NDIS -Let's Go Shoppong

The power of Choice

Preparing for the NDIS is a little bit like writing a shopping list. We all have budget constraints, including participants of the NDIS. If you read yesterdays post, we talk about reasonable and necessary supports, in a sense these are the budget measures of your NDIS package.

However by now you know shopping for supports has been overhauled under the NDIS. You selection of support services will occur after your NDIS plan has been approved. May I suggest a little window shopping might be the way too proceed.

Your NDIS shopping list will be based on the resources allocated to you by the NDIA.  These resources will include:-

• Support hours
• Equipment
• Therapies
• Access to services
• Mobility Allowance

The budget you receive must be spent in the way it is set out in your NDIA service agreement.  This will be signed after you sign the service agreements with a support service or to self managed you own funds. Some resource will be paid for separate to the allocation of your package to pay for supports. Like your mobility allowance.  The way this is calculated has significantly changed too. The amount of your mobility allowance will be calculated on the hours of community participation you engage in per week.

What Can I Shop For

We are now seeing a major shift in the way participants are being supported in the community.  The NDIA is asking you to plug into life.  The don't want to pay workers for you to be inactive.  Of course they will continue to fund essential in home support. 

Support and resources are now linked to each of your nominated NDIS support goals. So if goals and steps are not outlined on you plan you will not be able to shop for those supports.  We have seen the NDIA will be only providing reasonable and necessary supports that are directly relate to enhance you life due to impairments related to your disability.

The way I explain that is if you have a goal to train as an actor, the NDIA will not pay for the expenses of your training. Any class you need to undertake you need to pay for just like any other trainee in your class.  However if you need a wheelchair, communication device or personal care to undertake your training then these are the reasonable and necessary supports the NDIA is talking about.

So what's not covered

• Any support related to goals not contain in your support plan.
• Any goals that can not be provided under best practise.  That's my learning to drive example for those who been following my blog.
• Any supports that do not support you or a family member to engage in the community.
• Any supports that the NDIA does not see as 'value for money'. Some times they will op for a piece of equipment or making your environment more accessible rather than support hours. The NDIA is looking at you becoming as independent as possible.
• Any expense incurred in obtaining your goal that is not a result of your impairments. If you are studying art this may be course fees, books and art supplies.
• Any service that is freely available in the community or provided by other government departments such as Medicare.

So as you can see knowing what you want (or your goals) and how you want to achieve it (the steps) and the supports you will need (resources) are important in writing your NDIS goals and you participant statement.

The better prepare you and your family or any other person you'd like to support you in the transition process are when you meet or speak to the planner, the more productive your session will be. This includes being prepare emotionally. 

Any change is scary and the results unknown. Thousands of Australians are embracing on the same journey as you and/or your family. It could be really helpful to talk to you peers and support each other.  You might be able to go NDIS shopping together!

Sharing information with others can impower them and if you share resources you might save time. It is equally important to grieve the past and for lost opportunities. That pain has been part of your journey until now, not to acknowledge and accept the NDIS is a new start could hold you back.  You don't want your time with the planner to be stalled by the emotions from the past.  To do this you might see a counsellor, have a family meeting or ask some from your current provider to assist. 

Also you want to ensure everyone who you have invited to your planning meeting is on the same page and they understand the goals you have chose and the steps you intend to take to achieve them.

One thing to keep in mind when writing your goals is the NDIA has a credit limit so if you have 25 goals in your plan they may ask you to list them in priorities. Before you start shopping there on more thing to add to you resources and that is the costs related to the administration of your package, this too may alter your shopping list you may need to shop for a host provider or you may need to recruit your own staff.  Here's a quick overview. 

Cost of Administering your funds

Shopping Options

• The NDIA can pay your supports on your behalf. This is much like what happens with Disabilities Services now, except you'll be telling them who pay. You can not use this option if you are self-managing.
• If you are self-directing your funding then you may wish to shop for a host provider. A host provider will hold your funds on your behalf and administer them as directed by you. They will keep a record of spending, pay your bills, and assist with the reporting requirements for the NDIS.  The will charge an administration fee for this, which the NDIA will calculate into your package total.  Which is why how your funding is to be administrate is part of your goal plan.
• You may like to manage your own funding.  Essentially there are two choices: (a) Administration of your funding (accounting and reporting requirements) to buy services and supports. or (b) Administration of funds through directly employing your own support team. Choosing this option means you are electing to set-up your own business and thus become an employer. This means you are also responsible for all responsibility as an employer:- insurances, police checks, safety audits, work health and safety and ongoing staff training, if your interested in this option the NDIA may assist you with some training, so you need to add that to your shopping list.
• Or you can use a combination of administration tools. I am really keen to self-direct and eventually self-managed as I am already a small business owner, given my work commitments I have decided to easy myself into the new role. Allowing me to test my skills and up skill where needed.

Writing your shopping list for the NDIA

Although it is your choice where to spend you NDIS package, you  need to tell the NDIA what you are shopping for. As we have seen this will be determined by your goals.

So for some people this seems like a big hassle for little result. I certainly hope that is not the case for you. The NDIS is designed specifically to enable you to live your best life. Having said that if you happy with life you can chose to keep things as the are now. Provide you can articulate that in a format that suits the NDIA.

Keeping in mind that any goals you choose need to fit the NDIA reasonable and necessary support criteria. My suggested goal areas or dreams to start you thinking are:- Lifestyle - am I living where I want to live; work; learning, training (including preparing to self-managed training) and independent living skills or life skills; sport, health & fitness; hobbies and community groups and clubs.

If you think your happy with your life as it is: try drawing up some boxes and dividing your activities into my suggested goal areas, if your keen to do a little dreaming you could add a box and call it my dreams - that's where a overseas trip or moving out of home might go.

However making choices for the first time can be scary. To make choices we need to know the options. If you been doing the same thing since high school and mum and dad helped you make those choices, do you know and understand what choices other support services are offering.  Do you know what is offered in your local community?

Visiting other service providers, checking our their programs; visiting the tourist centre or local council to find out different groups,  visit a travel agent and grab some broaches, talk to other clients ask them what their thinking about doing; talk to your current provider make sure you understand what they have to offer.

The NDIS also means many changes for service providers will be transforming to offering differ things in different ways, so you might like to know if the choices your current provider may change under the NDIS.

The New Market Place

The NDIS will allow you to purchase your own services and equipment. So you will want to start taking a good poke round the market. Service providers will now need to advise and package their services.  So if your hoping to escape making any changes you might want to make sure those services will still be on the market under the NDIS.

As I explained choosing your service provider will be the last thing you do before you sign your agreement with the NDIA. However, it never too early to start your shopping list.  It may change and evolve over time. The more you understand the market place and the options available to you. The more you will be empowered to live your best life under the NDIS.

Happy shopping!