You’ve been accepted by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)? CONGRATULATIONS! But, as participants, their carers and service providers know, getting on the Scheme is one battle – navigating it can be just as confusing and frustrating!

So, that is why we will try to answer a few more of your most common questions and try to help you along the NDIS path.

Let’s look at a few basic questions that seem to pop up all the time and give you the straight answers.

The NDIS provides funding to eligible people based on their individual needs.

However, always keep “REASONABLE and NECESSARY” at the front of your mind when asking any NDIS-related questions, because if it doesn’t relate to your goals, or doesn’t meet the above criteria, then your request will most likely be denied.

The types of supports that the NDIS may fund for participants include:

• Daily personal activities.
• Transport to enable participation in community, social, economic and daily life activities.
• Workplace help to allow a participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market.
• Therapeutic supports including behaviour support.
• Help with household tasks to allow the participant to maintain their home environment.
• Help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training.
• Home modification design and construction.
• Mobility equipment, and
• Vehicle modifications.

Read more HERE.

Does NDIS pay for a removalist or towards costs of moving house?

Generally, the NDIA will also fund reasonable and necessary supports that are related or incidental to home modifications which may include:

1. Assistance with the cost of moving to accessible premises as an alternative to home modifications where this is cost effective to provide access. Generally, it would be expected that any new premises selected provide appropriate access and that any further modifications would be very basic and low cost. Potential costs that may be covered include:
   • Costs associated with selling the participant’s current property, for example advertising, agents fees and legal costs.
   • Costs associated with the purchase of the alternate property, for example stamp duty and legal costs;
   • Removalist costs and
   • Minor modifications to install special equipment if necessary.
2. Additional costs incurred if the NDIA recommends or requires the use of qualified builders, trades people, project managers, building certifiers, building assessors or occupational therapists
3. The costs of normal repairs and maintenance to specialised fittings and assistive technology that have been installed as part of a home modification and
4. Costs related to council or other building approvals which are payable as a result of the required home modifications.

The NDIS will generally NOT fund:

• Swimming pools.
• Insurance premiums.
• Ongoing repairs and maintenance (ie, repainting etc).

Where the NDIA has funded complex or extensive modifications and the participant or their family subsequently sells the property the NDIA expects:

• Future premises selected will be as accessible as possible.
• Money from the sale of the first property, commensurate with the value of the modifications funded by the NDIA will be directed towards modifying the participant’s new premises; and
• If there is more than one residence that a participant needs to access, for example, because of shared parenting arrangements or holiday homes, modifications to the second property will be restricted to access and basic hygiene requirements.

Read the full list of requirements etc HERE.

Can the NDIS help pay for rent?

For most participants, the NDIS does not cover funding for rent. However, some NDIS participants may apply for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) or Supported Independent Living (SIL).

SIL providers have been differentiated from SDA providers so that participants can change one support without having to change another. Participants who don’t have SDA in their plan can still access SIL supports.

An NDIA planner will help you establish whether you qualify for SDA or SIL, or in some cases, both.

To explore more about housing options, head to: https://absolutecarehealth.com.au/resource-centre/can-the-ndis-help-with-rent/

Can the NDIS pay for medication?

The NDIS will not fund: Medication, general medical and dental services and treatment, specialist services, hospital care, surgery and rehabilitation.

It does not provide this type of support because the health system funds or provides medications and pharmaceuticals as part of a universal service obligation. This includes pharmaceuticals and medications subsidised or made available to all Australians through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

To work out whether a support is reasonable and necessary for you, the NDIS looks at the information you give them against the NDIS Funding Criteria.

The NDIS typically fund supports that:

• Relate to your ongoing functional impairment.
• Enable you to do your daily activities.
• This includes support you get from health practitioners that directly relate to your disability support needs, and help you live in the community and take part in education and employment.

However, the NDIS can’t fund support that is more appropriately funded or provided by the health system. This includes pharmaceuticals and medications subsidised and provided by Medicare and the PBS, as mentioned above.

The NDIS must think about several things when it looks at whether it is appropriate for it, rather than the health system, to fund or provide a support.

The Scheme is not responsible for:

• The clinical treatment of health conditions, including ongoing or chronic health conditions.
• Other activities that aim to improve the health status of Australians, including preventive health and pharmaceuticals.
• Funding time-limited, goal-oriented services and therapies where the main purpose is related to your health status.

This means that if you need or want a medicine not funded through the PBS, we are not the right agency to fund this support, even if it:

• Relates to your disability support needs.
• Is likely to be effective and beneficial.
• May be value for money.

Find out more HERE.

Will the NDIS pay for driving lessons?

The NDIS will only fund driving lessons related to your goals, that represent value for money and relate to your disability support needs.

The NDIS may also cover other related items, such as learning to use a modified vehicle or additional lessons if required due to your disability, however, it will not usually fund driving supervision for you to accrue hours to pass a driving test.

The NDIS Act and the rules made under the NDIS Act also tell us which supports will not be funded by the NDIS.

Read more about driving lessons and the NDIS HERE.

Can I stay on NDIS once I reach the age of 65?

If you started receiving NDIS support before you turned 65, you can continue to receive services even after you’ve aged past 65.

You can choose whether you want to continue to receive NDIS support, or whether you’d like to access support through the Commonwealth aged system.

However, you cannot apply to be on the NDIS AFTER you turn 65.

We hope we have helped clear up a few niggling questions for you.

Remember, the NDIS cannot fund a support that is:

• The responsibility of another government system or community service.
• Not related to a person’s disability.
• Relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant’s support needs, or
• Is likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others.

Find more information on types of funded support HERE.