NDIS Funding - How does it work?
Many individuals often find themselves feeling overwhelmed by their NDIS plans, grappling with the meanings behind various categories. No need to fret – we're here to provide clear explanations.
In your NDIS plan, you might come across three kinds of support budgets: core, capacity building, and capital supports. Your NDIS planner will customize your plan with these support budget categories and funding, all geared towards helping you reach your goals and assisting you in your daily activities.
Core Support
The funding allocated to Core Supports is designed to aid you with everyday tasks tied to your plan and life objectives. Core funding covers expenses like caregiving, support worker assistance, cleaning, and other routine costs. This budget within Core Supports is often versatile among the four support categories. This means you can allocate your funding interchangeably across them. For instance, you have the flexibility to allocate more of your overall core funding towards continence products and reduce the allocation for transportation expenses. The four support categories under Core Supports are:
1. Assistance with Daily Life
NDIS Portal: "Daily Activities"
This allocation encompasses costs tied to aiding you in your daily activities. This may encompass:
Personal care, housekeeping, gardening, or meal prep (pending NDIS approval).
Help with laundry, including linen services (pending NDIS approval).
Access to different living arrangements.
Short and medium-term accommodation with support (including respite care).
Supported Independent Living (SIL) choices.
Aid with everyday tasks within a residential aged care facility.
Nursing care to address disability-related health requirements.
2. Transport
Funds allocated for transportation costs linked to the effects of your disability, including:
Taxi fares when public transport is inaccessible.
Specialized transport for school, education, work, or community engagements.
3. Consumables
Funding is allocated to cover everyday necessities and low-risk, low-cost items, including:
Items linked to your disability, such as nutritional supplements or continence products.
Support for interpreting and translating services.
Training in Auslan or signed English.
Inexpensive assistive technology for personal care and safety, like modified cutlery and handrails to enhance independence and mobility. You can also use these funds for minor repairs to aids and equipment (assistive technology), such as wheelchair tire puncture repair.
Low-cost assistive technology for prosthetics and orthotics.
4. Assistance with Social, Economic and Community participation
Category on NDIS Portal: "Engaging in Social, Community, and Civic Activities"
This covers the expenses related to accessing and participating in various community activities, including:
Providing assistance for involvement in community, social, or recreational activities.
Offering support across different settings, like community centers or public spaces.
One-on-one assistance for attending social events, outings, camps, classes, or specific interests like art, music, or drama.
Enabling participation in sports, exercise, or joining sports clubs.
Support for attending community events such as movie outings.
Covering activity-related transportation expenses, which include cost per kilometer, parking, road tolls, and public transportation fares.
Assistance in maintaining current employment engagements.
Capital Supports
The capital supports budget covers expenses for items that mitigate the effects of your disability. While these budgets have limited flexibility, they typically encompass specific items that were deliberated upon during your planning session and approved in your plan by the National Disability Insurance Agency.
5. Assistive technology
Specialised technology or equipment, like a smart device, wheelchair, or app.
6. Home Modifications
Funding is allocated for home modifications aimed at enhancing your daily life when your disability presents obstacles. These modifications might involve adaptations to your kitchen or bathroom equipment, making everyday living more accessible.
Capacity Building Supports
The budget for capacity building supports is designed to provide you with the necessary funding to develop your skills and accomplish your objectives.
7. Support Coordination
This budget can cover the cost of a support coordinator. Support coordinators play a crucial role in implementing your plan and arranging your supports. They aid in establishing community connections and wider support systems, creating support strategies aligned with your goals, and aiding in review preparations while documenting your progress.
8. Improved Living Arrangements
Listed on the NDIS portal as "CB Home Living," this funding is designed to assist you in finding suitable accommodation for greater independence. It can cover support for property inspections, contract negotiations, and more. This category may also encompass help with rental property applications, meeting tenancy responsibilities, and ensuring the home meets your needs.
9. Increased Social and Community Participation
Displayed as "CB Social Community and Civic Participation," this funding is allocated for enhancing your community access skills. It can involve financing a mentor or therapist to aid in acquiring independent community skills. You can use these funds for activities like art classes, sports coaching, and other skill-building endeavors. Camps, classes, and capacity-building vacation activities, including activity-based transport, fall under this category.
10. Finding and Keeping a Job
Identified as "CB Employment" on the NDIS portal, this funding is dedicated to helping you find and excel in a job. It covers assistance in finding suitable work and supporting you on the job. This budget can cover aspects like on-the-job training, life and work coaching, private recruitment support, career counseling, and employment mentoring.
11. Improved Relationships
Termed "CB Relationships" in the NDIS portal, this category supports the development of your community connections and relationship-building skills. This can include funding for social skill development or behavioral therapy services.
12. Improved Health and Wellbeing
Noted as "CB Health and Wellbeing," this funding covers services aimed at improving your overall health. It could include expenses for a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, or dietitian to help you maintain your health and wellbeing.
13. Improved Life Choices
Referred to as "CB Choice and Control" on the NDIS portal, this funding covers your plan management costs.
14. Improved Daily Living
Identified as "CB Daily Activity" on the NDIS portal, this funding is allocated for therapies and programs that enhance your ability to manage daily tasks. This can encompass physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy, and other interventions that promote independence in daily living activities.
15. Improved Learning
Displayed as "CB Lifelong Learning," this category provides access to services for transitioning from school to further education. Funding may support a support worker to assist you in pursuing university or TAFE education.
