Top 9 tips to develop your NDIS first plan 

You probably already know how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) helps all Australians living with a significant and permanent disability. 

 Through the scheme, individuals will achieve better health outcomes in the future so they can gain access to productive and fulfilling lives.  

Initially, the NDIS may seem overwhelming, but Wise Choice is here to help. The NDIA organisation has many departments, and the terminology that can be confusing for any new person willing to take the NDIS services. 

Getting started can be a challenge. Still, you should take advantage of them, especially if they provide you with funding and access to essential services.  Finding the right price guide for the NDIS can be challenging. 

The Wise Choice team has compiled several tips to help you get the NDIS fund. It’s important to remember there’s plenty of assistance available, and plenty of people have already gone through this process. At every stage, you should ask for help as solo process can get extremely daunting.  

As part of your NDIS plan review, you will get a chance to share your current and future goals and if any significant changes need to be made or if your current funding is inadequate you can surely go for the review.  

Here in this article, we give you top 9 tips to develop your very NDIS my first plan. 

My first plan NDIS: What do you need to know? 

Getting started with the NDIS can be confusing, especially if you’re unsure where to begin. 

The following tips will help you during your first NDIS planning meeting. 

Tip 1 — What to expect for the NDIS first plan autism? 

During the planning meeting, you spend a minimum of one hour and a maximum of two hours a. with your LAC (Local Area Coordinator) or Planner. On your first NDIS planning meeting they will ask you: 

• Your age, address, and primary disability in your personal and medical history. 

• Informal, community, and support ( do mention the informal support in your plan. Do remember that no funding is provided). 

• How do you want to manage your plan? Your preferred plan management method for managing your plan (who will be responsible for paying your bills).  For this you are not mandated to take assistance from the registered providers, you can take guidance from the un-registered as well. Also, there is no need to manage separate bank accounts or paperwork. 

• Your daily activities and the kind of supports, services, equipment, accommodation, or any additional help that you may need. 

• Your monthly, quarterly, or annual plans. How do you plan to accomplish your goals over the next 12 months? You can increase your chance of getting service and support by keeping your goals more clear and board. 

• Daily activities, weekly activities, monthly activities, year-round activities, and even ad hoc activities which requires no assistance or external help.  

At the end of the session, you will also be questioned by the providers for more clarity on the NDIS funding plan and package. Before making the finale plan, a sample plan will be created and then reviewed further before submission.  

Tip 2 — Take your reports and evidence with you 

Any requests for NDIS plan support you make to accomplish your NDIS goals will require evidence to support them for the NDIS care plan.  

Before your NDIS plan review planning meeting, you should prepare reports from therapists (Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Physiotherapists) explaining how the disability affects your functional life and what specific activities are used to help you accomplish your goals for the NDIS program. 

Allied health specialists can demonstrate how specific aids and equipment would help you meet your goals. This may even include home or vehicle modification with which you could for instance, do the following: 

• Move around safely in the community. 
• Access community participation through the use of assistive technology. 
• Eat, shower, or go to the bathroom independently. 

In ideal circumstances of NDIS pre-planning session, the reports will outline specific strategies and support to assist you in achieving or improving your goals. 

Tip 3 — Develop a disability questionnaire  

Before understanding your NDIS plan you may be asked to answer few of the questions by your LAC or Planner at the end of your first NDIS meeting. Questions for NDIS care plan example is related to: 

• Cognition  
• Self-care  
• Life activities  
• Mobility  

• Participation  

 On your NDIS plan review process, you can determine how much support you will receive based on how you answer this question.   

You will be assessed as high functioning if you say you never require assistance for your NDIS participant plan. Consider your past experiences rather than giving a super optimistic answer to every asked questions for the NDIS approval. It’s probably best to be on the side of caution if you’ve ever needed assistance for NDIS starting your plan. 

Tip  4 – Keep an eye on your providers 

Think carefully about your provider’s quality and level of support for NDIS support coordination plan review report.  

