NDIS FAQs.

No. Any unspent funds in your NDIS Plan don’t roll over when your plan ends. It’s important to use your funding effectively to achieve your goals.

The federal government is rolling out NDIS reforms, starting with some significant changes from Thursday 3 October 2024. There are new rules that cover many aspects of the NDIS including:

• How eligibility is assessed
• The supports that can be funded by the NDIS
• How plans are managed
• How funding is allocated and needs to be spent
• Requirements for information gathering for eligibility reassessment.

Many of the changes are a result of the NDIS Review Final Report which was released last year. The review made 26 recommendations to change the system of supports for people with disability. To adopt some of these recommendations, the government needed to change the NDIS laws.

• In March 2024 the government introduced new legislation to change the law that governs the NDIS – called the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024
• Before the new laws were passed, the Senate referred the draft to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee which sought feedback from the community and some amendments were made
• The Australian Parliament approved the changes in August 2024
• The first changes come into effect from 3 October 2024.

These new NDIS changes are in addition to the PACE changes that have already taken place or are underway for some people on the NDIS.

There will be a transition period for the first 12 months to ensure participants aren’t penalised for simple mistakes. The NDIS will work with participants and take an educative approach if a participant purchases a support which is not funded.

If someone continues to claim for things which are not NDIS supports, despite them being provided with information and advice, remedial action will be taken.

In most cases, Capacity Building supports have changed in name only. However, the following additions have been made:

• Support Coordination now covers support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaches
• There is a new support category called Behaviour Supports.

Your new plan may be longer, depending on your needs. The NDIS has said that it may offer longer plans of up to three years to people with stable support needs who are unlikely to go through a big transition during that time. Young children and teenagers moving from school to further education/work are likely to receive shorter plans. You can ask your NDIS contact for a longer plan during the renewal process.

No. For longer plans, you will get the same budget for each year. That means you get an annual amount to manage and spend on supports and services you need to pursue your goals. You won’t be able to dip into the next year’s funds if your funding runs out so it’s important to manage your budget carefully each year. Your budgets will be indexed annually in June based on any changes in price limits (same as currently).

A plan implementation meeting is a chance to meet with your NDIS contact after you get your new plan – it’s a new thing being introduced to help people get started and make the most of their plans. Attending a plan implementation meeting is a good idea if you:

• Are new to the NDIS
• Are getting a new NDIS Plan
• Have had changes to your current NDIS Plan
• Have asked for changes to your NDIS Plan that have not been approved.

It’s not compulsory to attend. If you feel confident managing your plan by yourself or with your support coordinator and plan manager, you don’t need to attend a plan implementation meeting.

The way people apply to access the NDIS is changing. If you are aged 9-65 and think you meet the NDIS access requirements you can contact your local NDIS office or NDIS partner. This person can then help connect you to disability supports in your local area or support you to apply for the NDIS, if you’re eligible. If you’re applying on behalf of a child younger than 9, check out The NDIS early childhood approach for children under 9 and contact your local early childhood partner. If you live in a remote or very remote area, have complex support needs or are in a hospital or justice setting, contact the NDIS for assistance. They can help you apply if you’re eligible. Or you can complete the NDIS access request form.

Your NDIS Plan will show a whole dollar figure for each support type rather than as a line-by-line cost, giving you more flexibility over how you use your total budget.

For example, you will see your Core supports budget as a total figure, to use flexibly across your assistance with Daily Living, Social, Community Participation and Consumables supports.

Capacity Building may still include stated supports that must be spent on a specified support or service. It cannot be flexibly spent on anything else.

Some changes are being made to support types and categories. Any new NDIS Plans generated after 30 October 2023 may reflect these changes. There will now be 4 support types instead of three:

1. Core
2. Capacity Building
3. Capital
4. Recurring (new).

There have also been 6 new support categories added:

• Home and Living (Core)
• Behaviour Support (Capacity Building)
• Assistive Technology Repairs and Rental (Capital)
• Specialist Disability Accommodation (Capital)
• Transport Recurring (Recurring)
• Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) (Core).

See our dedicated page on NDIS support categories for details.

Recurring supports are where funds are paid directly on a regular basis into your nominated bank account. You don’t need to make a claim for these supports. Recurring transport is a new support category for participants who receive transport funding (for people who cannot use public transport without substantial difficulty due to their disability). Funding will generally be the same amount as before, with eligible participants receiving it pro rata into their bank account on a fortnightly basis.

