May202019

Thinking About Self-Managing Your NDIS Plan

Self-management is when you you manage your NDIS funding. It gives you the flexibility and choice to decide what supports you buy to meet your plan goals.

It lets you think creatively about how you can use your funds to best meet your needs.

If you are interested in self-managing all or part of your NDIS plan, speak with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner. You could also talk to someone you know who is self-managing about their experience or connect with a self-management peer support group.

The NDIA is committed to improving the experience for self-managers.

The NDIS have developed an NDIS guide to self-management for people who are self-managing, or interested in self-managing their NDIS funding. This guide will help people understand the benefits of self-management, roles and responsibilities and how to self-manage effectively.

This guide will be updated regularly to ensure it meets the needs of people self-managing their NDIS funding.

If you would like a printed copy, you can speak to your local office or call the NDIS National Call Centre and request a copy of the NDIS guide to self-management.

 

The benefits of self-managing

Self-managing your NDIS funding gives you control, independence and flexibility in arranging and paying for your supports.

If you self-manage your NDIS funding you will have:

  • Choice in deciding what supports you purchase in line with what is included in your plan, who provides these supports and how they are delivered.
  • Flexibility to use any provider that will best help you to meet your plan goals.
  • Capacity to employ or contract staff directly, or have someone employ staff on your behalf.
  • Ability to negotiate the costs of your supports so you get the best value-for-money and to use savings to buy more or better quality supports.
  • Control over and responsibility for your NDIS funding so you can manage your own budget for the duration of your plan.

 

Responsibilities

If you are thinking about self-managing you need to understand your responsibilities as a self-manager. Your responsibilities include:

  • Purchasing supports that link to the goals in your NDIS plan.
  • Making clear agreements with your providers about the supports you will receive including how they will be provided and paid for.
  • Managing your funding so the costs of the support give you value-for-money, and can be met within your budget.
  • Claiming and paying for supports by making payment requests and paying for your supports on time.
  • Keeping invoices and receipts to show you have paid for your supports using your NDIS funding.
  • Meeting your obligations as an employer if you choose to employ staff directly.
  • Showing how you’ve used your self-managed funding towards reaching your goals at your plan review.
  • Advising the NDIA of any significant changes in your circumstances that may result in you being unable to meet your responsibilities as a self-manager.
  • Participating in any payment auditing where you will need to provide invoices, receipts or other evidence to show you have spent your funds in-line with your NDIS plan.

Supports purchasing guide

You have choice about what supports you buy with your NDIS funding, to help you achieve your goals.

Supports must:

  • be linked to the support budget and goals in your current NDIS plan and related to your disability;
  • give you good value-for-money compared to other supports;
  • last the length of your plan; and
  • be legal.

Supports must not:

  • replace supports that would usually be provided by family or friends;
  • include supports provided by other government agencies (for example, dental, health or hospital services);
  • include any gap fees for Medicare; and
  • cause harm, or put you or others at risks.

If you are unsure about what you can buy with your NDIS funding, you can check with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner, and be sure to refer to the Purchasing Guide in the Guide to self management. Available at https://www.ndis.gov.au