An NDIS plan is a document that consists of information about yourself, your support goals, and the amount of funding, you need to achieve your stated goals.
Your first plan is a testimony of the start of your relationship with the NDIS. With time, your plan changes as per changes occurring in your life. NDIS plan is unique to everyone.
If you have landed on this blog topic page because you have either received your first new NDIS plan or are expecting to receive one, the information below can help you get your head around your NDIS plan and create an understanding of it for the different sections within, making it simpler - which could often be confusing for many.
So what is an NDIS plan?
Your NDIS plan is drawn up after a discussion with you in your planning meeting with the NDIS planner, your representative or family member, and your support coordinator (if you have one).
The NDIS plan will have 3 major sections:
1. Information about me – referred to as the "Profile section"
This section provides basic information like who you are, where you live, who are the people providing support to you in your daily life, your disability, etc. This section also includes information describing your informal support network and how you are currently supported by - family and friends, and other services (mainstream), education system, and other community services under the following categories -
Informal supports
This section includes information about the support you get from family and friends that is not funded by NDIS but will complement with NDIS-funded supports to help you work towards your goals and achieve positive outcomes.
Community supports
Section contacting information about services and supports you receive that may be funded by other community or government services, including health, libraries, and public transport.
Mainstream supports
This section provides information about the services you may be receiving from the health system, mental health systems, education system, etc.
2. My Goals Section
This section is an important part of your plan as it describes your goals and aspirations as part of your plan. This section explores your short to mid-term goals and the long-term goals you have considered for your life, how you will achieve them and how will you be supported.
This is a crucial part of your plan as it helps service providers understand your support needs. Your support and services are meant to help you achieve these goals.
3. My supports Section
Funded supports
The funding supports are what the NDIS will pay for as given in your plan, which is reasonable and necessary to help you fulfill your goals and aspirations. It includes details of each support category, like the budgeted sum, and how it will be paid.
This section also describes three different ways, you can or may have chosen to manage your NDIS plan namely:
a. Self–Managed: You, your plan nominee will claim funds from my NDIS plan by myself using the participant portal to pay my providers, as they invoice me directly.
b. Plan – Managed: You will have a plan management provider who will claim funds from your NDIS plan for services or supports that you receive. Providers will send your plan manager invoices for claiming and disbursing the funds.
c. Agency – Managed: NDIA registered providers claiming directly from the NDIS, based on the supports they offer and the provider you with a statement or remittance.
The funds may be further tagged with one of the following ways of using it –
a. Stated supports – You must purchase the supports as described in your plan and funds for such supports cannot be used any differently or flexibly.
b. In-king supports – Continue with an existing provider as they have been prepaid to deliver that particular service or support.
c. Quote required items – requiring other supporting documentation such as reports or pricing quotes before the funds are made available to you in your plan to go purchase these types of supports or services.
About the NDIS-funded supports in your plan
The NDIS-funded supports are broken down into three categories and arranged in your plan exactly as below:
Core funding – support to meet functional needs for daily living as well as access to community support.
Capacity funding – supports to fund skill-building, therapy, training, learning, capacity building, improving health, and also support coordination falls under this category.
Capital funding – Also referred to as support relating to high costs of assistive technology. The section details support for one-off purchases like equipment, modifications, or technology, and also specialist disability accommodation.
Your NDIS plan gets active from the date of approval of the plan, which is available on the front page of the plan. It resets each year or may have longer expiry. Recently NDIA also announced a change to extend the plan expiry for more than a year to avoid wait times or delays. We have also seen NDIA implementing a rollover mechanism to simply roll over the funds from past plan history to the new plan if there is no change in the support structure for a participant.
We wish you all the best for your NDIS journey with your brand-new plan.
If you need any further assistance or may have any confusion, you can simply ring us on 1300 323 399 and our friendly support staff can support you with your queries.