike* left Amina's* care, the providers currently with him have been calling his mum, asking her to transfer control to them so they can receive payment, but Sarah* has refused.
Mike's* family notified the NDIS Commission as soon as he left Amina's* care, but they claim they were told the investigation would take a few months.
‘I feel like they are negligent of their care, and I feel like they are not adequately resourced to be able to go after these people,’ Sarah* lamented.
A spokesperson for the NDIA stated that the agency had ‘taken action to ensure the participant's welfare and has engaged directly with him to ensure his support needs are being met’.
Catherine Myers, a Deputy Commissioner at the NDIS Commission, said in a statement that ‘safeguarding of participants is a core responsibility that we take very seriously’, but since the investigation is ongoing, they could not provide further comment.
Charlotte Jones noted that while the NDIA and NDIS Commission have made progress in addressing unethical providers over the past year, she is concerned that their success in some areas is causing these providers to shift tactics.
Ms Jones explained that residents of state-run boarding houses in Victoria, known as supported residential services (SRSs), were once the main targets.
However, with those services now under closer scrutiny, she worries that unscrupulous providers are now seeking out other vulnerable individuals.
‘We've still got a lot of people who are at risk, who've got alcohol and drug backgrounds, and they're easier to find than (SRS residents) at the moment,’ she stated.
The government has passed the first phase of legislation aimed at strengthening the NDIS Commission's authority to protect participants' safety.
Ms Jones expressed hope that this would lead to stricter standards for registered providers, ensuring they are properly qualified and act ethically.
However, these upcoming changes do little to assist Mike's* family in their current situation.
Sarah* expressed frustration that the agencies overseeing the NDIS were not doing enough for her family, saying it shouldn't be their responsibility to fend off unethical providers.
With Christmas approaching, she fears that any investigations into her son's whereabouts by the NDIS Commission or NDIA will be delayed, leaving them to spend another holiday season without him.
‘We will be the ones still sat in a great big abyss like we were last year,’ Sarah* said.
Have you or someone you know experienced the same with their loved one? What are your thoughts on this issue? Let us know your stories and insights in the comments below.
Navigating the complexities of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can be challenging enough without the added worry of potential exploitation.
For many Australian families, the NDIS provides essential support for loved ones with disabilities, but it can also, unfortunately, make them targets for unscrupulous providers.
The distressing experience of one family whose son's substantial NDIS plan became a magnet for questionable care providers serves as a cautionary tale for all of us in the Seniors Discount Club community.
The family of Mike*, a 27-year-old with an acquired brain injury and schizoaffective disorder, has been living a nightmare.
Mike's* NDIS plan, valued at a staggering $670,000 per year, was intended to ensure he received round-the-clock care, allied health services, and suitable accommodation.
Instead, it seems to have painted a target on his back for those looking to profit from his vulnerability.
Eric*, Mike’s* father, is worn out. Strangers surround Mike's* hospital bed, urging Mike* to join their disability care facility.
These men are NDIS operators, but they are not Mike's authorised provider.
This situation has occurred many times for Mike's family, where unethical providers persuade him to leave with them, causing his family not to see him for months.
Eric* stepped outside Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne's west with the two men for a conversation.
‘What's the go?’ he asked the strangers. ‘We don't know who you are…Who are you?’
They didn't provide their names but claimed to be support workers who had been caring for Mike* for the past two days. They asserted that Mike* wanted their care.
‘No-one's going to force nothing down his throat, so it's all good, there is no issues,’ Eric* said. ‘I'm saying we can all sit down and work something out.’
They dismissed any concerns from Mike's* family about the legitimacy of their operation, insisting that they were only worried his authorised providers might be mistreating him.
‘He's got problems with whoever you guys employ, whatever's going on,’ one of the men stated.
The men are among those who have been looking after Mike* since he left his supported independent living home to spend time with some ‘friends’ in late November.
Mike's* authorised NDIS provider, Amina*, stated that she stayed in touch with him for a few days after and suspected he was using illicit drugs.
