What is STA/Respite?
Short Term Accommodation (STA), also known as Respite, can be one of the more complicated supports in the NDIS to determine eligibility for participants and how it can be covered in a plan. There can be additional complications relating to how STAs can be arranged and organised, which we hope to resolve in this blog.
What STA is not.
The NDIA is very clear when stating that STA is not a holiday. We have covered this topic in previous blogs: STA or Holiday? (first2care.com.au) and Will the NDIS Fund my Holiday? (first2care.com.au). Put simply, funding should not be used for anything that is deemed a holiday for the participant. Further details on how the NDIA differentiates between holiday and STA will be laid out below.
What STA is.
STA is support for when a participant needs to live out of home for a short period of time. This is generally available to participants at a maximum of 28 days per calendar year, with a recommended maximum of 14 days consecutively. This can also be limited by funding availability.
STA can be used by a participant for a number of reasons:
Providing respite to the participant and/or their primary caregivers,
The usual support network is temporarily unavailable,
The participant making new friends or developing new skills aligned with their plan goals,
Maintaining the participant’s functional capacity.
The reasons for engaging with STA must be directly related to the participant’s disability or plan goals. This is the primary rationale that the NDIS uses to differentiate between holiday and STA. If the activity is purely for recreation and does not link to the participant’s goals, then it is likely to be viewed as a holiday by the NDIA.
This reasoning also provides the basis for the Reasonable & Necessary criteria that justifies all supports to the NDIA.
How STA can be funded.
Because of the intricacies of STA and the funding requirements, it is generally considered best practice to use a dedicated STA/Respite agency. These providers arrange, organise, and invoice for the STA in one neat package and are familiar with NDIS rules regarding prepayments and other such requirements. All activities, personal care, accommodation, and food are also covered by a single invoice.
This allows us as the plan manager to know exactly what is being claimed and for how much. We can ensure that everything meets the NDIA’s funding criteria and does not exceed the maximum price limits.
Sometimes, using a STA agency is not suitable or appropriate. In these circumstances, STAs can be constructed by the participant in conjunction with their support workers and support coordinator.
To manage this, we recommend following the below steps:
Combine the complete STA expenses into a single invoice or, at the very least, a single invoice per day.
The support worker or support coordinator would pre-pay for all accommodation, supports, food, and activities and include receipts for these purchases with the invoice, ensuring that this fits within the maximum price for a 24-hour period for STA supports.
Once the supports have been delivered, these invoices can then be submitted for the support worker or support coordinator to receive payment for these expenses. Effectively, this means that the support worker or support coordinator would be acting as an unofficial STA agency.
STA does not need to be stated within a participant’s plan. As it is funded from the flexible Assistance with Daily Life budget within the Core category, there is simply the requirement for suitable funds and the Reasonable & Necessary criteria to be met.
This last point is important to consider. Incorrect use of STA has been a focus of the NDIA to reduce the inappropriate use of NDIS funding. If there are not clear links to a participant’s disability, then this is likely to be seen as a holiday by the NDIA.
Can STA be used in a crisis situation?
The NDIA states that STA is not appropriate for housing crisis solutions. STA should only be funded when the needs relate directly to the participant’s disability.
If a crisis occurs where a participant’s regular carers are unable to care for them, then STA may be deemed appropriate for a limited time. Long term solutions should always be discussed with the participant’s LAC or Planner as this would be more appropriately covered under Medium Term Accommodation (MTA).