Later this week, a Senate committee is expected to deliver its report into legislation to tighten eligibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The committee’s inquiry was extended and the bill amended in a deal with the Greens in June.

This clears the way for a Senate vote on the legislation. If passed, Australians will need to show they have a permanent disability and have undertaken all appropriate and publicly funded treatment options before being allowed onto the scheme.

This will make it even more difficult for people with psychosocial disabilities, which arise from mental illness, to access the scheme.

People with psychosocial disabilities, including from conditions such as schizophrenia and major depression, may have symptoms and impacts that fluctuate. And they may have greater difficulty showing they’ve tried other treatments.

It’s already hard to show your disability is permanent

Just one in four people who apply to the NDIS with a psychosocial disability are approved for scheme access. This compares with about four in five applicants overall.

The access rate for people with psychosocial disability has fallen by nearly two-thirds in five years, from 66% to 25%, while access rates across all disabilities have remained steady.

To get onto the scheme, a person must currently show they have a permanent........

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