The number of people contacting us is higher than usual, and this means it is taking us longer than normal to get back to everyone.
Our staff and NDIS partners are here to support you and help with your NDIS experience. They are working hard to prioritise applicant and participant requests, starting with the most urgent cases.
We want to reassure you that urgent cases are being prioritised.
Even if your request is not urgent, it’s still important to us. We are doing our best to look at what you’ve asked us to do and get in touch with you in the shortest time possible.
Once you have let us know about your request and have a reference number for it, you don’t need to call us again. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can if we need more information or when we have completed your request.
Asking for a change to your plan
We will only reassess a NDIS plan if there is a change in your life that means you need more, less or different supports, or your plan is coming to an end.
We do not automatically review plans because they are fully spent.
When you ask us for a change, we will work with you to understand why you need it, to work out whether it meets our guidelines for a reassessment. We can only agree to review your plan if you provide the right evidence to support the change.
Without the evidence we cannot update your plan.
Our rules say that:
- Every change we make must meet our guidelines .
- The change must be reasonable and necessary and for the kinds of support we would fund .
- You need to have evidence to support the change.
While you wait for us to start this work, you can use your plan flexibly.
Read more about plan reassessments.
Urgent changes in circumstances
Urgent means you are in a critical situation, with a significant change to your personal circumstances or living arrangements, or there is a risk to you.
If you need a plan reassessment because you are in a critical situation, you can call us on 1800 800 110. We will prioritise plan reassessments for participants with urgent changes in critical situations.
We will still ask you to provide the right evidence to support your review.
Making the most of your plan - using your plan flexibly
If you have asked us to change your plan and are waiting for us to assess your request, we encourage you to continue to use your Core support budget, within your existing plan funding, flexibly to access the required disability related supports.
It's important to remember that Core funding can be used flexibly with other Core support types and not with other support types like Capacity Building.
Talk to your my NDIS contact or your NDIS partner if you need some help to use your current plan flexibly.
If you have an NDIS plan in our old computer system, your budget will have 3 support categories.
If your NDIS plan is in our new computer system, your budget will have 4 support categories.
Some of these categories include stated supports. When a support is stated, this means you can only spend your plan funds on the supports described. You can decide how you spend your funds on these supports, but you can’t use these funds to buy different supports.
Other supports can be flexible. This means you can use your flexible funds to buy the kinds of supports you think will best help you work towards your goals or meet your needs, while you wait for us to come back to you on the change you’ve asked for.
You must make sure that the kind of supports you decide to buy are reasonable and necessary . They must be the kinds of supports you are allowed to buy with your NDIS funds.
You can read more about support categories and budgets further down on this page.
If you have previously asked for changes to your plan and your situation becomes critical while you are waiting for your plan reassessment, please call us on 1800 800 110 with your reference number so we can prioritise your request.
NDIS applications
If you are waiting for us to assess your application to join the NDIS, you can talk to your NDIS partner about the community and mainstream services available to you. These supports are available to everyone.
Your NDIS partner can help you learn about and make connections in your area.
If you child is younger than 9, you can talk to an Early Childhood Partner about early connections
Support budgets
There are three types of support budgets that may be funded in your NDIS plan:
- Core Supports budget
- Capacity Building Supports budget
- Capital Supports budget
Core Supports budget
Core Supports help you with everyday activities, your current disability-related needs and to work towards your goals. Your Core Supports budget is the most flexible, and in most cases, you can use your funding across any of the following four support categories. However, there are instances where you do not have flexibility in your funding, particularly for transport funding.
