What is the NDIS ? Learn more About NDIS

NDIS is a National Disability Insurance Scheme

National Disability Insurance Scheme, created in 2013, is a way for Australians with a disability to receive the support they need.

What is the NDIS?

The NDIS is a National Disability Insurance Scheme that provides support for Australians with a disability. NDIS provides support not just to the individual itself but to their family and the community. The NDIS recognises people with disabilities as equals and valued members of our society. It allows people with disabilities to have choice and control over the supports they get making Australia a fair, safe and inclusive place for everyone. The NDIS aims to support 460,000 Aussie’s with a disability. The NDIS is all about listening, respecting, and supporting people.

What types of supports are funded by NDIS?

daily personal activities
transport to enable participation in community, social, economic, and daily life activities
workplace help to allow a participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market
therapeutic supports including behaviour support
help with household tasks to allow the participant to maintain their home environment
help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training
home modification design and construction
mobility equipment, and
vehicle modifications.

NDIS Principals

– Realise and understand the client’s potential

– Participate in social, economic, and cultural life

– Have access to supports throughout their lives

– Being respected as a person

– Living free from abuse and neglect

– Resecting your privacy

What is Plan-managed funding?

The NDIA will provide funding in your plan to pay for a Plan Manager who pays your providers for you, helps you keep track of funds and takes care of financial reporting for you. A plan manager can help you increase you financial and plan management skills, learn how to self-manage your plan, pay providers, increase your choice of providers, and get NDIS plan budget reports and greater budget oversight. To get a plan manager you can tell NDIS staff that you would like a plan manager to support you.

What is Self-management?

The NDIA provides you with funding so you can access the supports that will best help you pursue your goals. The benefits of self-managing include; choice in deciding what supports you get and who provides these supports, flexibility to use any provider that will best help you to pursue your plan goals, capacity to employ or contact staff directly or on your behalf, Ability to negotiate the costs of your supports so you get the best value and control over and responsibility for your NDIS funding so you can manage your own budget for the duration of the plan. Your responsibilities as a self-manager would include purchasing supports, making clear agreements, managing your funding, claiming, and paying for supports, keeping invoices and receipts, meeting your obligations as an employer, showing how you’ve used your self-managed funding, advising the NDIA of any significant changes and participating in any payment auditing.

What is NDIA-Managed funding?

The NDIA pays your providers on your behalf, you are able to choose from a large range of NDIS registered providers, your providers claim payment electronically from your funding, you cannot use unregistered providers, you can look on the myplace portal to see what claims providers are making against your NDIS funding and keep track of your budget and the NDIA will manage your book-keeping and records of your spending.

Understanding your Plan

The NDIS allows you to have as much choice and control as possible over the supports funded or provided in your NDIS plan. You plan has information in it that was discussed in your planning meeting which includes:

– Information about you, for example your disability, day-to-day activities, where you live, who you live with, or who cares for you.

– Family and friends, including the supports you get from them and how they can help you pursue your goals.

– Services and community groups, including services and supports funded and delivered by community or other government services like support groups, health centres, libraries, and public transport.

– Your goals, including the current goals you would like to pursue as part of your plan and the long-term goals you have identified for your life. Goal setting is an important part of the NDIS. The supports you receive may help you pursue the goals in your NDIS plan.

– Funded supports, informs what funding you have been allocated in each support category and what this funding is for. You may not have all the support categories funded in your plan. Some people might have one or two support categories funded and others may have more.

NDIS FAQs

What is NDIS ?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is called the NDIS. It’s a new way for people with a disability, under the age of 65, to get the care and supports they need.

The NDIS is for people with a permanent and significant disability which impacts on their ability to take part in everyday activities.

If you are eligible, you will work out what reasonable and necessary supports you need to live your life and achieve your goals. You’ll then receive funding to pay for these supports.

Find more information on the NDIS website.

Why was NDIS introduced?

Before the NDIS was introduced, disability services in Australia had been a lottery.

The funding you received depended on how, when and where you acquired your disability, as well as where you lived. Some people got enough funding, some people got none! Really, it was all just a bit unfair!

So, after they held an enquiry, the Federal Government agreed that people with a disability deserved a fairer system. And, more control!

When was NDIS introduced ?

In July 2013, the NDIS was introduced and was rolled out across Australia over a number of years.

The rollout was completed in mid 2020. Read more about the NDIS rollout here.

What is the NDIA?

The NDIA is the National Disability Insurance Agency.

It is a government agency and its role is to implement and manage the NDIS and make sure people with disability continue to get the support they need.

What is the NDIA?

The NDIA is the National Disability Insurance Agency.

It is a government agency and its role is to implement and manage the NDIS and make sure people with disability continue to get the support they need.

Who is eligible for NDIS?

