NDIS Support Categories
The NDIS is designed to provide people with disabilities the resources and supports they need to live fulfilling lives. Understanding how NDIS funding is structured and the recent updates to the scheme can help you make the most of your plan. Here’s a breakdown of the main support categories in the NDIS.
Your NDIS plan is divided into three main funding types, each with specific categories aimed at helping you achieve your goals.
Core Supports
Core Supports provide funding for essential day-to-day needs. This category is flexible, meaning you can shift funds between certain Core Support categories (except Transport) to suit your requirements.
Categories include:
Assistance with Daily Living: Covers personal care like meal preparation, house cleaning, gardening, showering, dressing, and respite care.
Transport Allowance: Helps participants unable to use public transport access supports outside their home. Payments are made directly to you or your transport provider.
Home and Living (Non-Flexible): Funds supports for independent living, such as medium-term accommodation, individual living options, or supported living assistance.
Consumables: Covers daily-use items related to your disability, such as continence products, sensory aids, or assistance dog expenses.
Assistance with Social and Community Participation: Supports participation in community or recreational activities, though the cost of the activity itself is typically not included.
Capital Supports
Capital Supports fund one-off, high-cost items necessary for daily life. These funds are not flexible and must be used for their intended purpose as discussed during your planning meeting.
Categories include:
Assistive Technology: Provides funding for equipment like wheelchairs, prosthetics, and vehicle modifications.
Assistive Technology Maintenance, Repair, and Rental: Covers repairs, rentals, and flexible equipment packages for changing needs.
Home Modifications: Funds alterations like ramps or rails to enhance accessibility at home.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA): Provides housing solutions for participants with high support needs or extreme functional impairment.
Capacity Building Supports
Capacity Building Supports are designed to help participants develop skills to live more independently. These funds are also non-flexible.
Categories include:
Support Coordination: Helps connect you with the best service providers and resolve any issues with them.
Improved Living Arrangements: Assists with finding or securing suitable accommodation.
Increased Social and Community Participation: Funds skill-building activities like life skills training or sports coaching.
Finding and Keeping a Job: Provides support for job readiness, including help with resumes and interviews.
Relationships: Funds supports like psychology or social skills training to improve personal relationships.
Health and Wellbeing: Covers services like dietitians, personal trainers, and exercise physiologists.
Lifelong Learning: Helps participants transition from school to further education.
Choice and Control: Supports financial and organisational skill-building, including Plan Management.
Improved Daily Living Skills: Funds therapies like occupational therapy, early intervention strategies, and assessments.
Behaviour Support: Offers specialist behavioural intervention services.
NDIS Updates: What You Need to Know
Recent updates to the NDIS focus on improving transparency, accessibility, and participant outcomes. Here are key changes introduced in October:
Flexible Support Options: The NDIS has expanded its flexibility for certain support categories, allowing participants to better tailor their plans to meet their needs.
Improved Assistive Technology Processes: Quicker approval processes for low-cost items have been implemented, reducing delays in accessing essential equipment.
Digital Enhancements: Updates to the NDIS portal have made it easier for participants to track their spending and manage their plans online.
Support for Early Childhood Participants: A new framework has been introduced to provide tailored assistance for children and their families, focusing on developmental needs.
Focus on Independent Living: New resources are available to help participants explore and transition to individual living options.
More information about what is now being covered under the NDIS can be found here: https://ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au/would-we-fund-it/what-does-ndis-fund