Breaking Down Your NDIS Plan Supports
Written by: Anthea Taylor | Plan Management Team
Understanding and breaking down your NDIS plan can be like the Olympic Games breakdancing – open to creative interpretation. Even with the opportunities for creating and demonstrating imaginative and artistic moves, the dancers were still bound by rules. It’s the same for the NDIS Supports.
On October 3rd 2024, a date embedded into all Plan Managers’ minds, the first suite of changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 commence. Why such a memorable date? It was introducing and implementing the first set of the new National Disability Insurance Scheme (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No.1)(NDIS Supports) Transitional Rules 2024. The purpose of these rules, like the other rules to come, is to explain how the NDIS works. To provide clarity and mitigate the risk to participants and providers, the funds should be used as intended. Like the Olympic breakdancing, the NDIS Supports. Participants can only use their NDIS funding for services or items that are related to their disability and are listed as NDIS Supports. In Plan Management land we refer to them as the “In or Our list” or the “Yes or No list”.
Understanding Your Supports In Your NDIS Plan
What supports can you expect to be included in your NDIS plan? Good question! Even with the changes to the legislation, the NDIS is still based on the premise of reasonable and necessary. The Act shifts from reasonable and necessary supports to funding a reasonable and necessary budget for NDIS supports that relate to your disability and functional needs and will assist you in working towards and achieving your goals.
NDIS Plans structures are still based on Core Support, Capacity Building Supports and Capital Supports. As a participant of the scheme, dependent on your disability and goals, you will have funding in at least one of these categories.
- Core supports funding if you need assistance at home with personal or domestic tasks, or assistance to get out into the community or during a social activity.
- Capacity Building funding if you need assistance to help build your skills and increase your independence.
- Capital funding if you need higher-cost assistive technology equipment, modifications to your home or vehicle, or Specialist Disability Accommodation.
The NDIS Support Transitional Rules lists 36 categories of “supports that are NDIS supports”. Which of these will be funded in your plan will be dependent on your disability and functional capacity.
Let’s look at Anne’s (a fictitious participant) plan as an example. Anne is 52, lives on her own and has low vision. Anne works 2 days per week and is a keen and talented blind tennis player. Anne is new to the NDIS and has been given a 12-month plan. Following her planning meeting, Anne’s NDIS planner calculated a plan with $89,494.13 based on the following supports:
- Assistance with Travel and Transport arrangements to access taxi or other transport services to assist getting to community or social activities (Core).
- Assistive equipment for recreation to purchase tennis balls that are specifically designed and manufactured for blind tennis. In case you are wondering… foam balls, larger than standard tennis balls, with beads/bells inside (Core).
- Assistive products for household tasks such as a talking microwave and talking scales (Core).
- Household tasks for 2 hours of cleaning per week and 3 hours of gardening per month (Core).
- Participation in community, social and recreation and civic activities for a support worker to assist Anne in the community or at an activity for an average of 15 hours per week. It is important to note that Anne can not use her funding to pay for the activity (Core).
- Support Coordination for up to 52 hours to assist with connecting and engaging the appropriate NDIS supports (Capacity Building).
- Therapeutic supports is delivered by an allied health professional such as an Occupational Therapist for up to 30 hours and on Orientation and Mobility specialist for up 40 hours (Capacity Building).
- Vision equipment for a ‘white’ cane and portable read-aloud magnifier (Core and Capital).
- Management of funding for supports to engage a plan manager – highly recommend Canny Plan Management. (Capacity Building).
How did the Planner come to such a precise amount you may well ask. The NDIA has set maximum rates payable for a most supports and Planners use these a guide to calculate the funding for each plan. When a participant is funded for a higher cost capital item, the funding for the item is based on an approved quote.
Tailored Supports for Every NDIS Participant
Sticking with Anne, she is just one of the 700,000+ participants on the scheme. She is an individual and her plan and funding are tailored to meet her needs to engage the appropriate NDIS supports. Anne’s plan and funding is different as it should be to that of 7 year old Ginny with cerebral palsy, 35 year old Richard who is autistic, and 60 year old Robin with a mental health condition. Ginny, Richard and Robin, are each their own person and have NDIS Plans for NDIS Supports to suit their own needs.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive view on NDIS Stated Supports and what you might need them for, check out our previous article! What Are NDIS Stated Supports + What Can I Use Them For?
Understanding What Is Not Covered By NDIS Supports
On the flip side of what are NDIS Supports, the NDIS Supports Transitional Rules also list supports that generally, and I will come to that later, are not NDIS Supports. Like the Yes list – what are NDIS Supports, the “No” list is broken down into categories, 24 to be exact. Within each of the categories is a descriptive and prescriptive list of what NDIS funds can not be used for. Eight of the categories refer to day to day living costs and five refer to therapies and health.
Let’s take a minute to go back to Anne. Anne wants a mini break and would like to use some of her Core funding for a nice little weekend get-away on the coast. Anne is not eligible for using her funding for respite, but she can utilise some of her Core funding to engage a support worker to assist her whilst she is away from her usual home. What Anne can not do, is use her funding to pay for any or part of the accommodation, food, travel or activity costs for the “get away”.
Similarly, Robin who is funded for a mental health condition would prefer to see a Somatic Therapist and a Wellness coach instead of accessing psychology as stated in his plan. Robin can not use his NDIS funds for either somatic therapy or wellness coaching as both are on the “No” list.
The NDIS is everchanging and sometimes that can make it difficult to know what’s in and what’s out! Luckily, we keep up to date so you don’t have to! Understanding The New NDIS Plan Legislation Changes
Accessing Everyday Items Through NDIS Funding
The NDIA understand that although the NDIS Support Transition Rules identify supports that are not NDIS supports, there may be some specific circumstances where you require an everyday commercially available household item or smart device.
Upon application, the NDIA will consider if you can use your existing funding for what is referred to as Replacement Support. For the NDIA to review and hopefully approve your request for a Replacement Support, you are required to provide clear evidence that what you are requesting relates specifically to and meets your disability needs.
Canny Plan Management + Understanding Your NDIS Plan…
For more information on what the NDIS will fund, won’t fund, and may fund, check out the ‘What does the NDIS fund?’ page on the NDIS website.
Canny Plan Management are expert in working with our clients to help them understand and use their plans to maximum effect within the NDIS rules. If you need help in understanding and breaking down your plan to identify eligible supports and calculate the allocated funding for each of the supports, or have a query about whether a service or support is or isn’t an NDIS Support, we are here for you.
Get in touch if you need help understanding or navigating your NDIS Plan!
