The NDIS have made another major change to its Pricing Guide, this time expanding the scope of what can be funded under the NDIS.
From the 1st of October, you’ll be able to use your NDIS funds to cover disability-related health supports.
This change is a big step in the right direction, putting an end to lots of uncertainty amongst NDIS participants about where funding for these supports is coming from.
The first thing to make clear is that the NDIS will only fund health supports that are directly related to your disability and are considered ‘reasonable and necessary’, just like all other NDIS funded supports.
In addition, the health supports have to be related to ongoing conditions. In other words, if you slip in the shower and hurt yourself, you won’t be able to use your NDIS funds to pay for the doctor’s visit; but if you have diabetes, you can fund the implementation of a diabetic management plan.
Covered by the NDIS | Covered by the health system |
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Health supports that are…
For example:
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Health supports that are…
For example:
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For a full overview of the types of health supports covered, visit the NDIS website: https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/supports-funded-ndis/disability-related-health-supports
The disability-related health supports can be delivered by the same providers that have been delivering these services to you before. The only difference is, the NDIS requires support workers and nurses to be appropriately trained to support people with a disability.
In the new Price Guide, the NDIS have now also introduced 5 categories of nurses.
The updated price guide includes over 90 disability-related health supports. These supports will not receive a new support category of their own, but will rather fit into the existing categories.
The table below shows which health support is funded by which category. For a full breakdown of what’s now covered under the NDIS, see the updated NDIS Price Guide.
Health Support Type | Funded by support category |
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Disability-related health support that’s provided by a disability support worker |
CORE funding category 1 – Assistance with Daily Living |
Health related Assistive Technology (under $1,500) |
CORE funding category 3 – Consumables |
Health related Assistive Technology (over $1,500) |
Category 5 – Assistive Technology. (The NDIA will likely need to approve a quote before providing funding) |
Disability-related health support that’s provided by a nurse or therapist |
Category 15 – Improve Daily Living. NOTE: If you don’t have funding for Category 15 you are able to use CORE funding category 1 – Assistance with Daily Living (this is a temporary measure and will be removed once the NDIA has reviewed all plans). |
It’s important to note that you won’t immediately receive any additional funding to cover these disability-related health supports, so you’ll need to keep an extra close eye on your NDIS budgets to ensure you don’t run out early. If you’re a Plan Partners customer, our online Dashboard is a powerful tool for helping you track your budgets.
The NDIS won’t be updating existing plans in light of these changes, so if you’d like to use your funding for disability-related health supports, you will need to carefully consider how it aligns with your overall support and budgets.
If you feel you need additional funding in your NDIS plan for disability-related health supports, you can request a review of your plan. Read more about requesting a plan review here.
All plans issued post-October 1 will take into account the inclusion of disability-related health supports and provide funding accordingly.
Yes, our teams have incorporated the changes. If you receive Plan Management, we will continue processing your invoices as normal. If you receive Support Coordination, your Support Coordinator can help you understand how health supports can be funded in your NDIS plan.
Contact your Local Area Coordinator or the NDIS on 1800 800 110 if you would like to know what impact the new prices can have on your plan.
If you’d like to know more about how the price increases impact our services, or would like some independent advice, call our friendly team on 1300 333 700 or leave your details here. At Plan Partners, Australia’s leading expert in NDIS Plan Management and Support Coordination, we have supported thousands of NDIS participants and their service providers navigating the NDIS.
Click here to read our article for service providers about the new Price Guide changes.