What if I have a disability but I do not meet the access requirements for the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIS) is able to connect you with community and mainstream supports to help you pursue your goals and aspirations, and participate in daily life. You will continue to have access to mainstream services, such as health, education, transport and housing. There will be continuity of support provisions if you are not eligible for the NDIS and currently receive disability supports from the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services.
What happens with transport under the NDIS?
If you currently have a mobility allowance or are under the taxi subsidy voucher scheme, once you have an approved plan these will cease and be replaced with the assessed level of transport you need within your NDIS plan.
How long after my planning meeting will I receive my final plan?
This varies from a couple of days to a month. It’s best to receive clarification from your Planner about the expected timeframe.
Will I see my plan when it is finished, and how will I get it?
Most people won’t see their plan before it is finalised. Discuss with your planner at the meeting how you would like to receive yours, either via email or by post. Your planner will most likely talk you through your plan over the phone. They will also give you instructions on how to access the NDIS portal to find and manage your funding online. You will have to register for a mygov account.
What will my plan look like?
The funding for reasonable and necessary supports in your plan is divided into separate support budgets that relate to areas of your life where you might have certain goals. For example, one part of your plan might be for “increasing my community engagement’, one might be for ‘improving my communication skills” and another might be “getting a job”.
Each of these areas of your life has its own support budget, which is an allocated amount to be spent in that area of your life. You have a choice and control as to how you spend each support budget on its associated goal, but you can’t use funding from one support budget for another goal. For example, you can’t use funding that’s set aside to help you get a job for purchasing equipment. This means you can’t transfer funding between support budgets before your plan review. At your plan review, you can talk about adjusting your goals and how you prioritise them.
Once I have my plan when do my old services and funding cease?
Any funding you have with the State Government will cease on the same day your plan starts. You will need to meet with any current service providers before this day to let them know when your plan is starting. If you are continuing to receive services from them then new service agreements will need to be arranged. If you wish to cancel services then your current service provider can help you with this.
When I have my plan reviewed, does this mean I have to prove my eligibility again?
No. Once you are in the NDIS you are eligible for life. The review is about looking at support needs and making adjustments to suit your changing life circumstances and goals. A scheduled review of peoples plans are conducted every twelve months, or you can have unscheduled reviews upon request if your circumstances change or you are not happy with your plan.
If I choose to self-manage or have NDIS manage my plan, do I have to stick with that decision for the whole time I am under the NDIS?
No. As you go through your life and your ability and choice change you can adjust the management of your plan as you want. For example, someone may choose to self-manage at the beginning and then decide later they are too busy in their life to do so and then choose to have the NDIA manage their plan for them. Another person may choose to have their plan managed for them at the start and then when they become more comfortable in understanding the NDIS and how it all works they may wish to take over the management of their plan themselves.
Can I split the management of my NDIS plan?
Yes. You cmay choose to have one type of arrangement for part of your plan and then self-manage a smaller part that you are comfortable with.
What sort of evidence do I have to supply when I am applying for the NDIS?
You will need to complete an access request form to enter the NDIS. With this form, they ask you to supply evidence of your disability and outlines of your support needs. This evidence needs to be completed by a health professional which includes information about the diagnosis and treatments including also details of the impairment. This may include information about your mobility, communication, social interaction, learning, self-care and self-management. This helps to get a clear picture of what sorts of supports your may be eligible for under the NDIS.
What are the NDIS funded categories?
There are several areas of your life that you can have funded by the NDIS. These include:
- Assistance with daily life at home, community, education and work
- Transport to access daily activities
- Supported independent living
- Improved daily living skills
- Improved relationships
- Improved living arrangements
- Improved health and wellbeing
- Improved learning
- Finding and keeping a job
- Increased social and community participation
- Improved life choices
- Assistive technology
- Vehicle modifications
- Home modifications
Can you stop receiving NDIS funding after a review?
Yes.
Plan reviews are a normal part of the NDIS. Your plan review is the opportunity to check your supports are working for you and are helping you to progress and achieve your goals. It is expected that your first plan review will take place after your first 12 months in the Scheme. Plan reviews can then be scheduled up to two years apart dependent on personal circumstances and goals.
If you no longer meet the NDIS access requirements, transitioning from the NDIS means that you have built up your skills and no longer need NDIS supports or you may be better supported by other Government services, if this happens but you feel that you still need NDIS funded support, you can request a review of the decision and supply additional information to meet the access requirements. Other reasons you might no longer meet the access requirements would be it you were to move overseas.
