Where can I find more information on Local Area Coordinators?

Local area co-ordinators can help you with the NDIS, talk to supports, and help you with community supports.

You can find more information here: https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/what-ndis/whos-rolling-out-ndis/lac-partners-community.

What does reasonable and necessary mean?

Reasonable and necessary are the words the NDIS use when talking about what the NDIS will fund.

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Reasonable‍
Means that something is fair.

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Necessary‍
Means something you must have.

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The NDIS pay for reasonable and necessary supports that will help you be more independent, join in the community and get the services and equipment you need. A few questions you might want to consider in determining if a product or service is reasonable and necessary:

Disability Related - Do I need this because of my disability?

Goals - Does it help me reach/move towards my goals, objectives and aspirations in my plan?

Value for money - Are the costs reasonable, thinking about both the benefits and the cost of other ways that might get similar results?

What is the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (or NDIS) is a way for people who have a disability, that inhibits everyday activities, and is likely to last for their whole life, to get the care and support they need.

The NDIS can provide support to individuals within a variety of areas including; studying, job hunting, socialising and making friends within and around their community.

Is the NDIS means tested?

Help from the NDIS is not means tested, it is based upon what is reasonable and necessary supports to meet your needs.

Why is the NDIS being rolled out the way it is?

Initially, the NDIS was rolled out in small trial sites. This allowed the NDIS to test different areas and age groups, and investigate how the scheme was working. This process allowed the NDIS to fix problems prior to the implementation of the full scheme.

Now that the NDIS is into the full scheme, it's rolling out according to the agreements made within different state and territory governments.

How will the NDIS affect my existing support programs?

How the NDIS will change your support programs is up to you. If you're happy with the supports you have, and if they're reasonable and necessary, then nothing needs to change. But if you want to, you can change your supports when you make your NDIS plan.

The NDIS has opened up the products and services you can get so we recommend you explore new supports to help you out.

What happens if you move to another state or area?

If you move from an NDIS area to somewhere the NDIS hasn't started yet, your funding will go with you. You'll need to let the NDIS know about your move as they might need to review the supports in your plan.

You can tell the NDIS about a move by filling out a special form called the change of circumstances form. You can find the form at the Change of Circumstance page: https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/using-your-plan/changing-your-plan/change-circumstances#change-of-circumstances-form.

What is a nominee?

A nominee is a person who is appointed by a participant to act or make decisions on behalf of a participant. Nominees have a duty to determine the wishes of the participant and make decisions that are in their best interests for their personal and social wellbeing.

There are two types of nominees:

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Plan Nominee

A plan nominee can undertake all activities that a participant would undertake including, all activity relating to their plan and the management of their funds. If there is anything specific that you don’t want your plan nominee to decide, you can ask for this to be noted when you appoint them.

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Correspondence Nominee

A correspondence nominee can undertake all activities that a participant would undertake, except for:

The preparation, review or replacement of the participants plan
Managing the funds for supports in the participants plan

You may consider having a nominee in place for times when you are unavailable to make decisions or need someone to speak with the NDIS on your behalf. The unexpected can happen and it’s good to have a plan in place, just in case.

What are the do’s and don’ts on doing social media posts?

My name is Emily Koltai and I am an NDIS participant, I am 22 years old and I have just recently finished my Bachelor of Communications, majoring in Social and Digital media, at UTS. While I was at Uni I also worked for the Sydney film festival for the past 2 years working on their social media.

From studying and working for the Sydney Film Festival, I have learnt a few things of what to do and not to do when it comes to creating social media posts.

I have written this article to help people with social media who are in the NDIS space, when it comes to creating content for their facebook pages and Instagram accounts. I have put together a list of things that would be good to use in a post and things that you shouldn’t do in a post.

The Do's

Short punchy captions
Engaging and inviting content e.g. videos, gifs
Use emotive language
Do funny and humorous captions
Do heart-warming and inspirational content

The Don'ts

No long wordy captions
No long articles that you would have to read for a long period
Not too frequent heavy and serious content

Here are some examples for what to do in a post:

Example 1

"What an amazing idea"! A group of people with disabilities came together to create a hip hop music video using communication devices. Take a look at this video.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-21/aussie-hip-hop-and-disability-support-group-breaks-new-ground/9893718

Example 2

“Love is in the air…. How gorgeous is this <3” Take a look at this story about a young couple who have a special night at the Debutante Ball for disability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfwAAejC74k

Where is the NDIS available?

As of 1 July 2019, the NDIS is expected to be available right across Australia in every state and territory.

Where does the NDIS funding come from?

There are three places the NDIS money is coming from:

First, existing money spent by state and territory governments on disability services is now going into the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Second, funds for the NDIS come from the increase in the Medicare levy that occurred in July 2014 from 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent.

Finally, any NDIS funding not offset by the above sources must come from general budget revenue or borrowings.

Where do I get NDIS forms from?

NDIS application forms are generally sent to people with disability and their families.

If you were part of an existing state scheme these should have been sent to you, but if you're new to the NDIS you'll need to call 1800 800 110.

What is the difference between the NDIS and NDIA?

The NDIS, 'National Disability Insurance Scheme', is the scheme that people with disability are part of, these people are called participants.. The NDIA, 'National Disability Insurance Agency', is the government body that is in charge of implementing and running the scheme.

Where is the NDIS located?

The head office of the NDIS is located in Geelong.

There are NDIS offices right around the country, and these offices are generally run by a community partner of the NDIS such as Mission Australia, Carers Queensland, and St Vincent's.