In your plan | In the myplace portal | Description |
---|---|---|
Assistance with Daily Life | Daily Activities | For example, assistance with everyday needs, household cleaning and/or yard maintenance. |
Consumables | Consumables | Everyday items you may need. For example, continence products or low-cost assistive technology and equipment to improve your independence and/or mobility. |
Assistance with Social & Community Participation | Social, community and civic participation | For example, a support worker to assist you to participate in social and community activities. |
Transport | Transport | This is support that helps you travel to work or other places that will help you pursue the goals in your plan. How you can spend your transport funding and how it is paid to you (whether upfront or in regular payments) will be different for each person. Your LAC will explain how you can use this budget. |
Case study
Charlotte’s goals are to learn to be more independent in her daily life and to make friends. She has funding in her Core Supports budget to help her with tasks like getting dressed and cooking meals. Over time, Charlotte feels confident to reduce the amount of support she needs in the morning to get dressed and make breakfast. Because Charlotte’s Core Supports budget is flexible, she decides to reduce the amount of one-on-one support she receives in the morning and uses the funding for support to take part in a group recreational swimming activity once a week.
Capacity Building Supports budget
Capacity Building Supports help build your independence and skills to help you pursue your goals. Unlike your Core Supports budget, your Capacity Building Supports budget cannot be moved from one support category to another. Funding can only be used to purchase approved individual supports that fall within that Capacity Building category. The Capacity Building categories are:
In your plan | In the myplace portal | Description |
---|---|---|
Support Coordination | Support Coordination | This is a fixed amount for a Support Coordinator to help you use your plan. |
Improved Living Arrangements | CB Home Living |
Support to help you find and maintain an appropriate place to live. |
Increased Social & Community Participation | CB Social Community and Civic Participation | Development and training to increase your skills so you can participate in community, social and recreational activities. |
Finding & Keeping a Job | CB Employment | This may include employment-related support, training and assessments that help you find and keep a job, such as the school leaver employment supports. |
Improved Relationships | CB Relationships | This support will help you develop positive behaviours and interact with others. |
Improved Health & Wellbeing | CB Health and Wellbeing | Including exercise or diet advice to manage the impact of your disability. The NDIS does not fund gym memberships. |
Improved Learning | CB Lifelong Learning | Examples include training, advice and help for you to move from school to further education, such as university or TAFE. |
Improved Life Choices | CB Choice and Control | Plan management to help you manage your plan, funding and paying for services. |
Improved Daily Living | CB Daily Activity | Assessment, training or therapy to help increase your skills, independence and community participation. These services can be delivered in groups or individually. |
Capital Supports budget
Capital Supports include higher-cost pieces of assistive technology, equipment and home or vehicle modifications, and funding for one-off purchases you may need (including Specialist Disability Accommodation). It is important to remember that funds within the Capital Supports budget can only be used for their specific purpose and cannot be used to pay for anything else. The Capital Supports budget has two support categories: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications.
In your plan | In the myplace portal | Description |
---|---|---|
Assistive Technology | Assistive Technology | This includes equipment items for mobility, personal care, communication and recreational inclusion such as wheelchairs or vehicle modifications. |
Home Modifications | Home Modifications | Home modifications such as installation of a hand rail in a bathroom, or Specialist Disability Accommodation for participants who require special housing because of their disability. |
Other information
Stated supports – not flexible
Services listed as ‘stated supports’ are not flexible. This means funding has been allocated for a specific support or service, and you can’t use this funding for something else. You cannot swap ‘stated supports’ for any other supports.
In-kind supports – pre-paid
If there are supports in your plan that are listed as ‘in-kind’, it means the service has already been paid for by your state, territory or the Australian government.
hen you use an in-kind service your existing provider will deliver your in-kind supports and you will not need to pay from them with your NDIS plan funds. Talk to your ECEI Coordinator, LAC or NDIA planner if you have a concern about using a specific in-kind provider or service.
More information on in-kind supports is available on the In-kind supports - participants page.
Quote required
Where a support is listed as ‘quote required’ additional information such as quotes and/or specialist reports will be required before funding can be made available in your plan.
Mobility allowance
When you become a participant in the NDIS your plan will include any supports that the NDIS will fund, including any reasonable and necessary transport-related funded supports.
If you are receiving Mobility Allowance when you receive an approved NDIS plan, your eligibility for the Mobility Allowance payment ceases.
You cannot receive Mobility Allowance once you have a plan with the NDIS. However you will keep your Health Care Card if you have one.
For more information on Mobility Allowance visit the Services Australia website
Find more resources about support categories in your plan in accessible formats on the booklets and factsheets page.