Search this site

There are three options when it comes to managing your NDIS plan - Agency, Self or Plan Management. And figuring out which is the right option for you, especially when new to the NDIS, can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Luckily, no matter what stage you're at in your NDIS plan, you can always change your preferred management option by speaking with your LAC or NDIA representative. Agency Managed, Self-Managed & Plan Managed It’s important to know the difference between the ways you can manage your NDIS plan effectively, and what might be the best option for you. Agency Managed – This is where the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) manages your funding for you. The NDIA will hold and pay your Service Providers through the NDIS Portal. You will be restricted to using NDIS registered services only. Self-Managed – Choosing to manage your plan funding yourself, gives you more Service Provider options, both registered and unregistered. You will be responsible for managing your funding, paying invoices, liaising with Service Providers and the NDIA, ensuring you keep detailed records for plan reviews and that all your expenditures are eligible and correctly assigned to the correct funding buckets. Plan Managed – This option is one that provides you with the freedom of accessing registered and unregistered Service Providers (like with self-management) but without having to manage the funding. A Plan Manager will act as your personal bookkeeper and record holder, overseeing payments, invoices, ensuring you aren’t over or underspending, provide you with necessary financial statements in the lead up to your plan review and advise you on whether the expenditure is allowed and correctly allocated against your funding budget. How does Plan Management fit into your NDIS Plan? There are certain factors that must be included in a participants’ NDIS plan, such as who will manage the financial aspects and what goals you have. An NDIS plan must include: A statement of goals, objectives and aspirations The environmental and personal living arrangements, informal community supports, other community supports, and social and economic participation A statement of supports, which need to be approved by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) A review date (usually in 12 months after the commencement of your plan) A plan management option Why you should consider being Plan Managed Being Plan Managed gives you greater freedom, choice and control over your NDIS plan. It gives you the very best elements of being Agency Managed – such as having someone manage your finances - and Self-Managed – such as having more choice on the supports and service providers you engage. A Plan Manager will act as your personal NDIS adviser and bookkeeper. They can help you navigate the NDIS and track your goals and finances. A Plan Manager will: Provide access to NDIS registered and non-registered service providers Help you choose the right support provider(s) for your needs (if requested) Receive invoices and pay your providers for their services Track your supports and funding budgets Claim funds through the NDIS portal Adhere to the NDIS Price Guide Manage financial reporting for your NDIS plan reviews and audits Be your expert in NDIS funding matters And best of all, this service comes at no extra cost to you. If you wish to engage a Plan Manager, this can be incorporated into your NDIS plan but you must request funding for it in your discussions with your plan writer. Switching to Plan Management after your NDIS plan has started If you decide to transition from Agency-or-Self-Management to Plan Management, you’ll need to make a ‘plan management request’. This request should not only indicate your preference to now be Plan Managed, but who you would like to manage your NDIS funding. There are numerous Plan Managers you can choose from, and it is important that you select a Plan Manager that suites your personal needs and offers dedicated professional financial services and has the right systems and processes in place to maintain good communications with you at all times. When you have selected a Plan Manager, you can request a meeting with your LAC or NDIA representative. In the meeting, you can discuss with them the reasons you would like to make this change to your NDIS plan and how this change will benefit you in the short and long-term to achieve your goals. The benefits of Plan Management with First2Care Working with First2Care means you can let go of any financial stress you may have regarding your NDIS financial management obligations, and focus on your goals, objectives and aspirations. We have a dedicated and professional support team as well as our Case Managers who work closely with participants and their families, nominee or representative to ensure they are well supported, that they understand their NDIS funding, and how to make the most of their funding. At First2Care, we believe in providing Plan Management your way and we will tailor our support to suit your needs. Read more about the benefits of working with an independent, professional Plan Manager. Alternatively, contact our friendly team on 1300 322 273 or support@first2care.com.au.

There are three level of Support Coordination that can be included in an NDIS plan – Support Connection, Support Coordination or Specialist Support Coordination. While Support Connection and Support Coordination provide a good base for building your capacity, some participants may need a little extra assistance to connect with providers and to implement and manage their plan. This is where Specialist Support Coordination can help. What is specialist support coordination? Specialist support coordination is considered to be the highest level of support coordination available to NDIS participants. This type of support coordination is usually for participants who have more complex needs and require a higher level of support. It can also be for a participant in a crisis situation. Specialist support coordination is provided by an allied health professional who can assist you to manage challenges that arise in your support environment (e.g., health, education or justice services) to ensure a consistent delivery of supports and services. Your specific needs help to determine the specialist support coordinator, which can include an occupational therapist, psychologist, social worker or another type of qualified professional. The aim of specialist support coordination is to reduce barriers that are preventing participants from implementing or using their NDIS plan. Who is eligible? If you have complex support needs, you may be eligible for specialist support coordination. During your planning meeting or your plan review meeting, it’s a good idea to discuss specialist support coordination with your LAC or NDIA planner. That way, your LAC or NDIA planner can make a recommendation for specialist support coordination (if relevant) to be included in your NDIS plan. If you believe you need specialist support coordination and it wasn’t included in your plan, you can request to have your plan reviewed early. This can be a lengthy process, so be sure to do your research first before requesting an early plan review. What does a specialist support coordinator do? Your specialist support coordinator can assist with all the same things that a regular support coordinator can. However, unlike a regular support coordinator, they can provide necessary additional support. Your specialist support coordinator can: Connect you with relevant services and supports Help you negotiate your service agreements Set up appointment bookings for you Help you to understand and make the most of your NDIS plan Manage challenges in your support environment such as access to education, health or justice services Reduce barriers that are preventing you from implementing or using your NDIS plan as intended Help you to build your capacity Your specialist support coordinator can develop an intervention plan to be implemented by support workers (if necessary). Where to find a specialist support coordinator One of the best resources for finding a specialist support coordinator is to discuss this with your LAC or Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) partner. They may be able to connect you with a specialist support coordinator to suit your needs. Other resources are Google, Facebook groups and other disability focused forums, and recommendations from people you know. Some good questions to consider or ask a specialist support coordinator before engaging them: Is the person accredited and registered in their field? Do they have the appropriate training specific to your support needs? Do they have experience working with people with similar needs as yours? Are they well connected to NDIS supports and other networks? Are they caring, empathetic and understanding? Including specialist support coordination in your NDIS plan may be time limited. This means that it may only be included for a set amount of time to help you overcome specific barriers around implementing your NDIS Plan or accessing supports. Support coordinators at any level are there to help you implement your NDIS plan. However, when it comes to making decisions, that is up to you. Remember, it's your plan, your way. Read more about the benefits of working with an independent, professional Plan Manager. Alternatively, contact our friendly team on 1300 322 273 or support@first2care.com.au.

