FAQ

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the first national scheme in Australia for people with disability. The Australian Government established the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), an independent statutory agency. It supports a more promising life for thousands of Australians with substantial and permanent disability and their families and professions.

At present, Australia has around 4.3 million disabled people. The NDIS provides funding to eligible people with disabilities to be a part of the community, have greater independence, access new skills, volunteer in their community, and achieve desired goals.

NDIS is available for eligible Australians to get the preferred support they choose. The scheme believes in improving the quality of life of disabled people. It puts them in the centre of decision-making through appropriate and essential support, individual preference, and authority.

It is well-documented what the NDIS covers for Australian people living with a disability. But there are certain things that the scheme cannot support. Here we can help you to understand the limitations of funding.

• It directly supports only people with disabilities. Using funding efficiently and effectively to meet your specific requirements and goals is essential.
• It does not support your daily living cost like groceries, rent, mortgage or utilities (gas, electric, internet etc.). The fund is solely related to disability needs. However, there are instances of funding for living costs that arise due to disability.
• As the scheme operates within the framework of Australian Laws and Regulations, it does not support any illegal or irrelevant requirements which are not considered legitimate under these laws.
• The utmost priority of the scheme is to prioritize your safety and well-being. Any potential cause that may harm you or others that may not be supported.
• It cannot duplicate other supports provided by the NDIS under alternating funding.

NDIS reshapes how people with disabilities access the support they need to attain their objectives and participate comprehensively in community life. It supports people with permanent and considerable disabilities impacting their everyday lives and activities. It could comprise greater freedom, societal involvement, education, occupation, health and well-being.

• It supports people with permanent and significant disabilities that affect their everyday activities.
• It provides a more excellent choice and control over when, where and how their support is provided, and gives certainty in receiving the support they need over their lifetime.
• It concentrates on early intervention, where getting early support can diminish the effect of disability.
• It helps people with a psychological disability. People with permanent functional impairment related to mental health issues can access support at their convenience from NDIS.

NDIS provides reasonable and necessary support for a person with a disability and helps them live an ordinary life and attain their objectives. Before getting the related fund, a planner will talk to the person who wants to have the scheme and assess if the support request:

• Related to Disability
• Likely to be adequate and helpful for the person
• Not a mainstream cost that is irrelevant to the disability support

The spectrum of support and services offered by the NDIS scheme is education, independence, living layouts, social participation, health and well-being.

To be considered reasonable and necessary, support or service must be related to the following:

• Must be connected to a participant’s disability – There should be proper documents in support of the disability of the person who is participating.
• It should represent value for money – The scheme considers the cost and benefit of the support and the cost and use of the alternative support.
• It should assist you in pursuing your goal plans – There should be a clear view that the program will help you pursue your future objectives, goals and aspirations.
• It should assist you in undertaking activities – The support will help you to do activities by making participation in social and economic life more manageable. Social participation means going out with friends, going to school or going for medical appointments. Economic participation includes getting or keeping a job, volunteering, studying or learning new skills.
• Support should be practical and beneficial – It needs to be considered that the support should be effective and beneficial for the participant with current good practices. Effective or practical means it will do what you need; beneficial means the support will help you do things you cannot otherwise do.
• Support available for the participant and people related to the person – The scheme needs to consider reasonable support for the expected families, carers, and community.
• NDIS and other services fund support – The support is more appropriately funded by NDIS and provided through other general service delivery systems, support services, persons, agencies or bodies.

Every NDIS participant has a personal plan that documents their desired outcomes, the supports they will utilize and the funding they have obtained.

The scheme’s registered providers are the participants’ primary contact points. They help the participants to get support and services which are considered to be reasonable and necessary.
While registering for NDIS, the providers choose the particular registration groups (linked to the type of services) to apply for. They might demonstrate whether the participant met the specific quality and safeguard requirements.

Early Childhood Partner

• Early Childhood Partners deliver the early childhood approach that helps younger children under 6 with a developmental delay or younger children under 9 with a disability.
• The providers also employ Early Childhood Educators and allied health professionals. They help the children and their families access support and assistance tailored to their requirements and circumstances.
• The providers also enable connection to other suitable supports, such as playgrounds, educational settings and community health services.

