There are three ways to manage your NDIS funding: Self-managed, plan-managed, and NDIA-managed (or a combination of the three).
What Is the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a government initiative dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities through financial support. The NDIS offers financial support to individuals who qualify for disability assistance, enabling them to spend more time with their loved ones, attain increased independence, access new skills, pursue employment or engage in volunteering within their community, and enhance their overall quality of life. Additionally, the NDIS serves as a vital link between people with disabilities and various community services. This encompasses facilitating connections with doctors, community groups, sports clubs, support networks, libraries, and schools.
Self-Management Funding
Self-Management entails taking charge of your NDIS funding, providing you with the freedom to determine your required support and funds. If you wish to self-manage either all or a portion of your NDIS plan, communicate with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner.
Opting for self-management grants you greater autonomy in selecting the supports you procure, the flexibility to engage any provider that aligns with your preferences, the capability to hire or contract staff directly, the opportunity to negotiate support costs and control over both your funding and budgets.
Your responsibilities as a self-manager include:
- Purchasing supports that link to the goals in your NDIS plan.
- Securing clear agreements with your providers to make sure you know exactly what you will receive and how it will be provided and paid for.
- Making sure your supports are value-for-money and within your budget.
- Being able to show how you’ve used your self-managed funding towards pursuing your goals at your plan reassessment. This includes payment reviews where you need to provide invoices, receipts, or other evidence.
- Contacting the NDIA if there have been any changes in your circumstances.
- Doing payment reviews.
Plan-Management Funding
Plan management involves a provider, known as plan managers, assisting you in handling the funding within your NDIS plan. Engaging a plan manager can enhance your financial and plan management skills, guide you in learning how to self-manage your plan, facilitate payments to providers, broaden your choice of providers, and provide you with NDIS plan budget reports and increased budget oversight.
To have your plan managed, simply express your desire to a NDIS staff member, and the NDIS will allocate funding in your plan to cover the costs of your plan manager. Once you've chosen a plan manager, you'll establish a service agreement detailing the services to be provided, the duration of these services, the tenure of the person serving as your plan manager, and any other relevant details.
NDIA-Managed Funding
When your plan is managed by the NDIA, also known as Agency-managed, you have the flexibility to select from a variety of NDIS registered providers. These providers can claim payment directly from your funding through electronic processes. However, the use of unregistered providers is not permitted in this arrangement. To stay informed about the claims made by providers against your NDIS funding and to monitor your budget, you can access the myplace portal. Additionally, the NDIA takes care of managing your bookkeeping and maintaining records of your spending in this managed plan structure.
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