What Is An NDIS Plan Manager + What Do They Do?
Written by: Edwina Wilkens l Marketing + Business Development Manager for Canny Plan Management
NDIS Plan Management is referred to in many different ways depending on who you’re speaking with; personal NDIS Accountant, NDIS Bookkeeper, Keeper of the Money and the list goes on. While that is great in theory, the reality is a little different when you use your choice and control and choose to be Plan Managed by Canny Plan Management – we become part of your support network. Plan Management is a type of disability service that is funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). As stated in the NDIS Guide to Plan Management –
“The overarching function of plan management is to assist and support NDIS Participants to manage their NDIS Plan funding”.
By definition, Canny adjective:
- Having or showing shrewdness and good judgement, especially in money or business matters.
Canny investors will switch banks if they think they are getting a raw deal
Canny Group has been a long-standing member of our local community, bringing together a team that is passionate about helping those near and far which is why it was important when forming Canny Plan Management that we did it right, with the client always at the heart of everything we do. We spent months speaking with providers (big and small), participants and their families as well as Not-For-Profit organisations to find out the pain points when it came to dealing with NDIS Plan Managers so that we could take it upon ourselves to better the services that we can provide to those that need it the most, all while following the NDIS guidelines.
Canny Plan Management isn’t your everyday NDIS Plan Management Team, we are real people from real walks of life and our aim is to help you to be empowered to make the most of the supports that best suit your needs.
What is an NDIS Plan Manager?
By definition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS); the overarching function of Plan Management is to assist and support NDIS Participants to manage their NDIS Plan Funding.
The funding that is allocated to a participant in the NDIS Plan from the NDIS can be managed in a number of ways, and you as the participant are given the choice and control to make your own choice about what is going to be the most beneficial for you to do so.
- Agency Managed (NDIA Managed)
Agency Managed is when a participant uses their choice and control to choose to use the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIS) to manage the funding that they receive in their NDIS Plan by the NDIS. When having your funds Agency Managed, the NDIA will directly pay the NDIS registered providers of relevant services on behalf of the participant. When choosing to be Agency Managed you are only allowed to use NDIS registered providers for your supports.
- Self-Managed
Self-Managed is when a participant or their plan nominee (a person such as a parent or relative) manages the allocated NDIS Plan funds. When choosing to Self-Managed your NDIS funds, the National Disability Insurance Scheme will reimburse a participant or their plan nominee directly for the NDIS Supports that are received and due for payment. You also have the option to use both registered and non-registered NDIS providers for your supports.
- Plan Managed
Plan Managed is when a participant chooses to use a registered NDIS Plan Management provider who will assist the participant with managing their allocated NDIS Plan funds. If you choose to be Plan Managed, your NDIS Plan Management provider can purchase supports on behalf of you, the participant from either registered or unregistered providers (unlink being Agency Managed where you are only allowed to engage in NDIS Registered Providers to provide services). Your NDIS Plan Manager will receive funds from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and disburse these funds on behalf of the participant to the providers of the services that have been received.
Being Plan Managed gives you the best of both worlds, as it means that you are not restricted to the providers that you choose to engage and we take the administration out of what can sometimes be an overwhelming job in itself.
How can an NDIS Plan Manager Support a Participant?
There are many ways in which an NDIS Plan Manager can support a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Participant:
- Management and monitoring a participant’s NDIS budgets
- Managing the claims of an NDIS participant, as well as payment of invoices for the services that have been delivered
- Providing regular statements to a participant or their support network to keep them updated on the states of their funded budgets
- Offering and providing increased choice and control to a participant over the course of their NDIS Plan implementation
An NDIS Plan Management provider is expected to manage a number of activities and tasks to ensure that they are effectively administering the NDIS Plan’s allocated funding.
At the end of the day, it is in your best interest to find a Plan Manager that is going to work with you and if you have one, your Support Coordinator to ensure that all of your supports are working together and towards helping you in achieving your goals that you have set out to achieve in your NDIS Plan.
At Canny Plan Management, we care about you and helping you to achieve your goals and aspirations. We provide a personal, independent non-biased and responsive service. You are allocated with a personal Plan Manager when you join our Canny Group family – someone who is dedicated to helping you understand and manage your NDIS Plan. Your Plan Manager listens to you, to understand your individual circumstances and works with you to maximise your NDIS funding. We like to support our NDIS Participants by ensuring that they know and feel comfortable with having us as part of their support network. Paying the bills is just one of the things that we do but as your NDIS Plan Manager, we will:
- Meet with you to discuss and prepare a budget, based on the supports identified in your NDIS Plan regardless of if they are agency, self or plan managed
- Process and pay your provider invoices within three business days of receipt
- Resolve any payment issues quickly
- Provide you with monthly statements and take care of the financial reporting
- Check-in with you at three and six months to discuss your plan utilisation and how your funding is tracking
- Meet with you prior to your plan expiring to help you prepare for your Plan Review – including a proposed budget to help you get the plan you need
- Provide you with a Welcome Pack in your preferred format
- Deliver a participant centred best practice model service
Working Together with your NDIS Plan Management Team
Any NDIS Participant is able to choose to have one or more of their funded supports managed by an NDIS Plan Management provider on their choice, which can be requested during the NDIS Planning meeting for the participant.
The best part is, there is no cost to you – the participant! Plan Management is a specific stated and funded support under Capacity Building and Improved Life Choices (Choice and Control). There is extra funding that will be included in the participant’s NDIS Plan to pay for the services of your chosen NDIS Plan Management provider.
Life a trusted friend, we are here to help you navigate and maximise your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Plan. Our team are real people from real walks of life – just as you are! We care about helping you reach and achieve your goals. Get in touch today to have a chat to our NDIS Plan Management team to see how we can work with you. Don’t just take our word for it, we are happy to have a chat on the phone or if you pop into our office with your questions we will take the time to ensure that you feel you are in safe hands with our team.