Local Area Coordination Partner

The local area coordination partners, and community-based organizations, help deliver services in some parts of Australia.

• They work with people with disabilities aged between 9 to 64. For most people in this age criteria, the Local Area Coordinator will be the main point of contact for the NDIS.
• They support people with disabilities. To work towards their objectives, they build the capacity to make their own decisions according to their preferences and access the support they need to live their desired life.
• They create a more inclusive society and provide improved outcomes for people with disability by coordinating with communities and multiple levels of Government.

Remote Community Connectors

The NDIS connectors are also called the Remote Community Connectors, and they play a crucial role in helping to deliver NDIS to remote and extremely remote communities. It includes the First Nation people with disabilities. They also help to provide for people from culturally and linguistically diverse environments.

• They work in remote places to improve the life and livelihood of people with disabilities and their families and communities.
• They support the diverse cultures and unique approaches needed for these communities.

Once the applicants submit all the information to avail of the NDIS, the application is reviewed and decided for eligibility. The person’s identity is also checked as a part of the process. To be an eligible NDIS fund receiver, you will have to meet the following:

• The Australian citizenship or permanent residential proof and age-proof requirement
• Either the early intervention requirement or the disability requirement.

The other eligibility standards include:

• A participant who is 9 or older meets the disability or early intervention requirement.
• For children under 9, it is the opposite process. First, it is seen if they meet the early intervention and then if they meet disability requirements.

When you are not eligible in the provided criteria:

• Children under six will only be eligible for the early intervention requirement and will not meet the disability requirement.
• Participants won’t be eligible for NDIS if they do not meet either the disability requirement or the early intervention requirement. But the early childhood partner or local area coordinator can help to connect with other Government or community consent.

The NDIS knows that a person wants to avail of the NDIS fund when he applies for the process.
If you are capable of applying, then you have to follow the following procedure:

• Make an eligibility checklist for receiving the support
• Make a verbal application by calling on the number 1800 800 110
• Complete an Access Request Form and produce it to the NDIS

How to make a Verbal Application:

• Call 1800 800 110 to make a verbal application
• They will ask to fill up the identical application as per the form
• They will ask you to verify your identity or the person to act on your behalf
• They will ask questions about providing consent to apply and obtaining information from third parties

How to complete an Access Request form:

• You can download the Access Request Form from the internet.
• Call or email the provider to send the form.
• Collect the form personally from the NDIA office, early childhood partner or local area coordinator.
• You must complete Section 1 and sign the date on the form. If someone else acts on your behalf, provide evidence or your consent through verbal authority or attaching written permission.
• A professional will complete Section 2 with signs and dates to the form.

To become an NDIS participant, there are some requirements you will need to meet to be eligible for the same:

• Provide evidence of your age, Australian citizenship or permanent residential proof
• Proof of the disability or early intervention
• Evidence of disability for children
• Consent to access and use your center-link record.
• Copies of documents or other evidence detailed on your NDIS application form or that you will be asked to provide while applying in person or over the phone.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) must determine whether you meet the disability requirements to receive the fund.
To collect the documents, you can work with your treating health professionals, who must be a doctor, specialist, or associated health service provider, to furnish your evidence of disability.
You can request your treating health professional to complete Section 2 of the NDIS application form.

Some of the familiar treating health professionals include:

• General practitioner (GP)
• Occupational therapists
• Paediatrician
• Orthopedic surgeon
• Speech pathologist (therapist)
• Neurologist
• Psychologist
• Psychiatrist
• Physiotherapist

Check whether your treating health professionals are qualified and registered in their practice area within the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency or relevant professional authority.
They must be eligible to provide evidence of your disability and have treated you for a significant period.

NDIS can fund the reasonable support you require for your disability if they meet specific benchmarks. They can support your needs related to disability, are practical and beneficial, value for money and most appropriately funded.
The funding is based on individual criteria and different reasonable and necessary decisions, including the support needed for your disability and living arrangements.
Some of the supports that NDIS may fund for the participants are:

• Permanent disability or reasonable disabled condition
• Daily personal activities
• The help of the workplace, which will allow the participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labor market
• Transport facility to participate in social, community, economic and daily activities of life
• Behavioral and therapeutic supports
• Household task help to allow the participants to maintain their home environment
• Help regarding equipment assessment, set up and training for the participants by the skilled professionals
• Home modifications, design and construction
• Mobility equipment and vehicle construction

NDIS helps not only the person with a disability but also their families and carers who care for someone under 65 with a permanent disability.

