Short Term Accommodation (STA) has now officially been renamed to Short Term Respite (STR) under the NDIS.

After considering the concerns over the word ‘respite’, they’ve decided that it most accurately reflects what the support is. They’re shifting away from the word ‘accommodation’ because it’s not really about where a participant is staying, it’s about the support that’s provided to a participant.

What is Short Term Respite?

STR is designed to give participants a break from their usual care arrangements for at least one night. It also allows their primary informal carers to take a break so that they are able to continue in their role long-term.

Primary informal supports is the term the NDIS uses for people that support participants without expecting payment. They may include family, friends and carers.

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Who Can Use It?

Adult NDIS Participants who:

Live with their primary informal supports, or get daily drop-in support from them.
Who get more than 6 hours per day of disability related support from their primary informal supports.

Child NDIS Participants who:

Have disability support needs that are beyond what is typical for their age.
Families will benefit from the support in order to continue providing care long term.

If participants have sufficient paid supports who provide consistent care and share responsibilities NDIS will not typically fund STR. For example, if a participant is accessing Supported Independent Living services.

(We need a little visual punch for the below as it’s important, especially emphasising that people check before they go ahead)

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Can you claim it?

Respite invoices are a hefty sum, so you’ll want to have all your ducks in a row before the bill arrives.

It’s important to check your NDIS Plan, specifically. Look for wording around “Short Term Accommodation” or “Short Term Respite” in your NDIS plan and check for the below:

Check if your NDIS plan specified that it’s included.
If it’s been included, check if it specifies any ratios for support.
Check if your NDIS plan specifies that it’s excluded.

If it’s not been mentioned at all in your plan, it will be crucial to discuss with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC), Support Coordinator, and/or Plan Manager before you go ahead. You’ll want to ensure that they have a copy of your current NDIS plan so that they can give you the right advice.

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How It Works

If participants are funded for STR, NDIS will include this in their flexible Core budget. Typically, NDIS will fund for up to 28 days per year, with a maximum of 14 days in one consecutive stay.

Participants should only be paying for the supports that they’re actually using. So if they’re using less (for example, if they leave respite at midday), then the provider should adjust the cost accordingly.

Respite supports must be similar to the support which a participant usually receives at home and participants must not double up with other supports which are funded in their plan.

Participants can use it in individual or shared settings, depending on their needs.

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What’s Included (and Excluded)

Supports for respite with a registered provider

It’s often best value for money for participants to take their STR in a centre or group residence. These providers are accustomed to providing STR supports and ensure that their facilities and staff are able to meet participant needs.

In this instance, all the participant’s expenses are covered for a 24 hour period, such as:

Standard accommodation for the participant.
Support to help with self-care, community access activities and overnight support as needed.
Food.
Activities that the participant and provider have negotiated.

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Supports for a self-made respite package

If participants opt for a self-made respite package, STR could be taken in a range of environments, such as:

Their own home if it helps the participant have a break from their primary informal supports.
A hotel or motel.
A short-stay rental.
A cabin or cottage.
A hostel.

The important thing is that it’s taken in standard, stationary accommodation that is clean, comfortable and provides basic amenities such as a bed, bathroom and any accessibility features required for the participant.

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In the instances of a self-made package, the NDIS is much stricter about what is included:

NDIS will fund the cost of the participant’s accommodation, but not the support worker’s accommodation.
NDIS will fund the cost of the support worker’s invoices for their services to the participant.
NDIS will not fund other costs, such as transport, food, or cost of activities.

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Holidays and Crisis Accommodation

NDIS have specified that STR cannot be used for holidays or for crisis accommodation.

If a participant is at risk of homelessness, they can contact their LAC or Support Coordinator for help to apply for state or territory housing or homelessness services.

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Pricing

If you’re using an NDIS-registered provider, they must charge within the price limits set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Unregistered providers are not subject to price limits.

The types of providers that you can use, and if you’ll have to pay any out-of-pocket costs are dependent on how your Core funding is managed.

We encourage you to chat to your LAC, Support Coordinator or Plan Manager so that they can advise you about pricing and if you’ll have to pay anything out of your own pocket.

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