Important update: New NDIS reforms announced.

A new package of reforms has been announced by the NDIA.

Drawing on the recommendations of the Tune Review, the reforms are the most extensive in the seven years since the NDIS started.

Today we take a quick look at the changes that are already underway or planned over the next two years.

Participant Service Guarantee.

In an announcement last week, Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert said that the government supported the recommendations of the Tune Review and would work with people with a disability and the disability sector to implement a range of reforms.

The reforms are intended to help deliver on the promise of the NDIS – to provide people with a permanent and significant disability true choice and control over a flexible support package to achieve their goals.

Included is an NDIS Participant Service Guarantee which sets new service standards and clear timeframes for decision making by the NDIA.

The NDIS must make decisions about access, plan approvals, plan reviews and nominee changes within these timeframes, creating greater certainty about how long changes will take.

A new Participant Service Charter and Participant Service Improvement Plan will help to make the scheme simpler and fairer for participants and their families.

Participant Service Charter.

A new Participant Services Charter has been developed to explain what participants can expect when they deal with the NDIS.

The aim is to support participants to achieve their goals and make their own decisions to the greatest extent possible. The NDIS also wants to adopt family-centred practices, respecting the role of families and carers in giving voice to the needs of children.

The charter is based on five principles:

1. Transparent – making it easy to understand information and decisions
2. Responsive – responding to individual needs and circumstances
3. Respectful – recognising individual experience and acknowledging that participants are the experts in their own lives
4. Empowering – easy access to information and support
5. Connected – ability to access the services and support needed.

Find out more about the Participant Service Charter on the NDIS website.

Participant Service Improvement Plan.

The Participant Service Improvement Plan sets out what the NDIS is planning to do over the next two years to deliver a scheme that meets participant expectations. It also covers the changes that are being made so the NDIS works better for everyone.

To date, the following changes have been made:

• Health and Justice Liaison Officers are helping people interact with the NDIS
• You can now access your personal data and plan details without having to ask through a Freedom of Information request
• You will have a current contact person for all your interactions with the NDIS. The name of your contact person is listed in the myplace portal.
• Guidelines and procedures are being made clearer.

Find out more about the Participant Service Improvement Plan on the NDIS website.

Get help to navigate the NDIS.

As a plan manager, Leap in! helps people with a disability make the most of their NDIS Plan and budgets. Unsure of how plan management can work for you? Chat with us online via our website, call 1300 05 78 78, or email connect@leapin.com.au.

Further reading:

NDIS eligibility: The basics.

Are you prepared for your Plan meeting?

How do I know that plan management is right for me?