The NDIS Journey – Who can help?

 

Applying for the NDIS

A person with disability must first complete an Access Request form in order to become an NDIS participant. Evidence, such as a diagnosis and functional capacity assessment, is needed to support the Access Request.

 

 

Q: Who can help a person with disability apply for the NDIS in the first place?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Can provide information and resources. Individual advocacy can be provided in situations of extreme outreach where the person has no informal/ formal supports to assist.	Not applicable because Support Coordinators are only available to existing NDIS participants.	Will respond to any queries arising during the completion of the Access Request and can assist with referrals to relevant professionals for diagnosis and functional capacity assessments if required.

 

Note: Even if the LAC has assisted with the Access Request, they have no say in the decision about whether the person is rejected or deemed eligible. This is done by the NDIS.

 

Q: If a person’s access request is rejected but they still need support to access the local community and other government programs, who can help them?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Can assist with providing support and information regarding appealing the NDIS decision that rejected their application and deemed them ineligible.	Not applicable.	Helps all people with disability to connect with mainstream community services within information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC), and other relevant government programs.

 

 Planning

Eligible NDIS participants are invited to attend a planning meeting where their support needs and goals will be discussed. Sometimes the resulting approved plan isn’t quite right – specific therapy or support that were discussed at the planning meeting have not been included, or some supports have been allocated with insufficient budget attached.

Tip: Ensure that Support Coordination is included, particularly for a first plan.

A participant has the right to review a plan. The first step is an internal review where the NDIS will consider the participant’s requested changes. They may incorporate the changes or decide that the original plan was right.  If the participant disagrees and is still unhappy, the next step is an Administrative Appeals tribunal (AAT) review.

 

Q: The participant is not happy with their plan, who should they talk to?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Can support and provide information to submit an internal review of a decision. AAT reviews can only be undertaken by specifically funded NDIS Appeals advocates.*	May also help to submit a request for an internal review of a plan if the participant chooses to use their Support Coordinator to complete this task. May also assist to complete the AAT application form. However may not provide representation at the AAT and bill for services, except under extreme circumstances where permission is granted by the AAT and NDIA.	Can provide information and guidance about the internal review and AAT review processes and finding relevant forms. Can also assist to initiate the internal review process if a person verbally makes this request or sends an email.

 

 

Plan Implementation

The participant is happy with their plan and it’s now time to start purchasing the reasonable and necessary supports. Note: For plans that do not include Support Coordination, the Local Area Coordinator will take on that role.

 

 

Q: Who can help a participant to start using their plan?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Can provide information and guidance to direct a participant to their Support Coordinator and LAC.	Helps participants to build capacity and competency in using their plan by explaining the supports that can be purchased under the different categories and translating goals into billable hours.	Ensures that the participant’s plan is available in their preferred format and helps them to “understand it. Also provides access to the My Place portal, where to find information about their plan and track their budget. Undertakes to build capacity and competency in using their plan if participant has no Support Coordinator.”

 

Q: Who can help participants with sorting out their arrangements with service providers?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Assists when a participant needs to address a specific issue with their service provider, or initiate a formal complaint process.	Uses local knowledge to best match supports and services in line with a participant’s plan budget, wishes and preferences, as well as monitor service agreements and service bookings.	Assists participants to connect to services if they are not able to do this themselves, or if they do not have Support Coordination and need a list of local providers.

 

 

 

 

Plan review

Participants specify the plan duration for 1 year, 2 years or, in some instances, up to 5 years. At the end of the period, the plan comes up for review.

 

Q: The participant’s plan is about to end and needs to be reviewed. Who can help prepare for this?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Provides information and support if participants aren’t happy with the new plan and need assistance with either an internal review or an AAT appeal to get the desired changes included.	Collates an evaluation report to demonstrate how effective supports have been against the stated goals to take to the plan review meeting.	Notifies participants when their plan review is coming up and will book a time and place of mutual convenience to conduct the plan review where any “changes to the plan will be discussed. If an evaluation report is not available, assists participants to gather other evidence of plan effectiveness such as reports from treating practitioners.”

 

Q: The participant’s budget is running low before the planned review date. Who can help get it topped up?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Assists when a request for plan review has been denied or Change of Circumstance application is unsuccessful and the decisions need to be appealed.	May assist participant to complete a Change of Circumstance form if directed to do so by the participant. Note that the Support Coordinator will need to manage potential conflict of interest, particularly if more Support Coordination funding is being requested.	Initiates a Change of Circumstance or Plan Review once this request has been communicated by the participant in an email, by phone call or by completion of a Change of Circumstance form.

 

Q: The participant has been caught in an unexpected crisis and needs help fast. Who can help?	Disability Advocate	Support Coordinator	Local Area Coordinator
	Assists when access to crisis services (which may involve justice, education, familyviolence, or health) is being denied, or rights to be free of abuse and discrimination are not upheld.	Works with participants to establish disaster and emergency plans and takes action to implement them if the need arises (which may include connecting with services outside of disability support services).	Becomes involved when crisis triggers a Change of Circumstance and adjustments to plan budget are urgently required.

 

“I think we need to be very clear about this – the Support Coordinator’s role is purely and simply to link the client in with services that are reflected in their plan. But they are doing the advocacy work that we are funded for, and there’s no way that the Department can identify that level of advocacy on behalf of Support Coordinators.” – Advocate

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