What is NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) core support? Creative and Unique ways to use your core support budget 

Your NDIS Core Support budget covers expenses associated with your disability and everyday activities. These funds can assist you with meeting your daily needs, working toward your goals, and acquiring life skills.  

During the NDIS plan, do not forget that your core support budget can only be used for disability-related costs. There is no way to use the money to buy groceries or rent or everyday expenses. There are, however, specific ways to use the core supports NDIS to meet your needs every day.  

Here in this article, we explain to you the flexibility of the core support budget for NDIS, the consequences of overspending on core funds and creative ways to use your core support funds.  

What is NDIS core support?

National Disability Insurance Schemes (NDIS) can be tricky for people with disabilities, their parents, and caregivers. Whatever assistance you need, you and your loved ones can get through the NDIS. 

With Core Supports, you can accomplish everyday tasks, work toward your goals, and manage your current disability-related needs. You can use your funding for all four support categories when you have NDIS core support funding. Occasionally, you may be unable to find a flexible funding solution for consumable and transportation funding.  

There are four categories of core support budgets: 

• Assistance with daily life

For the NDIS support coordination from the core plan, you are empowered to make choices about your home and living arrangements. You may receive assistance with cooking, cleaning, general household management, and personal care. 

Assisting you with daily tasks will be covered under this category. From the NDIS support coordination core fund the likeable possibilities support you can achieve are:  

1. Take assistance in the preparation of meals, grooming and gardening.
2. Services related to laundry.
3. Support alternative living arrangements. 
4. Accommodation and assistance on a short- or medium-term basis (including respite care). 
5. Independent living options are supported by professionals. 
6. A residential aged care facility assisting residents with daily life tasks. 
7. Support and budgeting assistance from a support coordinator to implement your plan. 
8. Disability-related nursing care. 

Your NDIS individual is assured to receive full support and care in the everyday task.  

• NDIS core supports for consumables –

Among the NDIS Core Supports, this category helps cover costs associated with activities such as attending school, educational programs, working and taking part in community activities. 

It is possible to include continence products or assistive tools in this category. Providing support for everyday items and products that are minimal risk/low cost, with NDIS core supports assistive technology : 

1. Nutritional supplements or continence products that are related to your disability.  
2. NDIS funds can be used to fix minor issues with aids and equipment (assistive technology), such as wheelchair tyre punctures.  
3. Adapted cutlery and handrails that can improve your independence or mobility. 
4. Assistive technology that is low in cost for everyday mobility. 
5. Support with interpretation and translation.   

• Assistance with social and community participation –

Your child might receive NDIS core support funding to take part in art or creative classes through a support worker.  

Having your child in the care of a support worker might also give you some much-needed respite. 

Social, community and civic participation is covered by the core support funding NDIS. You can use the fund to access and promote NDIS community participation through: 

1. Participation in any activities of community centre or setting, social, recreational, or community-based. 
2. Join a sporting club or participate in sports and exercise. 
3. Attending an event in the community with groups for movies.
4. Providing one-to-one aid with social and community participation, holiday activities, camps, classes, and hobbies, such as art, music, and drama. 
5. Fees are associated with public transportation, parking, toll roads, and transport between activities. 
6. With the received support, you can support your current employment. 

• NDIS core supports transport

This category covers activities that you are in need to carry out in your everyday routine activities. The NDIS transport funding you need to improve your independence and mobility, such as continence products or nutritional supplements, can be found for a reasonable price. 

If NDIS participants have difficulty using public transportation on their own, they are provided with specialised transportation to attend educational institutes or employment. 

The level of support for transport can be divided into three categories: 

• Level 1 – If you do not work, study or attend a day program, you can receive level 1 support. Taking part in community activities or volunteering could also qualify you for level 1 support. Funding up to $1,606 per year can be received.  
• Level 2 – Support at this level is provided to those who work a part-time job (less than 15 hours a week), attend, or participate in a day program, or participate in social, recreational and leisure activities. Funding between $1,606 to $2,472 per year is received.  
• Level 3 – If you are currently working or studying more than 15 hours per week or looking for a job, you can qualify for level 3 support. It is possible to receive NDIS funding amounts between $2,472 and $3,456 per year.  

You get the transportation in your NDIS plans through Centrelink Mobility Allowances with transport funding. 

Core supports of NDIS funding categories like transportation have fewer flexibility options. Funding for transportation is not included in all plans.

If your child is the same age and has a disability, you are more likely to receive transportation funding for improved daily living amongst the NDIS participants. 

