A paper outlining how NDIS participants could be supported with more flexible NDIS plans in the future, has been released as consultations continue with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and sector representatives. Workshops will be held during June and July intended to seek additional feedback on the proposed reforms as well as recommendations on improvements to the access and planning process.
These consultations will continue before any enabling legislation is finalised and introduced, NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds said.
“It is clear to me that participants want to ensure that their goals are still included in the planning process and this paper outlines how that is proposed to work and what participants would expect,” the minister said.
“The current approach to building an NDIS plan has meant participants had to annually negotiate for specific supports or have to request a review where they needed to use more funding in one category than another, which is not in line with the original intent of flexibility, choice and control.”
The proposed new personalised budget would have two main supports, a flexible and fixed budget.
The fixed component is funding for specific purposes such as high value assistive technology or home modifications while the flexible component will be an amount of funding that each participant would spend on any type of support they choose, in line with what is funded through the NDIS.
This new approach will also provide participants with the ability to view their draft budget before their planning meeting. It allows them to discuss with their planner any questions about their overall plan and would be done at the time of their meeting and would include any exceptions and how to best utilise their budget.
According to the minister under this new proposal the draft plan will give planners and delegates a solid starting point for the planning discussion prior to identifying any additional funded supports. NDIA delegates would continue to make the final decisions based on a participant’s plan budget.
Participants who believe a decision made by an NDIA delegate about their plan is wrong, would also continue to request a review, the minister said, adding that it was important to consider reforms that ensure the scheme’s ongoing growth is sustainable.
The first workshop in June will be convened by an independent facilitator. The aim will be to identify areas for improvement to the proposed NDIS access and planning reforms, including independent assessments to help address sector concerns.
The budgets paper is available on the NDIS website: www.ndis.gov.au\