Keeping track of your NDIS budget can be the key to financially managing a successful NDIS plan. Budgeting is a vital step in your NDIS plan management as it can indicate to the NDIA how effectively you’re using your funding, if you are overspending or underspending on your budget, and whether you are receiving the right amount of funding that you need. If you don’t manage your budget properly, you can run the risk of overspending and having to pay out of your own pocket for necessary supports, or underspending and having your NDIS budget reduced following your annual plan meeting. Whether you overspend or underspend, it’s important to remember – don’t panic. There are options to help you manage this if either situation occurs. What to do if you overspend your NDIS budget For some, it can be all too easy to overspend on your NDIS budget. For participants who have overspent or are coming close to overspending on their budget, you can speak with your Service Provider(s) or contact your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) to discuss potential options with them. Explaining the situation to your Service Provider(s), can be incredibly helpful for both you and for them. This opens the dialogue to discuss if there are any solutions to ensure your supports can continue uninterrupted, or even to provide the possibility of a cheaper service you could access to reduce the risk of you needing to pay for supports out of your own pocket. Your Local Area Coordinator is another great point of contact should the risk of overspending occur. Through them, you can request an early review of your NDIS plan, with the potential of increasing your budget. It’s important to be mindful that this option can be quite a lengthy process, and is based on the evidence you provide proving it is both reasonable and necessary for a budget increase. There are no guarantees with this option, so it is best to keep on top of your budget from the start of your NDIS plan. What to do if you underspend your NDIS budget The first thing you need to know about underspending on your NDIS budget, is that it doesn’t necessarily mean your funding will be cut following your annual plan review. If you notice you’ve seriously underspent, think about the reasons why this might have occurred. Were you unsure on what you could use the money for? Did you have trouble accessing Service Providers in your region? Were there personal or health reasons that meant you couldn’t access services over a certain period? All of this, along with your spending history, will be considered at your next NDIS planning meeting. It’s also important to note, that at your annual planning meeting your spending history will be looked at whether you’ve underspent, overspent or spent accurately within you budget. If you have a large amount of funding remaining towards the end of your plan, although it might seem like a logical step, it’s not recommended you try to spend the remaining amount just for the sake of it. The risk of spending a large amount of funding quickly in the lead up to your planning meeting, is that it could be construed as unnecessary spending. Meaning, the potential negative impact of having too much funding remaining, then becomes a potential negative impact of unnecessary spending – a bit of a catch 22. What’s the outcome? Whether you’ve overspent or underspent, the NDIA indicates they will assess each new plan based on what is considered reasonable and necessary for the participant, not based on decisions regarding previous spending trends like over or underspending. Although, there are cases where this may not occur. One of the best ways to make sure you continue to have access to the funding you need, is to be prepared for your planning meeting. You’ll need to explain why you’ve either over or underspent to your LAC during your plan review, and be sure to provide plenty of supporting materials. How a Plan Manager can help Keeping track of your budgets, overspending, underspending, understanding what your funding can be used for, and preparing for your plan review… all of this can sometimes feel a little overwhelming, especially when you have other things, like achieving your personal goals, to think about. This is where a Plan Manager, like First2Care, can help. Having an independent Plan Manager track the financial side of your plan can be a great option for participants who are wanting the freedom of self-management, including access to both registered and unregistered service providers, but who don’t necessarily want to deal with the stress and workload of financially managing their plan themselves. You can include First2Care as your Plan Manager in your NDIS plan at no extra cost to you. Simply discuss this option with your LAC, and provide them with our referral form. One of the great benefits of having a Plan Manager to assist is that they provide a monthly summary report to tell you exactly where you are at each and every month. At First2Care, we pride ourselves on providing personal and professional financial assistance to NDIS participants. We offer a tailored service in keeping financial records, organising providers and payments, paying invoices and tracking expenses. If one of our Plan Managers notices you are over or underspending on your budget, they can discuss this with you and help create solutions for a well-managed plan. We also offer a free NDIS Plan Management platform, which we have designed specifically for our NDIS participants to help guide them through the planning process step-by-step. This includes: pre-planning, plan renewals, monthly budgets and reports, goals, and provider portals, which allows them to review the status of processing invoice and reconciliations, and how your budget is tracking. Read more about the benefits of working with a Plan Manager. Alternatively, register with our FREE NDIS Plan Management platform, so we can start helping you best manage your plan today. Read more about First2Care’s Plan Management features. Over to you Sometimes keeping track of your NDIS funding and spending can be tough. Which is why we offer professional and technological options to help you stay on track. We hope this gives you a better understanding of what could happen if you over or underspend on your NDIS budget, and what to do if this occurs. If you’ve had personal experience with over or underspending, or accessing the assistance of a Plan Manager to keep your funding on the right track, let us know in the comments below.