On the third day, Mike* told her he wasn't returning.
‘He said there were people that were willing to still take care of him, and he was happy with them, and he didn't want to go into it because he didn't want to ruffle his mother's feathers,’ Amina said.
This is a common issue for individuals with mental health conditions, who are vulnerable to being persuaded by various, often unethical, NDIS providers offering the promise of better living conditions.
Last year, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten vowed to eliminate this type of ‘human trafficking’ within the scheme. Mike's* family fears his situation highlights that it is still occurring.
‘I do feel it's like a type of kidnapping. I really do,’ Mike’s* mum, Sarah* remarked.
‘It's almost like it's a consensual kidnapping because…they'll be offering him [things] that will keep him there.’
What's driving these groups is the high-paying NDIS packages.
Mike's* $670,000 annual plan is intended to cover 24-hour care, allied health services, and accommodation.
However, due to gaps in the NDIS payment and safeguarding systems, Mike's* family claims he is at risk of being exploited by providers who will take the money without delivering the necessary support.
The reason the two men brought Mike* to Sunshine Hospital on December 4, seven days after leaving Amina's* care, remains unclear.
Amina* believes the hospital had her contact details, so they called her to inform her that Mike* was there, and she subsequently notified his parents.
Even though Mike's* family requested the hospital not to discharge him without their consent, he checked himself out on December 5.
His family has not seen him since. Western Health stated it could not comment on individual patients.
Based on what his family has gathered, Mike* has stayed at several homes around his hospital visit, including one in Glenroy, in Melbourne's north, and another in nearby Hadfield.
During this period, the individuals with Mike* have continuously changed the name of the NDIS provider they claim to represent, stating that Mike* no longer wants care from his current provider, Amina*.
His parents and Amina* are worried that he hasn't been taking his medication.
‘It's a s*******. It's actually scary; this is a human being essentially kidnapped, and [a] whole family doesn't know where he is,’ Amina* said.
Charlotte Jones, CEO of the Mental Health Legal Centre, which assists individuals with psychosocial issues, stated that this is a common tactic used by unethical providers.
‘Often moving around is to destabilise the relationships that they have established. It also destabilises them from environments that they know,’ Ms Jones explained.
‘It could be seen as their choice and control, but that choice and control is being manipulated through coercive control.’
When contacted, the provider refused to disclose their name but stated they had taken Mike* to the hospital when needed and had also taken him to the police station for a welfare check.
They emphasised that Mike* no longer wanted to return to his previous provider.
The police, however, stated they could not confirm these events due to privacy concerns.
The provider mentioned they were willing to meet with Mike's* family, but Sarah* confirmed she did not want to engage with them, explaining she had no intention of speaking to anyone who acted in such a manner.
‘Any legitimate provider would not keep their location a secret or lie about who they work for,’ she pointed out.
For Amina*, the situation has been equally terrifying for her and her staff.
On the night Eric* confronted the men outside Sunshine Hospital, a window at her business's Langwarrin location was shattered.
The garden was uprooted and scattered across the car park, with a shovel left behind.
Amina* believes this was a warning from the other NDIS provider, urging her not to try to retain Mike* as a client.
‘We've been at that property well over a year and a half, and we've never had something like this happen,’ she shared.
‘And it's very scary. It's scary enough to…worry about my workers, but now I'm stressing about our clients.’
When this was raised with the provider who was currently looking after Mike*, they firmly denied any involvement.
Nevertheless, Amina* admitted she is frightened. She informed Mike's* mum that she can no longer offer him support due to concerns for her safety.
None of the individuals involved wished to be identified for the same reason. The police have stated they are investigating the damage.
This isn't the first time Mike's* family has lost contact with him after he was taken in by individuals his family had concerns about.
For much of last year, he stayed with various providers who kept him in a shared house in Maidstone, Melbourne's west, depleting his $460,000 plan by billing the NDIS for support services.
