The day the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) decides you’re eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), you become an NDIS participant. You will receive a letter to let you know that you’re eligible, whether you met the disability requirements/early intervention requirements, and the next steps.
If you’re an adult or a carer supporting an adult who’s been approved as eligible for the NDIS, the next step is to have an NDIS plan arranged. The NDIA will contact you within 21 days of you receiving the letter to organise your first NDIS planning meeting.
This includes information about you and your goals, what supports you need, and funding that the NDIS will give you to pay for these supports and services. Your plan will be reviewed, and once NDIS plan approval is given by the NDIA, you can start working towards the goals agreed upon in your NDIS plan.
How do I make an NDIS plan?
What should be included in my NDIS plan?
The following information needs to be included in your NDIS plan, and will be discussed at your planning meeting:
- Your name
- Your date of birth
- Your NDIS participant number (you can find this in your access letter)
- Your disability – what your disability is and how this affects your daily life
- Where you live
- Who you live with
- Your day-to-day life – what activities you do, if you have a job, if you use any aids
- Your community – family, friends, support workers, people you work with
- Your current supports – your doctor, school/uni, transport you use and how often
- What you enjoy about life right now
- What you want to change
- If you want to try something new
- Your short-term goals – e.g. learning how to use public transport by yourself
- Your long-term goals – e.g. moving out of home or getting a job
- Managing your NDIS funding – self-managed, plan-managed, NDIA-managed/Agency-managed.
There’s a helpful and easy to read NDIS planning meeting booklet you can use, to record these details you will need for your planning meeting. The NDIS ‘Planning’ booklet has pages you can write on or type in your answers to the dot points above.
What happens in a planning meeting?
Who can attend my NDIS planning meeting?
How do I prepare for my planning meeting?
To get ready for your planning meeting, it’s helpful to know what to bring and what your LAC or NDIA Planner will talk about. This person will want to get to know you and your goals, and the support you need to reach these goals. You will also need to bring proof of your identity, like a driver’s licence or passport, as well as your myGov details. The information from this planning meeting will then be used to make your NDIS plan.
You will also discuss what style of plan management you prefer. To know more, explore this article about the different ways you can manage your NDIS plan.
Find out more about how to prepare for your first meeting with the NDIS.
What do I need to bring to my NDIS planning meeting?
You’ll need to bring the following to your meeting:
- Proof of your identity. You can find the Proof of Identity fact sheet on the NDIS website for more information.
- Your bank account details, if you’re considering self-managing all or some of your NDIS funding.
- Any other information or reports completed by health professionals or service providers who have worked with you for at least 6 months for the NDIS to understand the impact of your disability, and your personal circumstances.
- A list of any assistive technology that you use, for example, a wheelchair, modified cutlery or communication device (if not already completed in this booklet).
- Your myGov login and password details (if you need help with this, talk to your early childhood partner, Local Area Coordinator or NDIA planner).
- To make sure you have all your bases covered, download the NDIA’s NDIS planning meeting checklist.
How do I know if my NDIS plan has been approved?
After your planning meeting, your NDIS plan will be submitted, and the NDIA will decide whether or not to give you the NDIS plan approval. If your NDIS plan is approved, you will receive your NDIS approval letter in person or in the mail or through myplace, a secure website portal you can use to see and manage your NDIS plan.
What if I’m not happy with my NDIS plan?
If you’re not happy with your NDIS plan, or don’t agree with the goals approved in your NDIS plan, you can contact your LAC or NDIA Planner. This person will explain how to ask for a review, and help you find an advocate if you want one. You will need to ask for a review within three months of receiving your plan. If you don’t agree with the NDIA’s review, you can ask the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to review the decision.
How do I manage my NDIS plan?
There are three different ways to manage your NDIS plan: self-managed, plan-managed and Agency/NDIA-managed. Learn in more detail about each of these ways to manage your NDIS plan.
If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA:
- You can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support
- You can’t use your NDIS funding to book independent support workers on Mable.
If you’ve chosen to have your NDIS plan managed by the NDIA (also referred to as agency-management), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is responsible for managing payments and keeping payment records of spending using your NDIS plan funding. If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA, you can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support. This means you cannot use Mable to book support.
If you choose plan management or self-management for your NDIS funding, you can book independent support workers on Mable with your NDIS funding. Learn more about using your NDIS funding to connect with supports through Mable.
What next?
When you get your NDIS plan approval, and you’re involved in managing your NDIS plan, you aren’t limited to receiving support only through NDIS-registered providers. You can book independent support workers through Mable by using your NDIS funding.
If you’re ready to get more from your plan, consider using your NDIS funding to connect with supports and see how easy it can be to build a support team tailored for you.
FAQs
Will I always be eligible for the NDIS?
During every plan review meeting, the NDIA will verify that your details are up to date, and that you continue to meet NDIS eligibility requirements. The NDIS may find during a review that you no longer meet the early intervention requirements because you have built your skills and capacity, and aren’t benefiting anymore from early intervention supports. Children with developmental delay will usually leave the NDIS after they turn six. If you’re no longer eligible, the NDIS may help you connect with other services in your community if you need them. Alternatively, if you still need support services, you can connect with Mable’s community of Independent Support Workers and pay privately for support.
My circumstances have changed since my first NDIS planning meeting, what do I do?
If there’s a significant change of circumstances, you need to inform the NDIA. Change in circumstances can be due to a number of factors such as a change in support needs, a change to living arrangements, a change to informal supports, etc. Find out in detail when NDIS plans are reviewed and how to request a meeting.
