FAQ – Plan Manage Assist

What happens if I disagree with what’s in my plan?

If you are not happy with your funding you have the right to ask for an internal review of your plan by the NDIA. For more information about the internal review process visit the How to review a planning decision page.

What I need to know about Capital Supports?

The Capital Support budget relates to supports such as assistive technology or modifications to your home and as such depends on quotes from suppliers. Funds within this budget can only be used for their specific purpose (e.g. a rail in the bathroom or a wheelchair) and cannot be used to fund other items.

The Capital Support budget has two support categories:

Assistive Technology – includes equipment items for mobility, personal care, communication and recreational inclusion (e.g. wheelchairs or vehicle modifications)
Home Modifications (e.g. rail in the bathroom).

What I need to know about Capacity Building Supports?

The Capacity Building funding is allocated across eight support sub-categories, each matched with the goals you’ve come up within your plan. You can choose how to spend these funds to purchase any approved individual support within its category, but won’t be able to move funding from one category to another.

The Capacity Building support categories include:

Choice and Control e.g. training in planning and plan management
Daily Activity e.g. therapy aimed at building your capacity to participate
Employment e.g. employment-related assessment and counselling
Health and Wellbeing e.g. exercise advice required due to impact of disability
Home Living e.g. support to obtain/retain appropriate accommodation
Lifelong Learning e.g. assistance moving from school to further education
Relationships e.g. positive behavioral support strategies to reduce behaviors of concern
Social and Community Participation e.g. Individual life skills development and training including public transport training and support, developing skills for community, social and recreational participation.

Support Coordination (if required) is included in the Capacity Building budget. This is a fixed amount for strengthening participant’s abilities to coordinate and implement supports in their plans and to participate more fully in the community.

What is covered in my NDIS Plan?

Every person living with a disability has different needs. Your NDIS funding is there to help you meet you’re short and medium to long-term goals in your NDIS plan.

Your funding is based on what is ‘reasonable’ and ‘necessary’ to achieve your goals, in addition to the support provided by family, friends, and other community and government services.

There are three types of support budgets that may be funded in your NDIS plan is Core supports, Capacity Building Supports and Capital Support.

What happens if I don’t spend all my funding?

A surprising amount of NDIS funding goes unspent – around 30% of it according to the 2017-2018 federal budget.

Any unspent funds are not added to my next plan and are returned to the NDIA.

What are some of the therapies funded by the NDIS?

At Plan Manage Assist we get asked a lot about what are the most common therapies funded by the NDIS?

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy can assist people with Autism to do everyday tasks by finding ways to work within their needs and make the most of their abilities and interests. This may include modifying daily tasks or recommending the right technology for your needs. As with any support, the NDIS will fund it if it can be considered reasonable and necessary.

Dancing

The NDIS can provide funding to help you join a dance class; either by funding the lesson itself or by assisting you to get to and from class. As with any support, the NDIS will fund it if it can be considered reasonable and necessary.

Music therapy

Music therapy is a powerful therapeutic tool that can assist people living with Autism in a number of ways including improving memory and helping with communication. As with any support, the NDIS will fund it if it can be considered reasonable and necessary.

Sport

Playing sport has many benefits and can improve your health benefits as many studies have shown. Because of these benefits, the NDIS can provide funding to help you get involved in sports, by either funding sporting activities or funding (part of) your sporting equipment. As with any support, the NDIS will fund it if it can be considered reasonable and necessary.

What I need to know about my Core Budget?

Your Core budget is the most flexible, and includes four categories of support:

Consumables (e.g. purchasing everyday use items such as continence aids)
Daily Activities (e.g. assistance with self-care activities during the day or evening)
Assistance with Social and Community Participation (e.g. supports to enable you to engage in social or recreational activities)
Transport (e.g. if you are unable to use public transport because of your disability).

The good news is you can generally use Core budget funds allocated against one support category to purchase supports under another support category unless funds have been set aside for a specific purpose such as periodic payments for transport, or any Core budget line item type that is:

Compensation
Specialised Disability Accommodation i.e. accommodation for participants who require specialist housing solutions due to significant functional impairment and/or very high support needs
In-kind e.g. Government pre-paid supports such as school transport or some therapy supports
Stated item (including Quotes for certain items) e.g. assistance in a shared living arrangement.

In these cases, the funds within a category must only be used for that specific purpose. For details about your Core supports please refer to your NDIS plan.

Will I get to see my plan before it is finalized?

After your meeting and discussions with the NDIA your ECEI Coordinator, LAC or NDIA planner will let you know the next steps and how long it will take to receive your approved plan.

During your planning conversation, you can request a copy of your plan printed in a variety of accessible formats such as Braille, electronic text (on CD), large print or audio (on CD), or translated into your preferred language.

How does the NDIS figure out how much funding you get in your plan?

NDIS plans are tailored to each person’s individual needs so funding will vary, depending on the person’s support needs.