There are three budgets for the NDIS service, but the core support budget offers the most flexibility.

If you spend money on reasonable and necessary support that helps the NDIS individual achieve their NDIS goals, and capacity-building support, you can use the NDIS funding packages in most categories of this budget for supports and services in other categories. 

What is the flexibility of your Core support budget?

You can customise your core funding for the NDIS plan in many ways with your core support budget. You can quickly re-assemble the NDIS help fund appointed for Daily Activities, Consumables, or Participation budgets without reviewing your plan or NDIS service list.  

Even though your Core Support budget provides recurring support for regular, everyday activities, the daily support you need can and should change over time. As you become more capable and independent, your core supports may change in your NDIS budget.  

If you can prove how your core support budget will help you achieve your goals, you can spend it creatively. Moreover, the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) usually adjusts the core support budget’s flexibility, giving you even more decision-making power. 

What is not supported in the Core Budget of NDIS?

It is possible to redirect some of the core support budgets to other categories; however, it is impossible to redirect all of them. Core support budget items that are non-flexible include:  

• The transport allowance may be available to you only if your plan supplies a transport allowance;  
• For people with high disabilities requiring specialised living accommodations 
• Public transportation support for the NDIS. 
• An individualised living arrangement for the disabled person.  

If your core support budget is overspent or underspent, what happens?

You will be instructed by your NDIS plan on how many hours you are supposed to use for each type of service, which you will schedule by yourself.  

The price guide details the price limits that apply to most items in your core support budget. 

Plan your NDIS as accurately as possible. Ensure that your budget includes all the support you need. 

Contact your providers and negotiate. You can negotiate a lower price if your provider agrees, but keep in mind that the price limits set the largest prices providers can charge. 

It is possible you could spend less or more on core support than you budgeted if your needs change or funds must be transferred from one category to another. It is possible to avoid and address this problem in several ways.  

Maintain a spending log. An annual statement will show how much you have spent and how much you have left in each category. 

Multiple services provided by the same provider will allow you to save some money on some services.  

Core support budgets allow you to leverage flexibility if you pay attention to how much you spend in each category. 

6 creative and Unique ways to use your core support budget

You can use the Core supports budget in many interesting ways since it is the most flexible budget in your plan. Core supports can be claimed for the following six things. 

1. Purchasing fitness equipment

NDIS-funded assistance may be claimed for fitness equipment such as skipping ropes or treadmills. Support providers should confirm in writing that the device is necessary to maintain physical fitness needs while providing support and services.  

2. Therapy session

When you deem that more therapy would be beneficial and necessary, you can use your Core budget to fund these supports.  

Therapy is usually funded through Daily Living, but if you find it necessary and beneficial to have more therapy, you can use your Core budget.  As a result, even if your Daily Living budget is exhausted, you can decide if additional therapy would benefit you. 

3. Short-term accommodation and respite care

The short-term accommodation (STA) claim can be made for the temporary accommodation which no longer extends than 14 days (about 2 weeks). Besides the cost of your stay, you will receive personal care, food, and community activities that the provider agrees to offer. 

4. Assistive technology repairs

You may be able to claim urgent repairs from Core even though your NDIS budget will cover repairs and maintenance. 

 You may need urgent repair for AT (Assistive Technology) which is essential to your daily functioning, including the equipment you depend on for mobility, safety, communication, and day-to-day activities.  

5. Equipment for sensory perception

Sensory equipment such as noise-cancelling headphones can be claimed if it is demonstrated as: 

• Useful and effective equipment for your needs 
• A better value for the NDIS participants.  
• A better alternative that supports the individuals. 

6. Socialisation and creative activities

Applicants who meet these criteria may receive funding to enrol in cooking classes, music lessons, or art galleries, join sports or leisure clubs: 

• Recreational, social, and community activities can be conducted through it. 
• Costs of participation can exceed affordability but still, the funds can be managed through the help of your service provider. 

If you do not have it, there are likeable chances that you may become socially isolated.  

If you manage your Core Support budgets wisely with the help of your plan manager, you can use them flexibly.  

Plan-managed categories cannot be paid for from self-managed types, so you cannot use funds from self-managed categories to pay for plan-managed categories. Therefore, we highly recommend that you manage all your Core Supports. 

Your Core Supports often get modified to make them more flexible. 

Our website will inform you of the upcoming announcements that can help you make the most of your funding. Make sure you stay on top of NDIS news and make the most of your funding by staying informed.