How will people in WA NDIS transfer to the national NDIS?

WA NDIS Local Coordinators are contacting WA NDIS participants to receive their approval to move into the national NDIS.

Approval can be provided over the telephone, in writing, or face to face.

The NDIA, the Agency that runs the national NDIS, is informed when you have approved the transfer.

The NDIA then will call you to organise a time to organise the transfer of their WA NDIS plan.

How does the plan transfer meeting from WA NDIS to national NDIS work?

The NDIA will contact you if you are transferring to the national NDIS to find out:

How you would like to have the transfer meeting
Who you would like to attend the meeting (i.e. family member, friend, provider, disability advocate)
Where you want to have the meeting
What time works best for you

Based on a participant preference, a plan transfer meeting will be arranged with you and a NDIA planner.

You can share information with your planner on your current support arrangements with service providers to help make the process smoother i.e. duration of service, days it is provided, and general arrangements.

What happens to providers during the WA NDIS transfer period?

During the plan transfer meeting, the planner will ask you about your current providers and, where there is no change, will make service bookings on behalf of you.

Remember the NDIS is all about choice and control so you may want to look at new providers.

If you decide to change providers, the NDIA will not create a service booking at the time of plan transfer.

What happens if I don't meet the NDIS requirements?

If you do not meet NDIS access requirements, the NDIS can offer further support through Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC). Further, WA and the Commonwealth Government may provide you with the necessary support, dependent upon your personal circumstances. There is more information on ILC here: http://www.disability.wa.gov.au/wa-ndis/wa-ndis/information-linkages-and-capacity-building/

I am 65+ and have a WA NDIS plan, will I transfer to the nationally-delivered NDIS?

If you were under 65 years old when you became an WA NDIS participant, you will transfer to the nationally-delivered NDIS to ensure continuity of disability supports and services.

What is Early Childhood Early Intervention?

The Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) is available to all children aged 0-6 with a developmental delay or disability in line with the roll out of the NDIS.

In Western Australia, the partner who will deliver ECEI services is:

Wanslea Family Services in the Central South Metro, South Metro, South West, Great Southern, South East Metro and Inner Wheatbelt service areas

What is the difference between the WA NDIS and the NDIS?

The WA NDIS has been delivered by the Western Australian State Government, whereas the NDIS is a national scheme.

The nationally delivered NDIS is available in other states in Australia and is now being made available to people across Western Australia in a phased manner.

Under the WA NDIS it was expected that only 40,000 West Australians would be eligible, however under the national NDIS they estimate 50,000 people will be eligible. You can find out more about the difference between these two schemes in this article by the founder of the NDIS, Bruce Bonyhady: https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2017/03/difference-wa-ndis-real-ndis/.

Who are the partners in the community helping WA families with the NDIS

The partners in the community to help deliver the NDIS are called Local Area Coordinators (LAC) and Early Childhood, Early Intervention (ECEI) specialists.

The WA LACs are:

Mission Australia (LAC)
APM (LAC)

The WA ECEI is

Wanslea Family Services (ECEI)

The new partners will be ready to deliver services from 1 May 2019. The NDIA will be managing planning services for WA participants until these new Partners are fully operational.

Do people transferring from WA NDIS to NDIS have enough time to transfer?

People who are part of the WA NDIS are now being provided with additional time to transfer to the national NDIS.

The focus is on a high quality planning experience and trying to achieve the best outcomes for participants, including the ability to meet with an NDIS planner face to face.

Who are the Local Area Coordinators (LAC) in WA?

LACs are the partner for most participants in the NDIS who live in WA. They are the community partner for and will be your main contact point.

In Western Australia, the partner who will deliver LAC services are:

Mission Australia in the Central North Metro, South East Metro and North East Metro Service Areas.
APM in the North Metro, Central South Metro, South Metro, South West, Great Southern and Inner Wheatbelt Services Areas.

Some areas of WA do not have partners. This includes the Kimberley, Pilbara, Midwest-Gascoyne, Outer Wheatbelt, Goldfields and Esperance. If you live in one of these areas, someone from the NDIA will work with you to connect you to the NDIS or supports in your community.

What are the areas where partners do not deliver ECEI or LAC services?

How does the NDIS planning process work?

NDIS planning starts when you become an NDIS participant. A participant is someone who uses the NDIS. You'll meet with a planner who will work with you to make a plan based on your goals. You'll then talk to your supports and make service agreements with them.

As of May 2019, the planners for participants 7+ in WA will be from Mission Australia and APM. For participants who are under 7 in the Early Childhood Early Intervention, the planners will be from Wanslea.

In some areas in WA, the planners will come directly from the NDIS. This includes the Kimberley and Pilbara, Midwest-Gascoyne, Outer Wheatbelt and Goldfields and Esperance.

We can help you get the most out of the planning meeting if you'd like by using our pre planning tool https://preplanning.providerchoice.com.au, we'll then give you a call and work through some key tips. You can always contact us direct at hello@providerchoice.com.au.

Can I choose to plan manage?

You can choose to have a plan management provider in your plan. A plan management provider is someone who is paid to be in charge of your supports.

Unfortunately in WA, currently there are only a small number of participants plan managing and a high number agency managing. Agency management limits participants to registered government NDIS providers. We find plan and self management achieve the best outcomes for participants.

At ProviderChoice we are a plan manager and we can also help you to become self-managed over time so you can have full choice and control over your NDIS plan.

If you're interested you can get in touch via email at hello@providerchoice.com.au

What are the different ways I can manage my plan?

How you manage your plan is up to you. You can choose to have your plan managed by:

Yourself
A nominee
The NDIA
A plan management provider
A combination

At ProviderChoice we are a plan managers and can manage your plan if you live in Queensland.

You can nominate us to be your plan manager when you meet your planner or once you receive your plan, to get in touch email hello@providerchoice.com.au.

How often are NDIS plans reviewed?

In general, NDIS plans are reviewed annually. However, in some circumstances the review may be scheduled at the 3, 6 or 9 month mark.

The NDIS is also starting to look at scheduling plan reviews every two years for some participants.

How does the NDIS work for people in WA?