Latest advice from NDIS

COVID-19 vaccination

All Australians are encouraged to have the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine is voluntary and free.

People with disability and workers in residential services and disability care group homes are among the first to be offered the vaccine.

Read the COVID-19 vaccination alerts for disability service providers from the Department of Health.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccination please visit the Department of Health website:

vaccination information for people with a disability
vaccine information for disability service providers
vaccine rollout and high priority groups
learn about COVID-19 vaccines
vaccination information in Easy Read , Auslan and other languages .

COVID normal support measures

The NDIA has extended the following support measures to help providers and participants safely deliver and receive supports as we adjust to ‘COVID normal’:

access to low-cost assistive technology
one-off deep cleaning for support worker related COVID-19 diagnosis – until 30 June 2021
cleaning services and additional self-isolation and COVID-19 diagnosis supports in supported independent living (SIL) – until 30 June 2021
national clinical first response service for SIL providers - until 30 June 2021
personal protective equipment (PPE) for certain participants living in restricted areas
PPE for certain providers delivering support in restricted areas
support coordination line items claimable under a participant’s Core supports budget – until 31 March 2021.

Direct claiming to the NDIA by providers for PPE for disability support workers ends on 28 February 2021; providers have until 31 March 2021 to claim for costs incurred before 1 March 2021.

The NDIA will continue to monitor outbreaks and may implement new measures if public health guidance changes.

Changes to support coordination funding

In March 2020 we temporarily introduced flexible access to support coordination through Core support budget in response to COVID-19 and its impact on support delivery.

As restrictions ease around the country, the demand for flexible support coordination has eased. We have reviewed take up of this temporary support measure and made the decision that this temporary arrangement will be extended until 31 March 2021 to allow for participants to better manage their supports.

Participants who were not utilising this support during the COVID-19 pandemic should not start using this support during this transition period.

This temporary support measure will end on 31 March 2021.
The temporary line items for support coordination in Core – Assistance with Daily Life will be deactivated on 1 April 2021.

Participants can continue to access funds for support coordination from their Capacity Building budget. If a participant’s circumstances have changed, they can ask for a plan review to have any reasonable and necessary supports included in their next plan.

PPE for participants

Participants in restricted areas who receive an average of at least 1 hour a day of face-to-face Assistance with Daily Life supports can access up to $50 per week from their budget for PPE for their use when their support worker is supporting them.

This support is available in:

Victoria – 29 July 2020 to 31 March 2021
NSW – 29 July 2020 to 28 February 2021
a list of restrictions by local government area and the date they are applicable appears in the NDIS Price Guide Addendum.

If you need PPE items like face masks, face shields and gloves, and the use of these items is directly related to your face-to-face daily living supports, you can use your Core supports budget to purchase these items.

Find out more:

PPE for support workers

Providers delivering face-to-face Assistance with Daily Life supports in restricted areas can claim for PPE through the Price Guide. Participants must agree to being charged.

This support is available in:

Victoria – 29 July 2020 to 31 March 2021
NSW– 29 July 2020 to 28 February 2021
a list of restrictions by local government area and the date they are applicable appears in the NDIS Price Guide Addendum.

Providers and participants should discuss the PPE support workers need. Providers cannot claim PPE from a participant's NDIS plan without prior agreement.

Find out more:

Disability Gateway helpline

The Disability Gateway helpline is for people with disability, their families and carers who need help because of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The helpline is free, private and fact-checked.

You can contact the Disability Gateway in the following ways:

Phone (free call): 1800 643 787
If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can also call the National Relay Service on 133 677.

The Disability Gateway is available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm (AEDT). It’s not available on national public holidays.

Find out more on the Disability Gateway website .