What is The NDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme, or NDIS is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency, or NDIA.

The NDIS is one component of the National Disability Strategy which brings community, government and industry together to address the challenges faced by people with disability, and ensures they are supported by mainstream services such as health, education and transport and the wider community.

The aim of the NDIS is simple:
To provide Australians who are born with or acquire a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to live and enjoy an ordinary life.

The vision of the NDIS is also simple:
To build independence, and increase opportunities and social participation for people living with disability in Australia.

The NDIS consists of two parts:
NDIS funded supports for eligible participants, and
Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (or ILC which is all about connecting your with your community) – for all people with disability.

People with disability who are eligible to become NDIS participants will receive funded support.

Each NDIS participant has a plan that focuses on building their independence, and increasing opportunities. This could mean participating in activities in your community, getting a job or learning a new skill.

The important thing is that the participant has choice and control of the supports they need to live the lift they want.

By 2020 around 460,000 people with disability living in Australia will have a funded plan under the NDIS.

The second part of the NDIS is Information, Linkages and Capacity Building or ILC.
ILC is for all people with disability, whether they are an NDIS participant or not.

ILC has two objectives:
• That people with disability have the ability to achieve their goals
• That people with disability are included in all aspects of community life.

ILC is all about inclusion – it’s about creating connections between people with disability and the communities they live in.

The NDIS is not just for the expected 460,000 participants, or for the 2 million people living with disability in Australia, the NDIS is for all of us.

For more information visit our website: www.ndis.gov.au or call 1800 800 110.

Self Managing Your NDIS plan

Self-managing your NDIS plan gives you choice and control over the supports and services you purchase to help you achieve your goals.

This means that you, a family member or a trusted person will have complete control over your funds – including paying your supports and service providers.

In this video, we’ll explain what you need to do in order to self-manage your plan.

If you choose to self-manage you will have:

1. The ability to choose any provider or support that will help you to meet your plan goals. The providers do not need to be registered with the NDIS.

2. The capacity to be innovative and flexible when purchasing services and supports to best meet your needs.

3. You will be responsible for making sure the services and support you purchase are reasonable and necessary and help you to achieve your NDIS plan goals. You will also need to manage your budget so you can purchase the supports you need for the duration of your plan. As a self-managed participant you will be in control of:
• Selecting and arranging your service providers and support.
• Requesting invoices and receipts for services.
• Processing Payment Requests for the services through the NDIS Participant Portal myplace
• And then paying your service providers.
NDIS will want to hear about how you have achieved your plan goals using the support and services you have purchased. You will need to keep receipts and maintain records of services and supports used.

As a self-managed participant you will have flexibility to use your allocated NDIS budget to purchase services that help you to self-manage your funds and supports.

If you would like to self-manage but are unsure whether you are ready to self-manage all aspects of your NDIS budget, don’t worry.

Talk to NDIS about what supports are available to help you develop the skills that you need.

This could include a Support Coordinator who can help to get you started, a Plan Manager to help you manage your funds or a Local Area Coordinator or Early Childhood Partner who can help you find services and supports.

To find out more about self-managing your NDIS plan, go to www.ndis.gov.au or call us on 1800 800 110.

After Your Planning Meeting

Once you have had your planning conversation with us, a number of things will happen so you can put your plan into action and start receiving your support funding.

The plan you discussed needs to be formally approved by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

In some cases the person you had your planning conversation with will be able to approve the plan, while in other cases they will send the draft plan to a colleague who will review and approve the plan.

Once your plan is approved, we’ll send you a welcome pack which includes:
• A copy of your approved plan either by email or in the post.
• A letter outlining any decisions made by the NDIA when approving your plan.
• Fact sheets about the NDIS and how to start your plan.

If your circumstances have changed and believe your plan no longer meets your needs, or you disagree with what has been approved, you may request a review. The process for this will be explained in your welcome pack.

If there is anything in your plan or the letter you don’t understand, you can contact the NDIA.

Once you receive your plan, we’ll then help you put it into action.

The NDIA will call you to talk you through how to get started. As part of this call they will guide you through two things you’ll need to set up online so you can access your NDIS funding.
1. Creating a myGov account if you haven’t done so already
2. Linking your myGov account to the NDIS Myplace Participant Portal.

You can find information on developing your plan, starting your plan, and more helpful information on our website: www.ndis.gov.au or call 1800 800 110