You must ensure that you have the support you need to achieve your goals and live the life you want. Discuss changing providers with your Support Coordinator if you have had problems with a particular provider. 

Consider the following: 

• Do my providers show up on time? 
• How professional are they? 
• How often do they cancel, or how little notice do they give? 
• Have they provided the services described in your service agreement? 
• Your goals have changed. Do you need a new provider? 

In your plan review for NDIS, discuss the possibility of a Support Coordinator with your LAC or NDIA planner if you do not currently have funding for one.  

Tip 5 — Know what your needs are and what is not included in NDIS 

The NDIS does not cover the following types of support: 

• There cannot be any support in your NDIS plan that does not relate to the functional impact of your disability. 
• Supports provided through other government services are the same as those provided through other government services. In other words, the NDIS won’t be able to directly assist you if you’re receiving education, health, or housing support. 

When preparing your NDIS plan, be sure to understand every informal support. 

Tip 6 – Evaluate your informal support system 

Family members and friends usually provide unpaid support and assistance as part of an informal support network.  

NDIS goals examples include casual support to adjust their schedules or abilities to continue to provide the level of support they previously offered.  

Your plan review for NDIS can include discussions about your informal supports, whether respite (or accommodations for a short time) should be included in your plan or if any informal supports should be replaced with formal supports. 

Tip 7 – Monitor your budget 

It can be challenging for many participants to keep track of their budgets throughout their NDIS plans so that they don’t overspend or underspend on their funding.

Through your NDIS planning tools personal Plan can get accessed to track the-real-time budget through monthly budget statements provided by Wise Choice. In case where your funding has been overspent or underspent, your client manager will provide you with strategies to bounce back to your budget. 

Tips 8 – Would you like the NDIS to be managed by someone else? 

Depending on your selected option, you can get extra support and how to manage your paperwork and finances. 

In your planning meeting, you should indicate your preference. The three options are as follows: 

Self-Managed 

What does an NDIS participant plan cover? 

The NDIA recommends separate bank accounts. Documentation is required for payments and services. Direct negotiations with the provider are permitted under Self-Management.  

Furthermore, NDIS providers who are not registered with the NDIS can also provide services to you. 

For the reimbursement by the NDIS, you must pay for services directly. The NDIS will fund the service or support you need, after which you will pay for it.  

It is more flexible, and you have more options, but it requires more organisation and paperwork. 

Plan Managed 

Your NDIS plan does not affect funding for other supports because you do not pay for the Plan Management service. 

In this case, Wise Choice takes care of all the paperwork and arranges payments from your NDIS plan. A monthly statement from the Plan Manager lets you know how your NDIS budget is doing. 

Plans Management offers the same flexibility as Self-Management, but without having to fill out paperwork. 

Some parts of your plan may require more control than others so that you can mix these three options. 

NDIA or Agency Managed 

The NDIA pays service providers directly by sending them invoices. Nonetheless, you can only use NDIA-registered providers under this option. It is also necessary for them to be paid at the rates set by the NDIA. The NDIA-managed option offers less flexibility. 

Tip 9 – Assess the effectiveness of your plan management

You have a choice and control regarding how your plan’s funding is managed. If you choose Self Management or Plan Management, you will have more flexibility in accessing a wide range of supports (both NDIS-registered and unregistered).  

The great thing about Plan Management is that you have the freedom of self-management while our team handles all financial and administrative aspects of your NDIS plan. 

In your NDIS plan, you can request Plan Management to be included as part of the Capacity Building Support category at no additional cost. 

So here, participants can manage the NDIS plan in three ways: by the agency (NDIA), themselves, or the plan manager. 

Conclusion 

As a new program in NDIS, there will be some bumps along the way. The scheme, however, serves the purpose of helping you! We believe the goal of the scheme is for your NDIS participants to achieve their full potential through high-quality intervention. In your capacity as a parent, you know what your child needs. Ensure that your NDIS participant get the help they need by advocating them.