When you're new to the NDIS, your plan can feel like a document full of words that technically make sense but somehow don't add up to anything practical.
Core-Consumables is one of those lines most people scroll past. It shouldn't be.
What It Actually Covers
Core-Consumables funding covers everyday items related to your disability and it's also the part of your plan you can use to buy low-cost assistive technology. Low-cost means under $1,500. Assistive technology is just the formal term for products or equipment that help you manage your disability or work towards the goals in your plan: products that exist specifically to make your life work better for you.
If you have Core-Consumables funding and you haven't touched it yet, it's worth knowing what might be possible.
Where to Start
The best people to ask are your allied health professionals: your occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist or whoever is part of your care team.
They know your needs in a way no funding document can capture. Start a conversation with them. Ask what products or equipment might genuinely help. Let them spark ideas you might not have thought to look for.
Before You Buy Anything
Here's the step that saves a lot of people a lot of headaches.
Before you purchase anything, email a quote to your plan manager and ask whether it can be claimed through your NDIS funding.
Not every allied health professional is across the finer details of NDIS guidelines and claiming rules. That's not a criticism, it's just not their speciality.
That's where your plan manager comes in. They can cross-check a recommendation against your plan and NDIS rules before you spend a cent, so you're never left with a bill you didn't expect.
How Claiming Works
Once you've made your purchase, claiming for consumables works exactly the same way as any other claim. You've got two options, depending on what suits you and your provider.
Option 1: Your Provider Invoices Us Directly
Contact your provider to place your order. Ask them to send the invoice to invoices@providerchoice.com.au and we'll pay them directly.
Option 2: You Pay Upfront and We Reimburse You
Contact your provider to place your order and pay for it. Once you've got a copy of your receipt, follow our reimbursements process.
Either option works. Pick whichever is easiest for you and your provider.
The Short of It
Step 1: Ask your allied health team what products might help you.
Step 2: Get a quote and send it to your plan manager before you buy.
Talk to your allied health team about what might genuinely help. Then send the quote to your plan manager before you buy.
That's it. Two steps between where you are now and getting more out of your plan.
At Provider Choice, we break down the parts of the NDIS that don't come with a clear instruction manual. No jargon. No fluff. Subscribe to our newsletter for practical information on the parts of the NDIS that nobody hands you a guide for.
References:
Provider Choice | A Guide to NDIS Sensory Supports
