62349 (2024). Ingrid Leary to the Minister for Disability Issues

62349 (2024). Ingrid Leary to the Minister for Disability Issues: Does the Minister agree with Autism New Zealand chief executive Dane Dougan that the Ministry for Social Development is trying to save money by declining funding applications for people diagnosed via telehealth, and many people in the regions will now find it harder than ever to get help; if so, what, if anything, will he do to address this?

Hon Louise Upston: No. Our Government is determined to build a fair, sustainable, high-quality disability support system that delivers better outcomes for disabled people based on their needs. Current best practice under the most recent version of the guidelines, updated in 2022, is that to meet the assessment requirements of the Autism Guidelines, either a multi-disciplinary team, including a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist conduct assessments in person. During COVID-19 there was an extraordinary environment created, where many diagnoses were conducted via Tele Health. This is not the case today.