The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a program to support you with your disability and help your achieve your goals. Understanding how the scheme works and arranging services can be confusing and tricky for some. Here, we explain the NDIS and cover the steps for organising and receiving disability supports and services.
What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS?
The NDIS is a national scheme supporting people with disability. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) delivers the NDIS.
The NDIA is responsible for assessing the eligibility of scheme participants and working with them to develop support plans that meet their needs.
The NDIA is responsible for assessing the eligibility of scheme participants and working with them to develop support plans that meet their needs.
Navigating National Disability Insurance Scheme
There are several steps involved in becoming an NDIS participant and creating your personalised NDIS plan. To effectively navigate the NDIS, you will need to:
- Confirm your eligibility
- Apply for the NDIS
- Attend an NDIS planning meeting
- Develop your NDIS plan
- Arrange your services
- Pay for services using your plan funding
If you require help with any of these steps, local area coordinators can help you understand the process through NDIS support coordination programs.
Who is eligible for the NDIS?
A first step in navigating the NDIS system is understanding and ensuring your eligibility. To be eligible for the NDIS, you must:
- Be aged between nine and 65 years
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Have a permanent and significant disability, and require disability support or early intervention support
Applying for the NDIS
The next step in navigating the NDIS is to complete a form to request access to the NDIS. An Access Request form is available for download on the NDIS website. You should complete your request form with as much detail as possible. You can also call 1800 800 110 if you are unable to complete the form online.
The NDIS/ NDIA Assessment Team will be looking for information about you and all the evidence you can provide. According to the NDIS website, good evidence is considered to be information that:
- is recent
- has been completed by a treating health professional and confirms your primary disability
- confirms the impacts of your disability on the different areas of your life
- describes previous treatments and outcomes
- describes future treatment options and expected outcomes of those treatments
- Doctors/ GPs
- Paediatricians
- Orthopaedic surgeons
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech Pathologists
- Neurologists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Physiotherapists
Preparing for your NDIS meeting
Following your application to the NDIS, you will need to have a meeting with a representative from the NDIA. The meeting could be in person or over the phone. To prepare for your meeting, it is a good idea to make notes about the kind of support you require. At the meeting you may discuss the following:
- Where you live and
- who you live with
- How you manage everyday activities
- Any existing local community and mainstream supports you have in place
- Goal setting for the future, to encourage your capacity for independent living
- How you will manage your funding
What is an NDIS plan?
Once you have been deemed eligible for the NDIS, you will work to create an NDIS plan. An NDIS planner can help you throughout the planning process and ensure you create a plan that enables you to live your best life.
All NDIS participants are required to create a plan that outlines the types of services that are required. The plan will include coverage of any funded supports as well as community and informal support the
plans are reviewed when requirements in the current plan change or every 12 months. You can access your plan and note any changes via the myplace portal on the NDIS website.
All NDIS participants are required to create a plan that outlines the types of services that are required. The plan will include coverage of any funded supports as well as community and informal support the
plans are reviewed when requirements in the current plan change or every 12 months. You can access your plan and note any changes via the myplace portal on the NDIS website.
Arranging services under the NDIS
Your plan will outline the NDIS funds you are eligible for, across three key categories. The three NDIS support budgets are:
- Core Supports
- Capacity Building Supports
- Capital Supports
Nursed Care for navigating the NDIS
The team at Nursed Care understands how the complex NDIS system works, and can support you to understand your eligibility, and plan services that meet your individual needs.
We are proud to be a registered NDIS provider and assist many people with navigating the NDIS. We can match you with your own:
- Support coordinator
- Plan manager
- Funding advisor
Frequently Asked Questions
Children aged under nine years can also access the NDIS, through the NDIS early childhood approach. The NDIA is currently reviewing the best way to support young children and their families. Changes to service provision for children have been implemented since July 2023.
The early childhood approach is for children younger than six with developmental delay and children younger than nine with disability. For children under six, where there are concerns about the child’s development, a diagnosis is not necessary. Instead, children are assessed by a NDIS early childhood partner and allocated a support coordinator.
Children aged over nine years can access support coordination via their local area coordinator.
The NDIS is for people with a permanent disability who require help in daily life. The NDIS is not for people who have had an operation or have a short term injury. If you need support services following an operation or an injury, you will need to make private arrangements. You can still choose providers like Nursed Care, who assist people not funded by the NDIS as well as NDIS participants. The NDIS website has more information about eligibility criteria.