You’ll find your plan management funding in the Choice and Control support category under Capacity Building supports.

Both fall under the Short term accommodation category of the NDIS Core supports budget. This category covers short term accommodation, including respite, and covers the cost of your care in another place for up to 14 days at a time. You might have a short stay with other people, or by yourself. It’s often funded when your usual carers aren’t available, or for you to try new things.

Generally not. The NDIS will only pay direct family members to provide supports in exceptional circumstances. For example, if you are in a remote area with no services available to you. If you have questions about this or would like to seek approval for a special circumstance, we recommend that you contact your LAC or NDIS Planner to discuss.

Service agreements are not required but are highly recommended. They are an important aspect of implementing your NDIS Plan because they set out how and when you receive supports from a service provider. Read our previous story to find out more about The importance of service agreements.

Yes! NDIS participants are able to become service providers. Learn more here.

Yes you can! For example, if you have been allocated 30 hours of individual support you could split the allocation between multiple providers.

No, you don’t have to share your plan or the funding information. Remember, your plan is yours and you can choose who you share the details of your plan with. Visit the NDIS ‘Sharing your plan’ page for more information. While you don’t have to share your information, you do need to make sure you have sufficient funds available for all of the goods and services you agree to purchase. The Leap in! app is a great tool to help you to keep track of how you are spending your budgets. The Leap in! app is available in the Apple App Store, on Google Play and for web. If you have any questions about how to use the app to prepare for your NDIS plan meeting or plan reassessment, contact the Leap in! Crew on 1300 05 78 78.

The out-of-pocket expenses that would be incurred if you went on a holiday, such as transportation (like car travel, flights or rail), meals, accommodation and sightseeing are not covered by the NDIS.

The important thing to understand is that how your plan is managed can affect the providers you can use and how you can claim. If you choose plan management or self-management, you can use registered or non-registered providers. Read our previous article for more information on Registered and unregistered providers.

At your planning meeting, your NDIS contact will tell you if your plan is under the PACE system. Each time you contact the NDIS, the operator will remind you which computer system your plan is under.

PACE started rolling out across the country on 30 October 2023. Anyone who is beginning the plan reassessment process after that date is likely to be moved to PACE. Your NDIS contact Local Area Coordinator or Early Childhood Partner) or NDIS Planner will contact you and explain what happens next. They’ll ask you how your plan is going, how you’ve used your funding and anything that’s changed. You will only need to attend a plan meeting if your new plan will be different to your current plan.

PACE is the name of a new computer system being used for the NDIS. It will replace the current system once the rollout is complete. It’s a big change, so it’s expected to take more than a year to complete.

PACE is the platform or program that the NDIS staff will use to manage participant information, enquiries, NDIS Plans and budgets. It will also connect to a new NDIS participant portal.

The NDIS says it’s making changes to improve participant experience, as well as ensure greater consistency in decisions made by staff. It’s also implementing some recent changes to the NDIS Act, the main law governing how the NDIS operates.

There are many steps on the journey to achieving your career goals. NDIS employment supports cover the entire journey, from preparing for work to getting help on the job to making your next career move. Why set work-related goals?

• To empower you to make career changes
• Give you a sense of purpose and direction
• Build self-esteem
• Expand your skills, knowledge and expertise
• Motivate you to grow, develop and overcome any barriers you face along the way
• Provide structure for seeking NDIS employment support.

NDIS Workplace assistance. Workplace assistance is a support designed to build a career pathway and fulfil your career employment goals. It may be used in an open employment setting or with an Australian disability enterprise (ADE). NDIS Supports in employment – Specialised supported employment. Supports in employment are designed for employed people on the NDIS who are less independent in performing work tasks. They can also be used to fund additional coaching in the workplace, such as help to stay focused, assistance with communication or job customisation. NDIS Employment-related assessment and counselling. Employment-related assessment and counselling sits under the Capacity Building budget in an NDIS Plan. It’s designed to fund services that assist you to successfully engage in employment. For example, helping people who need significant support to return to work after a traumatic injury. For more details about how the NDIS can help you achieve your employment goals, read NDIS Employment supports: all you need to know.

Getting out in the community and making friends is an important part of life. Achieving goals related to being active in society can help create a sense of belonging and connection. Participating in social activities, neighbourhood groups, sporting groups or the arts is also a great way to learn skills and build confidence.

Types of goals related to social and community participation.

