The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a lifeline for over 500,000 Australians, providing the funding and support to access in-home care, their community and allied health supports. Since its introduction in July 2013, the NDIS Framework has remained largely unchanged. Despite a few minor amendments, the governing legislation around what qualifies as NDIS support has remained almost the same for over a decade.
Now, the Australian Government has introduced a raft of extensive changes in an effort to future-proof the scheme for generations to come.
In this month’s blog we investigate the new changes and what they mean for you.
Why did the government make changes to the NDIS?
Since its introduction, the NDIS has grown exponentially, with over half-a-million Australians accessing the Scheme. However, the legislation which governs the NDIS and what the funding can be used for has not been updated to match the level of growth the Scheme has experienced.
After undertaking extensive community and stakeholder consultation, the Federal Government drafted The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No.1) which addressed the key recommendations from the NDIS Review and drafted changes which will ensure fairer, transparent and more consistent use of the Scheme for all participants. This Bill passed the Parliament in August 2024.
What changes have been made?
For most people, the changes won’t be big or impact the way you use your NDIS package, however there are now a number of items you cannot claim through the scheme.
The biggest change is to the new definition of NDIS supports. This aims to make clear what NDIS funding is for and what it cannot cover.
Here’s what you need to know:
- You can only use your NDIS funds for items listed as approved NDIS supports.
- There is a list of items which NDIS funding cannot cover.
- There is a replacement rule which allows a participant to substitute a support which is not a NDIS support in specific cases.
- New and reviewed plans will now show a total budget amount, funding component amounts and funding periods.
Here is a link to the approved list of supports.
When do the changes come into effect?
These changes come into effect on 3 October 2024. They apply to all participants, as well as future participants.
What does this mean for my NDIS plan?
Your plan should remain largely unchanged, however if you believe you are claiming support for something now listed as an unapproved service, we recommend speaking to your registered NDIS provider or the NDIA for support.
It’s important to remember the purpose of these changes is to not make it harder to use or access the NDIS, but rather attempt to future-proof the Scheme so it is sustainable for decades to come.
There are several updates to the NDIA’s guidelines which help foster and implement these changes, which you can view here. You can also view a summary of all the changes made through the legislation here.
How Focused Health Care can help
We understand the security and opportunity a NDIS package can provide to people with disability. For all our participants, having a NDIS package has allowed them access to high-quality care, additional independence and choice over the way they live their lives.
Because of how important the NDIS is, we appreciate any changes can be daunting. If you are worried about what these changes mean to you, please don’t hesitate to call our friendly team.
These changes do not impact Focused Health Care’s ability to work alongside our incredible clients to continue delivering the highest quality of personalised support; so whatever the day, and whatever the changes; you’ll find us out in the community doing just that.
