NDIS Plans and Costs

Starting your NDIS plan and supports

Upon NDIS being rolled out in your state,  and you were assessed and approved for the NDIS, the next step to take is to search for a provider that is capable of offering your approved services, which is also known as ‘supports’.

NDIS gives you control over your plan and the support you are receiving. In other words, you have the right to choose the supports you want to have, when and where you receive them, including the provider that will provide those services.

Creating Your Plan

In the planning session with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), you will be given the opportunity to discuss your goals and decide which supports you want to include in your plan to achieve those goals. These supports range from family, friends, and mainstream services, to community group supports. Moreover, could either be free or funded by sources other than NDIS, such as Medicare.

NDIS supports

These are the supports that NDIA has deemed fit to assist you to live a normal life. To that effect, NDIA will provide you with a budget for a support category, which links to a specific area of your life.

Support Categories

Each support category contains several options to enable you to achieve your desired goal. If you are funded for Core Supports, you can access support such as assistance with everyday tasks, consumables, and social participation. The flexibility of this funding made it possible for you to access any support in the three categories that are suitable for achieving your goal. However, transport funding is not included because transport is funded separately.

Besides Core Supports, you may also be funded for Capital Supports, or Capacity Building supports. Funding for these supports is allocated specifically so you can achieve your goals, so only supports within the allocation can be accessed. Sometimes, you may be approved for specific support (rather than a category). In that case, only the support can be provided with the allocated budget on your plan.

Cost of Supports

The NDIA does list its price list on its website, which shows the cost of each support. The price list contains the cost of each service, which applies to all the providers. The price list is valid for a period of twelve months starting from 1st July each year. In some cases, the cost of support may not be published. So,  for such a situation,  we can provide you with a quote subject to NDIA approval. You will not be spending any money from your pocket to access your planned support.

Finding a Provider

After receiving your plan, the next action to be taken is, choosing a provider. It is your choice to either allow one provider to deliver all your support or to spread it among different providers.

With an extensive range of NDIS services, BridgesCare can be a single point of contact to help you manage all of your approved supports.  We can provide all the services ourselves or partner with other providers to deliver your approved support. We have been providing disability support services for more than five years. Moreover, we work with a team of different medical and allied health professionals. Also, with branches all over New South Wales, we offer you personalized, professional support that can be changed as your needs change.

Managing Your Budget

The four different ways to administer your NDIS plan budget are as follows.

Agency

National Disability Insurance Agency  will be  paying  your providers directly If you choose them as your plan manager

Plan management provider

Another option is a situation where a participant chooses a provider such as BridgesCare to manage their plan. NDIA will have to pay the provider directly as well.

Self-managed budgets

You have the choice to manage your budget and pay for services directly to the providers. In this case, the cost of the services will be reimbursed to your bank account later. If you are interested in this option, click on this link to find more NDIS information on self-managing your plan.

Transport payments

If you have an approved plan and funding for transport,  the budgeted amount will be transferred into your nominated account every fourteen days by the NDIA.

Managing Your Plan and Supports

Your provider is meant to give you a monthly statement of your services to give you an overview of the services provided.  That way, you will be able to keep a record of all the services you have received.  Besides, the history of your support can also be viewed on the myplace participant portal.   If your needs change, your provider will discuss other services that might suit you better within your existing budgets or support you to request a plan review by the NDIA to amend the budgets you have been approved for.