When you meet with an NDIS representative, to develop your plan, you will be asked about your current situation and what supports you receive, and how you manage everyday activities, like taking a shower or cooking your meals. This information helps to form the basis of your plan, working out your supports; how they are reasonable and necessary; how they link to your immediate needs, and how the NDIS can help you to work towards achieving your goals. Once you complete the planning process you will receive an individualised funding amount, which you have choice and control over the support you receive. Visit the “My first plan” page on the NDIS website for more information.

A Guide to Service Agreements

Instructions for participants and service providers. Read more

What is Plan Management and what are my choices?

How do I manage the funding in my NDIS plan?

When we talk about managing your NDIS plan, we mean the way you manage the financial transactions involved with accessing and paying for supports as part of your plan.
As an NDIS participant, you have three main options: Plan Managed, NDIS Managed Self Managed and you may also select a combination of these three choices.

What are the differences between being plan-managed and self-managed?

Plan-managed – A Plan Manager will take care of your plan’s financial transactions. You will have funding for a Plan Management service provider included in your plans budget. In this situation, the NDIS will pay your Plan Manager, who will directly pay for all supports you have asked them to manage. The Plan Manager will take care of your plan’s financial transactions and monitor your budget. You can choose any provider, whether they are registered with the NDIS or not.
NDIS-managed – This is where the providers claim directly from the NDIA. When the NDIA manages your plan, the NDIS will directly pay your support providers for you. You must choose your registered NDIS providers if the NDIA manages your plan. You cannot choose providers or support people who are not registered with NDIS.
Self-managed – This option has the most paperwork, you directly manage the funds and are responsible for all the financial transactions. The NDIS will pay you directly for the supports you claim under your plan’s budgets. Being self-managed allows you to choose any provider, whether they are registered with the NDIS or not.

Which option to choose?

This depends a lot on your circumstances and how important it is for you to have control and choose your supports, physiotherapists etc. Participants with a Plan Manager don’t have the additional burden of paying the bills. Your service providers are able to send all invoices directly to Plan Manage Assist for easy processing.

Plus, you have the option of choosing registered and non-registered NDIS providers.

What will this cost me?

The NDIA will provide funding in your plan to pay for Plan Management. There is no direct cost to you but you need to request this in your plan review meeting to ensure it is included.

Plan Manage Assist Overview

An overview of Plan Manage Assist click to read more

How do I find & enlist a new provider with Plan Manage Assist?

Finding a Provider?

Once you’ve identified the types of services that may help you achieve your goals, it’s time to find out more about the providers in your area and whether they are right for you. Your ECEI Coordinator, LAC or Support Coordinator can also help you. To find NDIS registered providers you can search the Provider Finder on the myplace portal. Click to view a step by step guide to the NDIS mypalce participant portal.

You might want to research providers on the internet, check reviews, get advice from friends or family and speak with different providers either face-to-face or over the phone before you agree to work with them.

Plan Manage Assist work with hundreds of providers, as long as they meet the legal constraints of what the NDIA deems as “reasonable and necessary”.

For those looking for providers to engage, we are able to offer advice based on your individual needs and goals. We are also usually able to connect you with dedicated support coordinators who can contribute to your plan’s success.

Engaging a new Provider?

Once you have found the provider that suits your needs Plan Manage Assist sends you the following:

Provider introduction letter
Provider Input form – which provides all the information we need to set up your provider in the system so we can process invoices efficiently

If for some reason you are not happy with the services provided by your providers you must notify the provider and Plan Manage Assist so we can adjust accordingly.

Can I change to another Plan Manager?

For whatever reason, you can make the choice to change your Plan Manager.

If you decide to change to Plan Manage Assist whilst you are being managed by another Plan Management Provider you need to:

Check your current agreement and terms of conditions (usually it is 1 months notice)
Contact the NDIA 1800 800 110 to advise them
Notify your current Plan Manager in writing advising them you will be ceasing services and ask for confirmation in writing as to the date the service will end. This is important so as to ensure future service bookings will be cancelled
Notify your providers that you will be changing or let us know and we can send your providers an ‘Input Form’

Or call us and we are more than happy to assist you

Is Plan Manage Assist in all states in Australia?

Yes, Plan Manage Assist is in all states except Western Australia. Our head office is based in North Sydney in NSW, however we have team members in all states.

How do I login to view my budget & expenditure on the PMA website?

Once you have engaged Plan Manage Assist to be your Plan Manager we will provide you with login details to view your budgets for each category, invoices and lots more.

If you are visually impaired or are not familiar with working with computers, tablets etc one of our team members will be more than happy to give you an update as to your expenditure to date.

How do I claim an invoice?

For all providers and participants submitting an invoice is an easy process.

For providers – you must be set up in our system so that when we process your invoices we have all the important information ie business name, ABN, email, phone number & the service you provide. Please contact our accounts department for further details accounts@planmanageassist.com.au
For participants – you are able to claim a personal reimbursement with a receipt, Plan Manage Assist will send you details of what is required or email us accounts@planmanageassist.com.au

Support Coordinators – Our Role at Plan Manage Assist

Presentation