Who Approves NDIS Supports: What Providers Need to Know

As registered NDIS Plan Managers, one of our responsibilities is meeting compliance obligations. What it really means is that we must follow the NDIS rules carefully when we process participant funding.

A common area of confusion we see between providers and participants is around the question of who actually approves supports. It’s important to note: Plan Managers do not approve supports. We don’t decide what supports participants can or can’t have. So, who does?

Who approves supports? 

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the only organisation who can approve what supports go into a participant’s NDIS plan. They assess support requests and decide if they meet the “reasonable and necessary” criteria. If it meets the standard, those supports are included in the participant’s plan.

Once a plan is approved, the Plan Manager’s role is to check and process provider invoices. We ensure the invoices align with the participant’s plan, price limits, and NDIS rules before releasing payments.

Think of it this way: the NDIA approves the supports that goes into the participant’s plan. And then a Plan Manager ensures invoices for those supports that are already in the plan meet compliance requirements before paying them.

What this means for Providers 

For providers working with plan-managed participants, it’s beneficial to understand:

• Submitting an invoice for a support that isn’t approved by the NDIA to be included in a participant’s plan will result in the invoice being rejected.

• Plan Managers are required to protect participant funding and comply with NDIA rules. We cannot pay invoices that fall outside of these.

• Clear, accurate invoicing helps avoid delays in payment and ensures smooth management of participant budgets.. 

To Summarise 

The participants’ NDIS plan is approved and set by the NDIA, but Plan Managers ensure that participant funding is used properly, safely, and in line with the rules.