At the same time, they were reportedly providing him with drugs like GHB and ice, along with vapes, to keep him under their control.
‘That time was just an absolute nightmare,’ Sarah* lamented.
At that time, Mike* had full control over his NDIS funds and the providers he chose to spend them with.
However, earlier this year, after nearly a year of complaints from his family, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which oversees the scheme, placed his mum in charge of managing his plan's funds.
The NDIS Commission, responsible for safeguarding NDIS participants, also eventually banned four individuals from the scheme due to Mike's* mistreatment.
Sarah* expressed her shock at the lack of action taken by both the NDIA and the NDIS Commission during that period.
‘They didn't take it seriously enough, and they failed to safeguard their participant,’ she claimed.
From March this year until Mike* left Amina's* care in November, Sarah* stated that he had consistent and reliable support.
‘We know that [Amina's* company] take him to the beach regularly, that he gets his exercise, we know that he eats well…they've done an excellent job,’ she stated.
However, things began to change in October when various individuals, including one of the banned providers, began contacting Mike* by phone and using drugs with him, according to Amina*.
She added that Mike* suddenly started asking about the balance on his NDIS plan and expressed that he should have control over the funding.
‘It was honestly all centred around drugs…and we noticed there was people in his ear,’ Amina said.
Since Mike* left Amina's* care, the providers currently with him have been calling his mum, asking her to transfer control to them so they can receive payment, but Sarah* has refused.
Mike's* family notified the NDIS Commission as soon as he left Amina's* care, but they claim they were told the investigation would take a few months.
‘I feel like they are negligent of their care, and I feel like they are not adequately resourced to be able to go after these people,’ Sarah* lamented.
A spokesperson for the NDIA stated that the agency had ‘taken action to ensure the participant's welfare and has engaged directly with him to ensure his support needs are being met’.
Catherine Myers, a Deputy Commissioner at the NDIS Commission, said in a statement that ‘safeguarding of participants is a core responsibility that we take very seriously’, but since the investigation is ongoing, they could not provide further comment.
Charlotte Jones noted that while the NDIA and NDIS Commission have made progress in addressing unethical providers over the past year, she is concerned that their success in some areas is causing these providers to shift tactics.
Ms Jones explained that residents of state-run boarding houses in Victoria, known as supported residential services (SRSs), were once the main targets.
However, with those services now under closer scrutiny, she worries that unscrupulous providers are now seeking out other vulnerable individuals.
‘We've still got a lot of people who are at risk, who've got alcohol and drug backgrounds, and they're easier to find than (SRS residents) at the moment,’ she stated.
The government has passed the first phase of legislation aimed at strengthening the NDIS Commission's authority to protect participants' safety.
Ms Jones expressed hope that this would lead to stricter standards for registered providers, ensuring they are properly qualified and act ethically.
However, these upcoming changes do little to assist Mike's* family in their current situation.
Sarah* expressed frustration that the agencies overseeing the NDIS were not doing enough for her family, saying it shouldn't be their responsibility to fend off unethical providers.
With Christmas approaching, she fears that any investigations into her son's whereabouts by the NDIS Commission or NDIA will be delayed, leaving them to spend another holiday season without him.
‘We will be the ones still sat in a great big abyss like we were last year,’ Sarah* said.
Key Takeaways
- The family of a 27-year-old NDIS participant fears he is being exploited by unscrupulous providers after he left his authorised carer and began living in uncertain conditions under the care of a new provider.
- The NDIS plan of the participant, worth $670,000 a year, makes him a target for providers seeking to control his funds, leading to concerns of 'consensual kidnapping' due to enticing offers made to him.
- The family and the authorised NDIS provider are concerned about the participant's well-being, as he has been moving between different addresses and may not be receiving proper care or medication.
- The participant's previous engagement with unethical providers who drained his NDIS funds while allegedly supplying him with drugs underscores the vulnerability of high-value NDIS participants and the need for more robust safeguarding mechanisms.