Connections and Funding – NASC

Our Disability Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) teams provide support to people eligible for Disability Support Services (DSS) funded services for those living in the Tairāwhiti, Taranaki, Whanganui, Hutt, and Otago/Southland areas.   

Disability Support Services (DSS) is a department within the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Your Way | Kia Roha contracts to the Ministry to provide NASC services.

You can find out more about Disability Support Services here Disability Support Services

To be eligible for support from our Disability NASC teams, you will need to:

• Have a physical, sensory, or intellectual disability, autism (or a combination of these) likely to last for more than six months, and  
• be younger than 65 when diagnosed with the disability/disabilities, and
• your disability or disabilities reduce your independence to the extent that ongoing support is required and remains even after equipment, treatment and/or rehabilitation is provided.

Disabilities must be diagnosed by a medical professional and can be:

• Physical.
• Autism.
• Sensory: vision and / or hearing.
• Intellectual.

When we receive a referral, we will confirm if you can move to an assessment with us.

If you can, we will then assess if your disability meets our criteria and whether funded support is available to you. If you are not eligible for funded support, we can provide non-funded assistance (information, connection to other services). 

What happens in an assessment

• We will meet with you to see if you can get funded support.
• We can do the assessment at your home, in the community, at our office, online, or over the phone—whatever works best for you.
• We try to finish assessments within four weeks.
• The assessment can take an hour or more. We will ask you lots of questions to understand your needs. Sometimes, we might need to talk to you more than once to get all the information we need.
• After the assessment, we will tell you if you can get funded support and what your choices are.
  • If you can’t get funded support, we will give you information or help you find other services.
  • If you can get funded support, we will explain what help is available and who can provide it. (link to Support Available)
    
• You can read our Assessment FAQs for more information.

Other contacts

If you have a disability diagnosis, are aged over 65, and have not been previously supported by a Disability Needs Assessment Service Coordination (NASC) service, please contact the Health of Older Persons NASC in your region.

If you have a chronic health issue and not a disability, contact your local health NASC.

If you have a disability because of an injury, follow these steps on ACC’s website.

Next step: Contact us or make a referral

If you, or the person you wish to refer, meet the criteria above, please complete the Connections & Funding Referral Form (previously called a “Needs Assessment” or “NASC” referral).

If it’s easier, or you need help to complete the Referral, please contact our team on 0800 758 700 between 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays.

If you’re unhappy with something we have done contact us at complaints@yourwaykiaroha.nz If you think we haven’t made the right decision, you can dispute the matter with us by contacting complaints@yourwaykiaroha.nz