Eligibility for the NDIS depends on a few different things such as:

Age: You need to be under 65 years at the time of your application
Residency: You need to be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen who holds a Protected Special Category Visa
Disability: You must have a permanent disability that significantly affects how you can communicate, move, care for yourself, or manage your life.
Early Intervention: You might be eligible if early intervention would substantially improve your functioning, or delay or decrease a decline in functioning, for you or your child.

For more information, visit Am I eligible

What does NDIS fund?

With the NDIS, you will work out what reasonable and necessary supports you need to live your life and achieve your goals. You’ll then receive funding to pay for these supports.

Reasonable and necessary supports help someone with a disability to:

pursue their goals, objectives and aspirations
increase their independence
increase social and economic participation, and
develop their capacity to actively take part in the community.

This support may include education, employment, community and social participation, independence, living arrangements, and health and well-being.

How will my NDIS funding be managed?

There are 3 different ways you can manage your NDIS plan.

You don’t have to choose only one of these options. You can use a combination.

For example, you might self-manage some parts of your plan while the NDIA may look after other parts.

The three options are:

Your plan is managed by someone from the NDIA
Your plan is managed by a Plan Manager
You manage your NDIS plan

Can I change my NDIS service provider?

Yes you can! If you are not happy with the disability service provider, you can change to make sure you are getting the support you need.

Can my family be included in the NDIS planning?

Yes! You can invite family members to be a part of your planning process and really every step of the way.

You might like your family members included a lot, or a little – the choice is yours.

Is transport costs covered by NDIS?

If you are not able to use public transport because of your disability, you may be able to get NDIS funding to cover transport such as taxis.

If you previously received funding through a taxi subsidy scheme, the NDIA will also take this into account.

The NDIS will not provide funding to carers or family members to transport a person with a disability to everyday commitments.

The NDIS can also fund supports that help you build confidence and learn how to travel or use public transport independently.

For example, if your goal is to get your driver’s licence, the NDIS may be able to support you to achieve this.

Will NDIS fund home modifications?

The NDIS will only fund reasonable and necessary home modifications.

This often means they will give you funding to help you use certain rooms in your home such as your bedroom, living area, meal area and bathroom.

Some examples of common modifications are:

Ramps
Lifting platforms
Stair climbers
Hand rails
Bathroom modifications such as removal of a bath or enlarging a shower
Widening doorways
Kitchen modifications.

The NDIS also only funds home modifications to a person’s primary residence. If you are renting, the owner must provide a written agreement and you will also need to intend on living there into the future.

Before the NDIS will fund modifications, other possible solutions such as assistive technology will also be looked at.

For example, bathroom modifications won’t be funded if equipment, such as a shower stool, could make the bathroom safe and accessible for you.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Carer –

A person or persons who provide care or support for a person with disability or child (where there are concerns about their development) and is not a paid support worker.

Choice and Control –

The right for a participant to make their own decisions about their supports. This can involve choosing the supports they receive, including how and when the supports are provided, having a range of service providers to work with, and having the option to manage their own plan funding.

Diagnosis –

The identification of a disease, disorder, condition or disability following assessments, tests and discussion about symptoms.

Disability –

A physical, mental, cognitive or developmental condition that limits a person’s ability to engage or take part in everyday activities or interactions. The condition is permanent or likely to be permanent.

Goals –

Things people pursue with help from the NDIS and other supports and services.

Goals might include becoming more independent, getting or keeping a job, learning new skills, enrolling in education, becoming more active in the community, or improving relationships and making friends.

NDIS –

The NDIS is a National Disability Insurance Scheme that provides support for Australians with a disability.

NDIS Plan–

A unique document that details a participant’s goals and the supports they will receive from the NDIS.

It also outlines the community and other government supports participants can access to help them pursue their goals.

Participants-

People who apply and meet the access criteria for the NDIS.

Personal Care –

Personal care is the way a person is able to look after themselves
for instance by showering and getting dressed.

Provider –

An individual or organisation that delivers supports or products to participants.

Participants can use both NDIS-registered and unregistered providers.

Respite –

A break from your usual living or caring environment. This could be at a day centre, within the community, at someone else’s home or in home support.

Service Agreement –

An agreement between a participant and their provider that outlines what both parties have agreed to.

Service agreements help make sure the participant and provider have the same expectations of what supports will be delivered and how they will be delivered.

Making a service agreement is a negotiation between the participant and the provider.

Short Term Accommodation (STA) –

An arrangement to provide funding for support and accommodation for a short time away from a participant’s usual home.

Short Term Accommodation covers the cost of a participant’s care in another place for up to 14 days at a time, and may include a short stay with other people, or by themselves.

It is often funded when a participant’s usual carers aren’t available, or for the participant to try new things.

Support and Services –

Resources and products available to a participant to help them complete everyday tasks, work or participate in the community, and pursue their goals.

Support Worker –

A support worker is a professional who is responsible for the wellbeing of people living with different physical abilities and mental health needs. Their role is to support clients to live their lives more independently and support them to reach their potential by providing both physical and emotional support.