It is important to remember that the NDIS approach means if, after a period, you need funded supports again, the NDIS will provide reasonable and necessary funded support if a person needs it again.
How does the NDIS get in contact with people when the Scheme starts in a new area?
This depends on if you are already receiving disability supports.
If you currently get disability supports, we will contact you when the NDIS is available in your area.
If you are not currently receiving supports, you will need to contact us when the NDIS is available in your area.
There is also a factsheet on the NDIS website on how to access the NDIS.
Is there going to be other ways to search for a provider with the NDIS? (The current list available doesn’t show full locations)
You can on the NDIS website or by using the ‘Provider Finder’ tool in your Participant Portal.
The NDIA is making some significant improvements to the Provider Finder tool to allow participants to more easily connect with providers and services in their local area. We know that this tool isn’t perfect, and we are working to improve it as the NDIS grows.
Why is the NDIS asking providers to update their details on the Provider Finder?
It’s important to make sure providers have their current contact details, opening hours and service areas updated in the Provider Finder so participants can contact you about your services. To update your details log onto the NDIS Provider Portal and choose the ‘Profile’ and “Outlets Management’ titles. Providers should check and update their contact details, opening hours and the outlet service areas.
How long will it take for my access request to be processed?
As the NDIS rolls out to even more new locations we are receiving a very high number of requests from people to access the scheme. To meet this need, the NDIA is working hard to make sure our responses are timely and efficient.
After you have submitted a valid access request form. You can find more information about this in the NDIA Operational Guidelines. In some cases, the NDIA may need more documents, assessments or evidence, which means it might take longer for your request to be assessed.
Here are some things you can do to assist us to process your request as soon as possible:
- Go to our website to find out when the NDIS is available in your area and how you can prepare.
- If you are submitting an Access Request Form, make sure it is complete and signed, with all your information attached.
- If you have already submitted an access request and received a letter from NDIS saying we will be contacting you, make sure you have information on hand about the impact of your impairment or disability with you.
- If you have a Centrelink Reference Number, providing this will mean we can confirm your age and residence without requesting additional documents.
Your LAC or Early Childhood partner can provide support and review your access request form prior to submitting it to the NDIA.
What kind of things come under ‘other government supports’?
While the NDIS is expected to provide disability supports for over 460,000 Australians with a significant and permanent disability, it is not intended to replace other services that are available to all Australians, such as health, education, employment, transport, aged care, justice and housing.
NDIS funded plans are additional to any other supports that people may be eligible to receive from other government services such as the Disability Support Pension, Carers Allowance or Health Care Card.
NDIS plans are goal orientated, and will provide support to access and connect with other services that can also help you to achieve better outcomes in life. For example, your goal could be to independently catch the bus to school, work or a community event, so the NDIS may fund public transport training to enable you to use the local bus service.
Or, your goal could be to move out of your family home, so the NDIS may support you to build your capacity to help you live independently. Because the NDIS is not intended to replace other available services, you will still need to independently access support through different government funded sectors.
For example:
- You may access the health system to visit your doctor, dentist or local hospital.
- You may access the transport system to catch the bus to work, school or community events.
- Or you may access the education system to go to School, TAFE or University.
The NDIS is a supporting system that enables people living with disability to access, use and benefit from other services that are available to all Australians.
How can I get information from the NDIS in Braille?
The NDIA has an agreement with Vision Australia to provide copies of your plan and other correspondence in a variety of accessible formats, at no cost to the participant:
- Braille
- Electronic text (on CD)
- Large Print
- Audio (on CD)
You can request a copy of our publications or a copy of your plan by speaking with your LAC who will be able to organise printing in Braille. You will generally receive the requested documents within 7 days.
I’ve heard my provider can see what’s in my plan, is that true?
At the beginning of December 2017, the NDIS made some changes to the myplace participant portal. The changes mean that you or your nominee will now have the option to share parts of your plan with providers who have an active service booking with you.
You can provide consent through the myplace portal or by visiting an NDIA or LAC partner office.
If you agree to share your plan with providers they will be able to see basic plan details which include:
- Your name
- NDIS number
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Your goals
- If you have a nominee
- If you need an interpreter
It’s important to remember that it is your decision to allow providers to access parts of your plan and providers cannot require you to give access.
