Your guide to private disability support while waiting for NDIS funding

Key takeaways

• Privately paying for disability support while waiting for NDIS funding may help you maintain daily routines and independence.
• You don’t need National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding to arrange support through Mable. You can sign up for free and pay privately while you wait.
• Once Mable verifies your payment details, which is usually within two business days, you can book support without a referral or joining an agency waitlist.
• Independent support workers must complete Mable’s verification process before they can offer services on the platform.
• When your NDIS plan is approved, Leap in! may help you manage your NDIS budget, payments and claims to reduce the administrative load.

Waiting for an NDIS decision can feel frustrating, especially when you need support immediately. You may wonder whether you need to wait for your NDIS funding before arranging support.

The good news is that you don’t. You can use self-funded care to access support through Mable while your NDIS application or plan approval is underway.

This guide explains how private disability support while waiting for NDIS funding works. It covers which services you can arrange and what to do if your NDIS plan is approved.

Do I need NDIS funding to get support services?

You don’t need an approved NDIS plan to access disability support. While it’s one way to pay for support, it’s not the only option. You can pay privately for your support through Mable.

Private support isn’t intended to replace NDIS funding. Instead it can provide a short-term bridge to meet your support needs while you wait for funding approval.

This is where Mable can help. Mable is an online platform that connects people with disability with local, verified independent support workers. You or a family member, nominee or representative can sign up for free and arrange private support at any stage of your NDIS application process.

There are no referral requirements, agency waitlists or lock-in agreements with Mable. You can search for independent support workers, discuss your needs, agree on rates and create a service agreement that suits you.

Before booking support, Mable will verify your payment details and this usually takes up to 2 business days. Mable will email you when it’s complete and you can then book support in a little as 4 hours.

What types of self-funded care services can I pay for privately?

The disability support you arrange depends on your needs, routines and goals. You may choose one service or build a small support team. The Mable platform makes it easy to find and manage multiple support workers in one place.

Through Mable you can find:

Social support and independent living support

These flexible services generally don’t require the support worker to have clinical qualifications. They include:

• Grocery shopping
• Meal preparation
• Household tasks, such as cleaning or gardening
• Help with personal administration
• Transport and help attending appointments, community activities and outings
• Companionship.

Personal care support

Independent support workers offering personal care on Mable must meet relevant qualification or experience requirements. Mable verifies the qualifications shown on their profiles.

Personal care support can include:

• Showering, dressing and grooming
• Toileting
• Mobility assistance
• Hoist and manual transfers
• Exercise assistance
• Medication reminders.

Clinical and nursing support

Nurses on Mable, also independent support workers, must hold current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a registered or enrolled nurse. Mable verifies this registration before they can offer their services.

Clinical nursing services may include:

• Wound care
• Medication management
• Catheter care
• Continence support
• Monitoring vital signs
• Respiratory support.

Allied health support

Allied health professionals must meet the registration or professional membership requirements for their profession. Mable verifies these requirements.

Allied health support may include:

• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech pathology
• Psychology.

How can I access private disability support while waiting for NDIS approval?

After you submit a complete access request, the NDIS approval process may take around 2 to 3 months. It may take longer if the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) asks you to provide extra evidence.

During this wait time, you can choose to pay privately through Mable so you don’t miss out on support.

Here is how you can arrange self-funded care for yourself or on behalf of someone else through Mable:

1. Connect: Create a free account and verify your payment details. There’s no cost until support sessions are booked and approved. You can then post a job or browse more than 23,000 support worker profiles using filters such as location, qualifications, language, gender, cultural background and interests.
2. Book: Once you’ve found a support worker who feels like the right fit, you can discuss and agree on rates and support session times, create a service agreement and book their service. You can also choose to arrange a meet and greet before booking to ask questions and understand their support style.
3. Manage ongoing support: You or your representative can manage service agreements, bookings, support notes, support hours and payments all in one place on the Mable platform.

Mable also has safeguards in place to help protect clients and workers. Independent support workers must complete verification checks before they can offer services and insurance is included with every support session booked and invoiced through Mable.

If your disability support funding is approved, you may be able to keep the same support workers and routines. This will depend on how you choose to manage your funding and whether that support is approved under your NDIS plan.

What should I do once my NDIS disability support funding is approved?

At your NDIS plan meeting, you’ll discuss how you’d like your funding to be managed. You may choose:

• Self-managed: You manage your NDIS funding and pay providers directly.
• Plan-managed: A registered plan manager manages payments and claims on your behalf.
• National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)-managed: The NDIA pays registered providers directly on your behalf.
• Mixed management: You can use a combination of these options for different parts of your plan.

Self-management and plan-management generally offer the most flexibility, allowing you to choose your own support workers. Mable currently supports clients using self-managed or plan-managed NDIS funding.

If you choose plan-management, a plan manager such as Leap in! may be able to help you make the most of your NDIS budget. Leap in! specialises in NDIS plan management and is part of the same group of companies as Mable. The Leap in! team can process provider invoices, help track your budgets and explain how your disability support funding is being used. This may reduce the administration involved in managing your NDIS funding.

Bridge the gap with self-funded care while waiting for NDIS

Waiting for NDIS funding shouldn't mean going without support. Paying privately through Mable may help you put practical support in place while your NDIS application is being considered.

Mable makes it straightforward to choose independent support workers who suit your needs, agree on rates before support begins and manage your support through one platform. This may help you maintain your independence and daily routines while you wait for a decision.

Sign up to Mable for free to start finding support now. You may also like to explore Leap in! plan management to find out how they can help you make the most of your NDIS funding if it’s approved.