The Productivity Commission estimated in 2011 that once fully operational in 2019-20, the cost of the NDIS would be about $22 billion a year. The NDIS is jointly funded by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, as outlined in the bilateral agreements for each jurisdiction.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the independent Commonwealth government agency responsible for implementing the NDIS.

The NDIA:

Helps empower and inform people with disability to be confident consumers.

Provides information and referrals, links to services and activities, individualised plans and where necessary, funded supports to people over a lifetime.

Provides service providers with clarity and transparency so they can grow their business and respond to need.

Raises community awareness and encourages greater inclusion and access for people with disability to mainstream services, community activities and other government initiatives.

The NDIA is partnering with the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and well known community organisations to deliver the NDIS in your local area.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme, or NDIS, is run by the independent agency – the National Disability Insurance Agency, or NDIA.

The NDIS is one component of the National Disability Strategy which brings community, government and industry together to address the challenges faced by people with disability, and ensures they are supported by services such as health, education and transport and the wider community.

The NDIS is social insurance, not welfare. As an insurance scheme, the NDIS takes a lifetime approach to support, investing in people with disability early to improve their outcomes later in life

People may be eligible for the NDIS if they have a permanent disability that significantly affects their ability to take part in everyday activities.

In addition, they must:

• be aged under 65 years when they first access the NDIS

• live in Australia

• be an Australian citizen, or

• hold a permanent Visa or

• hold a Protected Special Category Visa.

There are two steps involved in accessing supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS):

• The first is to become a participant where a person makes an access request.

• If access is approved, the second step is for a participant to have an NDIS plan developed

The NDIS is a change from the existing system of disability services where the Queensland Government sets and funds disability supports to a national scheme that will provide the supports you need over your lifetime. This means responsibility for providing disability services including funding will move from the Queensland Government to the NDIA. Once the NDIS is rolled out in each area, all eligible people will only be able to access their disability supports through the NDIS.

The NDIS will change the way disability supports are funded and delivered. The NDIS is administered by one national agency, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), rather than multiple state-based disability service systems. Supports and services to help a person achieve their goals will be listed on their NDIS plan.

People will:

• be funded for the reasonable and necessary supports they need to participate in daily life

• have choice and control over how, when and where their supports are provided

• • be able to access a broader range of mainstream and community supports, as well as traditional disability supports.

If you already receive supports from a State or Territory government disability program, you will be contacted by a National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) representative when it is time to transition to the NDIS. For some people already receiving supports from State and Territory disability programs, evidence of your disability may not be needed. This is because some State and Territory programs have the same eligibility criteria as the NDIS. If you do not currently receive disability supports and the NDIS is available in your area you can request access by contacting the NDIS.

If you are currently receiving specialist disability services but are not eligible for the NDIS, you will continue to receive support that will enable you to achieve similar outcomes through Continuity of Support arrangements.

Current support arrangements will continue until your new NDIA plan begins and you transition to your new support arrangements. If funding for your current support arrangements is approved by NDIA and you wish to stay with CCT, the transition should be seamless.

For a support to be funded it needs to be linked to an outcome you have identified in your plan and it also must:

• Be associated with day-to-day living and activities that increase your social or economic participation

• Be a resource or piece of equipment, such as wheelchair, assistive technology or home and car modifications, to help you live an ordinary life

• Help you build the skills you need to live the life you want, such as opportunities to work, further your education, volunteer or learn something new

The NDIS will fund “reasonable and necessary” supports that;

• Support people with disability to pursue their goals and maximise their independence, and

• Support people with disability to live independently and to be included in the community as fully participating citizens, and

• Develop and support the capacity of people with disability to undertake activities that enable them to participate in the community and in employment

Reasonable and necessary supports are funded by the NDIS in a range of areas, which may include education, employment, social participation, independence, living arrangements and health and wellbeing. These supports will help participants to:

• Pursue their goals, objectives and aspirations

• Increase their independence

• Increase social and economic participation, and

• Their capacity to actively take part in the community

A support will not be funded if it does not relate to your disability, if it duplicates support that is already funded (eg Medicare or Departments of Education), if it relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant’s support needs, or if it is likely to cause harm to the participant or others.

While the NDIS gives you choice and the control over the support you receive and the service providers you use, it also gives you a say in how your funding is managed. Your funding can be:

• Agency Managed – this is where your provider(s) claim directly from the NDIA

• Plan Manager – funding in your plan is allocated to a third party to manage the financial transactions in your plan

• Self-Managed – you (or your nominee) directly manage the funds

• Automated Payments (transport only) – funds are deposited into an NDIS bank account weekly, fortnightly or monthly

• Combination – a combination of the above options can be used to meet your individual needs.

The participant statement is a statement about the person who the NDIS funding is for and their life. What their life looks like now and what they would like it to look like, including where they live, what they do during the week, the people who are in their life, work or volunteering. It will help your Planner develop your plan and it helps build a picture of the person (particularly if they are non-verbal or maybe unable to attend the meeting), so it’s a good idea to think ahead about the things to include.

Many people are being asked for two short term and one long term goal to be included in their ‘First Plan’. For some people one of their short term goals is retaining their current level of supports. It’s a good idea to think ahead of your meeting about the goals you would like to include; what you’d like to achieve in the next year or two. This can be something simple e.g. ‘learning to do my own washing’, ‘making new friends’ or ‘maintaining my current accommodation’. A longer term goal could be ‘learning to live more independently’ or ‘going on a holiday’ or ‘I’d like to have a job’.

Your first plan is the start of a lifelong relationship with the NDIS. Once you have gained access to the NDIS we will work with you to develop your first plan. Your first plan is your entry point to the NDIS and the start of your relationship with the Scheme.

Your first plan will identify the reasonable and necessary supports you require to meet your immediate needs and start to identify and achieve your goals. Once completed – your first plan will provide you with individualised funding that you control and choose how to use. To get ready for the NDIS and your first plan, start thinking about your immediate support needs and what your current and future goals might be.

Once your first plan is finalised you will be contacted by an NDIS representative to discuss how to put it into action. The NDIS will then work with you to implement your plan; this support could be provided by a Local Area Coordinator, a Support Coordinator or another party who will help you to connect with community and mainstream or funded supports. Once your plan is approved and you receive your funding, all previous funding for your disability supports will be stopped with immediate effect. Therefore, to ensure your existing services continue as per normal, it’s important to let your provider know that your plan has been approved as soon as you receive it. You don’t have to show your provider your plan if you don’t want to.

At this stage, if you are currently receiving an NDIS package and you turn 65, you can either choose to remain in the NDIS under ‘continuity of support’ rules, or you can transition to the aged care system. If you are over 65 at the time your area rolls out the NDIS, you will transition into the aged care system.

Once you are accepted as an NDIS participant, you will receive reasonable and necessary support for as long as you need it. For most participants this means a lifelong relationship.

For more information about the NDIS please visit their website: https://www.ndis.gov.au/