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What is the NDIS?
The NDIS provides funding to eligible people with disability to gain more time with family and friends, greater independence, access to new skills, jobs, or volunteering in their community, and an improved quality of life.
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The NDIS also connects anyone with disability to services in their community.
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This includes connections to doctors, community groups, sporting clubs, support groups, libraries and schools, as well as providing information about what support is provided by each state and territory government.
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The NDIS now supports over 500,000 Australians with disability to access the services and supports they need.
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This includes supporting approximately 80,000 children with developmental delay, ensuring they receive supports early so that they achieve the best outcomes throughout their lives.
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For more information you can view the Participant Service Charter.
What type of Support is Funded?
The types of supports that the NDIS may fund for participants include:
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daily personal activities
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transport to enable participation in community, social, economic and daily life activities
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workplace help to allow a participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market
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therapeutic supports including behaviour support
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help with household tasks to allow the participant to maintain their home environment
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help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training
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home modification design and construction
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mobility equipment, and
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vehicle modifications.
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Types of support budgets
Every person living with a disability has different needs. Your NDIS funding is there to provide you with the supports you need for your disability and help you work towards your goals.
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Your funding is based on what is ‘reasonable’ and ‘necessary’ to pursue your goals, in addition to the support provided by family, friends, and other community and government services.
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There are three types of support budgets that may be funded in your NDIS plan.
Core Supports Budget
Your Core budget is the most flexible, and includes four categories of support:
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Consumables (e.g. purchasing everyday use items such as continence aids)
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Daily Activities (e.g. assistance with self-care activities during the day or evening)
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Assistance with Social and Community Participation (e.g. supports to enable you to engage in social or recreational activities)
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Transport (e.g. if you are unable to use public transport because of your disability)
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The good news is you can generally use Core budget funds allocated against one support category to purchase supports under another support category unless funds have been set aside for a specific purpose such as periodic payments for transport, or any Core budget line item type that is:
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Compensation
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Specialised Disability Accommodation i.e. accommodation for participants who require specialist housing solutions due to significant functional impairment and/or very high support needs
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In-kind e.g. Government pre-paid supports such as school transport or some therapy supports
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Stated item (including Quotes for certain items) e.g. assistance in a shared living arrangement
In these cases the funds within a category must only be used for that specific purpose. For details about your Core supports please refer to your NDIS plan.
Capacity Building Budget
The Capacity Building funding is allocated across eight support sub-categories, each matched with the goals in your plan. You can choose how to spend these funds to purchase any approved individual support within its category, but won’t be able to move funding from one category to another.
The Capacity Building support categories include:
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Choice and Control e.g., training in planning and plan management.
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Daily Activity e.g., therapy aimed at building your capacity to participate.
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Employment e.g., employment related assessment and counselling
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Health and Wellbeing e.g., exercise advice required because of impact of disability.
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Home Living e.g., support to obtain/retain appropriate accommodation.
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Lifelong Learning e.g., assistance moving from school to further education.
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Relationships e.g., positive behavioural support strategies to reduce behaviours of concern.
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Social and Community Participation e.g., Individual life skills development and training including public transport training and support, developing skills for community, social and recreational participation.
Support Coordination (if required) is included in the Capacity Building budget. This is a fixed amount for strengthening participant’s abilities to coordinate and implement supports in their plans and to participate more fully in the community.
Capital Support Budget
The Capital Support budget relates to supports such as assistive technology or modifications to your home and as such depends on quotes from suppliers. Funds within this budget can only be used for their specific purpose (e.g. a rail in the bathroom or a wheelchair) and cannot be used to fund other items.
The Capital Support budget has two support categories:
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Assistive Technology – includes equipment items for mobility, personal care, communication and recreational inclusion (e.g. wheelchairs or vehicle modifications)
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Home Modifications (e.g. rail in the bathroom)
© National Disability Insurance Scheme Agency 2013