The NDIS has today (25 March 2020) released a new pricing guide to help people with disability during the COVID-19 crisis.
One of the most important changes is to help people with FINDING and KEEPING suppports working when many providers are starting to come under strain too. To assist with this the Government has opened up support coordination to ALL NDIS PARTICIPANTS.
Similar to how the NDIA introduced temporary core codes for new health services back in October last year, it has now added new codes for people to get support coordination assistance from their core funds.
Three new support coordination items have been introduced to the support catalogue under Core Supports > Assistance with Daily Life, effective 25 March 2020:
- ⇒ 01_790_0106_8_3 - Level 1: Support Connection
- ⇒ 01_791_0106_8_3 - Level 2: Coordination Of Supports
- ⇒ 01_793_0106_8_3 - Level 3: Specialist Support Coordination
The new line items duplicate items already claimable under Capacity Building Supports. However, you no longer need to have specifically been provided Support Coordination to NOW USE this service type since ALL participants generally have core funding in their plans.
It also means... if you were only given a small support coordination budget in your plan then you can NOW use your core funds to get EXTRA HELP! Its about time the NDIA things were getting pretty murky out here in the real world.
The new item numbers allow participants to use their funds more flexibly to access these supports from either their Core or Capacity Building budgets.
Similarly, the NDIS is increasing the rate of several lines of services under various capacity building options to help you out.
The NDIA will temporarily increase price rates by 10 per cent for the following critical supports, effective 25 March 2020:
- ⇒ CORE: Assistance with Daily Life (not including Supported Independent Living)
- ⇒ CORE: Assistance with Social and Community Participation
- ⇒ CAPACITY: Improved Health and Wellbeing (not including personal training)
- ⇒ CAPACITY: Improved Daily Living Skills (includes nursing care, assessments, training to help your support workers)
These changes start today from 25 March also and will be in place for six months. Participants plans have been automatically indexed and updated to include the extra 10 per cent funding provision.
FINALLY, the NDIA is moving to soon stop doing plan reviews as the coronavirus issue takes hold in Australia. At the time of writing it has already closed offices to public access (generally) and moved all plan reviews it conducts to being phone based.
Reviews due over the next six months however will be subject to automatic renewal for a further 12 months. This may help a lot of people. However, if your circumstances are changing and will be different in future you should please reach out to us for assistance and we will speak to the NDIA about a review as soon as possible instead.
SchemeWise hopes this post has been useful and please keep yourselves and your families safe. You can reach us anytime via our 24/7 automated service available on the below number. If in the unlikely circumstance you need to self-isolate or go to hospital we can also help make services changes (place on pause, stop, change, etc) if you let us know.