The NDIS website states that Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) is for children aged between 0-6. Does this include the age 6?
The Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach supports children from birth to 6 years of age inclusive of age 6, who have a development delay or disability and their families/carers.
The ECEI approach supports families to help children develop skills they need to take part in daily activities and achieve the best possible outcomes throughout their life.
You can contact an Early Childhood Partner if concerns about your child’s development have been identified.
How does NDIS categorise a participant’s primary disability?
When reviewing an access request to the NDIS, information is requested relating to the individual’s primary disability as well as the impacts that the disability has on their functional capacity. Based on the information provided a “primary disability” is listed on your records. This “primary disability” will be listed as the category that most accurately describes the individual circumstances, diagnosis and functional impacts of the participant.
For those participants who have entered the Scheme through a defined pathway, that is, through a streamlined pathway for people who have been receiving supports through a specific state and territory program prior to the roll out of the NDIS, the initial contact information on NDIS record, as well as information relating to the individual’s disability, comes from the State or Territory data and uploaded directly into your NDIS records. If the disability is listed by the State ot Territory data incorrectly this will be rectified at first plan, when the planner meets with the family and goes through the available information. The individual’s details, including the most appropriate primary disability will then be updated to reflect the individual’s circumstances and their functional support needs.
I know that the NDIS isn’t rolling out to my area just yet, but what can I do to get myself prepared for when it does come to my area?
If you currently receive supports from a Commonwealth or State or Territory government disability program, you’ll ne contacted by a NDIA representative when it’s time to start transitioning from those supports to the NDIS.
For some people currently receiving Commonwealth or State or Territory disability supports, you may not need to provide evidence of your disability. This is because some of those supports have the same eligibility criteria as the NDIS.
If you currently do not receive support you can start gathering information to support your request and planning conversation.
To enter the NDIS you need to meet the access requirements. You only need to do this once and the process includes providing medical documentation of your disability to the NDIA.
This includes information on the nature of your disability, its impact on your life, and how long it will last.
Evidence of disability and its functional impact can be provided by a health professional in the following ways:
- The NDIS Supporting Evidence form
- The Access Request form
- Via existing assessments or reports.
What is the process for accessing the NDIS if I don’t currently receive government supports?
The NDIS will provide support to may people who may not have been eligible for supports before.
People with disability who aren’t currently accessing services from their State or Territory government should complete an access request form when the NDIS becomes available in their area.
Call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 to get an access request form.
WHAT ARE THE ROLES OF THE STAFF WHO I WILL BE DEALING WITH ON MY NDIS JOURNEY?
Planner – A Planners role is to help support the planning discussions for each individual, about what their needs and goals are, and what funding they will receive in their individual NDIS plan.
Support Coordinator – A Support Coordinator role is to help you understand your plan if you have been funded for the support of a Support Coordinator. If you have not received this (it is an extra on top of your plan) then often your Service Provider will be able to assist you to understand your plan.
Local Area Coordinator (LAC) – A person who helps you to write your plan and get an NDIS package. They can help you manage your plan and get supports and services. A Local Area Coordinator can help you as you move from stage to stage on your pathway with the NDIS. Their role is to help link you to NDIS through information, linkage and referrals.
The LAC’s role is to help you to:
- access and work with the NDIS/NDIA
- make your first plan (but they are not the ones to approve it)
- identify your desired supports
- link you to supports, support providers and the general community
- self-direct or self-manage your NDIS plan if you choose to do so
- understand what you can expect from other mainstream supports, such as the education, health, housing, transport, training and employment sectors.
LAC’s also have a role in:
- providing feedback others on barriers or ongoing issues you face with receiving services and supports
- making the local community more welcoming and inclusive for people with disability
- working closely with organisations providing ILC (information, linkages and capacity building) in the local area
Local Area Coordinators do not provide case management, nor do they act as an advocate for the person with disability.
Partners in the Community Organisations – To deliver Local Area Coordination services around the state, existing community organisations have been given the responsibility to staff the Local Area Coordinator roles as outlined above. There are a number of different organisations who have been given this role. That is why some people will be dealing with different organisations for their NDIS plans.
Local Partners in the Community Office Locations
Plan Manager – NDIS FAQ Official – The NDIS also have a website which has a long list of frequently asked questions. These can be found at NDIS frequently asked questions