You’ve probably noticed that goals can overlap. For example, social and community activities can be connected to a lot of different goals. Sports activities are a good example. They can help you progress on many goals such as making friends, being more active in the community, building confidence, improving mobility and becoming stronger. You get the idea! The NDIS has a dedicated funding category for Assistance with Social and Community Participation. It can fund things like support to attend community-based activities and assistance to participate in social groups. Below are some examples of types of things that this funding category may support.

• Making new friends, meeting new people or expanding your social network
• Learning new things such as through workshops or classes
• Getting fit or trying a new sport which can also help you achieve health related goals
• Arts and cultural experiences such as music lessons, events or festivals
• Advocacy and leadership, such as public speaking skills.

What the NDIS may cover

• Short-term support to build skills to help you participate independently
• Someone to assist with things like finding the right clothes to wear, getting changed or setting you up to join the activity
• Transport to and from the activity if your family can’t provide it and you can’t use public transport independently
• Personal care while you attend an activity, such as assistance to use the bathroom
• Assistive technology, special equipment or equipment modifications to help you participate (eg. a customised bike)
• Training for instructors or coaches to help them understand your needs.

Yes! We refer to this as a ‘combination managed plan’. The benefit of a combination managed plan is that you can manage each part of your NDIS budget in a way that suits your needs. For example, if you are juggling NDIS Plans for multiple family members and need help with the finances, or if you currently self manage but want to do less admin.

The NDIS covers the cost of plan management by putting extra funds into your NDIS Plan for this purpose. There is no additional cost to you and it doesn’t affect the funding you get for other supports.

If you have plan management, you’ll find it under the Capacity Building – Improved Life Choices budget.

This is the name of the process for joining the NDIS. You’ll need to complete some forms and provide background information about your disability so the NDIA can determine if you’re eligible.

The NDIS will contact you to start the process for a plan reassessment. You will need to create a log in to the new NDIS portal. Your NDIS contact or LAC will help you make the transition if required.

Yes. PACE is the name the NDIS staff use for the new computer system. However, for participants and the public, the NDIS is just using ‘the new system’.

Before you use the new portal for the first time, you need to register. You will need these details:

• Your NDIS number 
• Date of birth
• The mobile phone number or email address linked to your NDIS account.

To access the NDIS, you need to meet both the eligibility and disability requirements. The eligibility requirements are:

1. You are aged between 9 and 65. Children aged younger than 9 and their families can be supported through the early childhood approach.
2. You live in Australia, are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or hold a permanent visa or special category visa (SCV). New Zealanders living in Australia are only eligible for the NDIS if they are an Australian resident or SCV holder.
3. You meet the disability requirements or early intervention requirements or both. Eligibility is focused on how a disability affects your ability to actively participate in work and society.

  To meet the disability requirements, the NDIS needs evidence of all of the following:

• Your disability is caused by an impairment
• The impairment is likely to be permanent (likely to be lifelong)
• Your permanent impairment substantially reduces your functional capacity to undertake one of or more of the following activities: moving around, communicating, socialising, learning or undertaking self-care or self-management tasks
• Your permanent impairment affects your ability to work, study or take part in social life
• You’ll likely require an NDIS Support under the NDIS for your whole life.

You may be eligible for the NDIS if you are aged between 7 and 65. Once you turn 65 you can choose to remain with the NDIS or transition to the aged care system.

The Early Childhood Approach is designed to support children under 6 with developmental delay or children under 9 with disability and their families. If you are concerned about your child’s development or have a child aged younger than 9 with disability, you can contact an Early ChildhoodPartner. No referral or diagnosis is necessary.

The Early Childhood Partner can provide connection to early supports and other services in the community. They can also help you apply for the NDIS if needed.

On its own, ADHD is not usually covered by the NDIS because it can be hard to meet the NDIS eligibility criteria.

Getting plan management included in your NDIS Plan is easy. You simply need to ask the NDIS for it. This is usually done at an NDIS Plan meeting or plan reassessment. It can also be done at any time, between plans by contacting the NDIS or your Local Area Coordinator.  Once you have plan management included in your NDIS Plan, you need to let the NDIS know who you want to be your plan manager. The NDIS calls this ‘endorsing’ your plan manager. You need to endorse your plan manager before they can access your budgets and start processing invoices.  You can do this in the following ways: 

• Call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 and tell them you’d like to endorse your chosen plan manager. They will ask you to confirm the plan manager’s provider registration number which will normally be provided to you by them
• Email the NDIS Contact Centre at [email protected] 
• Contact your NDIS Planner, Early Childhood Partner, or Local Area Coordinator.

