NDIS Players and Funding Management

NDIS Players and Funding Management

• Participants: Individuals receiving NDIS funding.
• Local Area Coordinators (LACs): Employed by NDIS service providers (e.g., Mission Aus, Wanslea) to assist participants with accessing and managing their plans.
• Support Coordinators: Hired by participants to coordinate care, particularly helpful for individuals with cognitive impairments (e.g., ASD, schizophrenia). They are integral to the initial stages of a plan, and can be added to subsequent plans.
• Specialist Support Coordinators: Allied health professionals (e.g., speech therapists, social workers, occupational therapists) who provide support coordination.
• Plan Managers: Hired by participants to manage finances, crucial for individuals struggling with financial planning. Plan managers may be restrictive for those capable of self-management.
• Private, third-party providers: Companies like the note's author's.

NDIS Funding Management

• Funding Management Options: Participants can manage their funding in three ways:
  • Self-managed: Participants control their spending, paying providers and claiming expenses via an online portal (PACE).
  • Plan managed: Participants hire a third-party provider to manage their funds.
  • NDIA managed: Funding managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency, which restricts access to registered allied health providers only.
• Funding Buckets: NDIS plans are structured into specific funding categories.
  • Core supports: Basic living assistance.
  • Consumables: Items required for daily living (e.g., incontinence products, HEN).
  • Assistance with daily life: Supports for self-care in various environments.
  • Capacity building: Skill development through therapy (e.g., allied health, including early childhood intervention). Progress reports are required 6 weeks prior to plan assessments.
  • Choice and control: Supports for managing funding and setting up plan management.
  • Capital supports: High-cost items (e.g., housing, high-tech assistive technologies, transport). Physiotherapy falls under Capacity Building.

Service Agreements

• Service Agreements: Formal agreements between providers and participants to define services, pricing, and cancellation policies for the welfare of both parties.
• Plan-managed vs. self-managed: Service agreements are crucial for plan-managed participants, enabling budget planning. They are also recommended for self-managed participants for budgeting purposes.

Initial Consultations

• Initial consultations: Begin with open-ended questions to understand participant needs.
• No commitment: Avoid booking the next appointment on the day, allowing participants time to consider their options. Provide a proposal for services within the subsequent email.
• Flexible booking: Subsequent appointments can be scheduled if deemed suitable, without pressure.