• The help and support the families and carers provide can be provided by paid support workers and formal services.
• Carers are often the greatest advocates for people with disabilities providing the practical and emotional support to help them live their best life.
• Carers can help the participant to join NDIS, set their goals and use the plan effectively when permitted.
• The NDIS participant might use funding in their plans to facilitate an interval in addition to the government-funded programs.
• A respite gives the participants, families, or disability care providers short breaks from their caring responsibilities. It also provides participants a time away from their families and explores themselves in a new environment.

For a participant, this can be helpful as they can:

• Join a new community.
• Try a short stay out of the home to explore new things, make new friends or develop new skills.
• Get extra personal support while staying at home when the family or caregivers are away for a short period. This also helps the carers to manage and improve their health and well-being.

The Disability Support Pension is a financial help for those with a permanent condition preventing them from working. The disability includes physical, intellectual and psychiatric disorders. This payment comes from the service Australia, known as Centrelink.

Mainstream aids are the support you can get from Government funded services such as health, mental health and education. All Australians can use services outside the NDIS, whether or not they have a disability.
It’s worth mentioning that various support services are available beyond traditional healthcare options. For reference, many community organisations, such as religious groups, offer support for those moving through difficult periods. Additionally, local councils often provide helpful resources and guidance as well.
It’s important to know that you don’t have to go through challenges alone and that many aids are available to help. Across Australia, the Government works together to clarify the role and responsibilities of the NDIS and other government services.

Formal support is funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme or through Australian State Governments such as Disability Employment Service (DES). These supports are delivered to meet the participant’s disability needs.
For instance, NDIS approves funds for support workers, therapy, assistive technology, support coordination etc.

Informal support can be defined as the unpaid support that a participant receives from people around them. Informal support might include family, friends, neighbours, and other social networks.
Informal supporters can support you in many ways, from assisting with daily activities to providing human interaction and emotional support. Discussing why informal support is essential and how to get more help for a better life can be helpful.

NDIS is available for the participants to help those with disability get the exact life necessities as other people, like having jobs, hobbies, and companies of friends and family. Participants choose supports and services based on budgets and goals.

NDIS will typically fund support and services to the participants in three categories:

• Core: A primary support that helps the participants to complete their daily activities
• Capital: Investment-related support, such as assistive technology, equipment and home, vehicle modification or funding for capital cost.
• Capacity Building: A support that helps the participants build new skills and live independently.

A participant may satisfy NDIS access requirements regardless of whether their impairment occurred through birth, illness, injury or accident.
To be eligible for NDIS funding, the disorder or medical condition, the participant must show documents related to permanent impairment (physical, visual, hearing, intellectual, cognitive, neurological, or psychosocial) resulting in significant disability.

Which medical conditions are likely to meet Access Requirements?

The list of medical conditions that are likely to meet Access Requirements can be divided into two categories:
List A: Should meet the checkpoint related to permanent impairment and disability, resulting in substantially decreased operative capacity—for instance, cerebral palsy that is diagnosed and assessed as severe.

List B: Considered to have a permanent impairment; however, as the severity of impairment varies, they will need to confirm that as a result of psychological functioning

• Their capability for social or economic participation is impacted.
• They will likely require support under the NDIS for the participant’s lifetime.

NDIS will not support funding for time-limited or ongoing conditions. For example, reduced mobility due to acute injury in the lower limb as a fracture will not meet the criteria of disability requirement as it might resolve over a while
The scheme will not support food for general chronic health conditions unrelated to a person’s disability. For instance, NDIS will not support finances for pharmaceutical or medical care relating to the treatment of diabetes.

People with a considerable disability likely to be permanent may qualify for NDIS support.
Psychological problems arise from mental health conditions, but not everyone with a mental health ailment will experience psychological disability, those that can undergo severe effects and social hindrances.
However, those who experience a longstanding impact on their recovery that results in disability may qualify for NDIS.