If you’re on the older NDIS PRODA system and switching to another plan manager, you’ll need to notify your previous plan manager so they can release your plan to your new plan manager. Need help? Call one of our Crew on 1300 05 78 78 – we are here to assist.

If you are over 65 at the time your area rolls out the NDIS, you will transition into the aged care system.

If you are currently receiving funding under the NDIS and you turn 65, you can either choose to remain with the NDIS or you can transition to the aged care system.

NDIS funding doesn’t cover general everyday living expenses that people without disability would be required to pay, such as train travel, rent, groceries, mobile phone or movie tickets.

Funding under the NDIS is individualised, based on goals and outcomes. From 3 October 2024, the NDIS will only fund supports related to the ‘impairments’ that led to your acceptance onto the scheme. This means you can only spend money in your NDIS Plan on supports that relate to the impairment identified when you applied for access to the NDIS. Your plan is developed at a planning meeting and can be reviewed as your goals change.

No, assistance from the NDIS is not means tested, which means the value of your assets isn’t taken into account when determining eligibility. NDIS funding does not impact income support such as the Disability Support Pension or Carer Allowance.

In order to be considered reasonable and necessary, a support must,

• be related to your disability
• represent value for money
• be likely to be effective and beneficial
• take into account any informal supports given to you by your family, friends, support crew (including support workers, support networks and the community)

They can’t include any day-to-day living costs that aren’t related to your disability support needs. What types of supports are funded? Your NDIS plan will be individual and specific to you and your life. The types of supports that the NDIS may fund include:

• daily personal activities
• transport to enable participation in community, social, economic and daily life activities
• workplace help to allow you to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market
• therapeutic supports including behaviour support
• help with household tasks to allow you to maintain your home environment
• help by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training
• home modification design and construction
• mobility equipment
• vehicle modifications.

Planning meetings can either be conducted by a NDIA Planner or through a Local Area Coordinator (LAC). An LAC can be a NDIS staff member or they can be a team member of a not-for-profit organisation who is acting on behalf of the NDIA. What will my meeting be like? You can request a face-to-face meeting planning meeting when the NDIS planner calls you. When someone from the NDIS calls you, ask them what the purpose of the phone call is: ask whether it’s to check your eligibility or whether it’s for your NDIA Planning meeting. See our Plan Meeting Checklist for more information on what you can request.

Yes. You can ask a family member, a close friend, your partner or a person who supports you (someone you know and can trust).

It’s not necessary to include the cost of the item in your plan. However, you can familiarise yourself with the NDIS Price Guide here.

We recommend including two short term and one long term goal in your first plan (although there is no limit to the number of goals you can have).

It may be that one of your short term goals is to retain your current level of supports.

A good place to start is to think about what you’d like to achieve in the next year or two. This can be something simple e.g. ‘learning to cook for myself’ or to make new friends’. Longer term goals could be ‘finding a job that’s right for me’ or learn to live more independently’.

So often we hear from our members and crew, ‘that you don’t know what you don’t know’. If you need some inspiration, visit the Goal Tracker section of the Leap in! planning app for a range of goals that are tailored to your individual profile.

Generally, no.

You can request a review of your plan with the NDIA (this must be made within three months of receiving your plan). You can make the request by:

• Calling the NDIA on 1800 800 110
• Writing to the CEO of the NDIA at GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601
• Emailing to a request to [email protected]
• Visiting an NDIS office or
• Completing the application for review of a decision form on the NDIS myplace participant portal.

Your review will be conducted by an NDIA staff member who was not involved in the original decision making. They will reconsider the facts, law and policy aspects of the original plan and determine if was accurate. They are also able to consider any new information available.

Any unspent funds are returned to the NDIA.

Many NDIS participants are seeking greater flexibility in how they manage their NDIS Plans. 

A combination managed plan is when you choose more than one option for managing your NDIS Plan. The great thing about a combination managed plan is that you can choose to have each part of your NDIS budget managed in a way that suits your needs. For example, you may choose to self manage your Core supports, and have a plan manager support you for the rest of your plan.

Would you like to discuss how a combination managed plan might work for you? Call Leap in! on 1300 05 78 78.

The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary support and equipment that a person with disability needs. The funding supports you to pursue your goals and aspirations; increase your independence; increase your social and economic participation and to develop your capacity to take part in the community.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent agency whose role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).