Empowering You with the Information You Need
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Resources
The NDIS is a vital resource that provides funding and support to Australians living with disabilities. Here, you can access important information to help you navigate your NDIS journey and make informed decisions about the services and supports available to you.
What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding to eligible individuals with disabilities to improve their quality of life and support their independence. Through the NDIS, people with disabilities can access services that help them connect with family, friends, and their communities, as well as gain new skills, volunteer opportunities, and employment.
The scheme connects participants with doctors, community groups, sporting clubs, support groups, libraries, and schools, while also providing information about state and territory-specific services. The NDIS currently supports over 500,000 Australians, including 80,000 children with developmental delays, ensuring they receive the necessary support from a young age to achieve the best possible outcomes throughout their lives.
For more information you can view the Participant Service Charter.
Your rights and responsibilities
Anyone with access to NDIS funds must follow relevant Australian laws, rules and regulations. We are here to help you use your NDIS funds lawfully. We want to help you do the right thing. You have rights and responsibilities when choosing what supports you want to buy with your NDIS funds,
Your Responsibility
You are responsible for ensuring that the supports you access are directly related to your disability and align with your NDIS plan. Make sure they are not covered by other service systems like Medicare or private health insurance. If you are self-managing your NDIS funds, you need to keep records such as invoices, receipts, and bank statements.
- Directly related to your disability and align with your plan
- Not covered or delivered by another service system or organization (e.g. Medicare or private health insurer).
- If you self-manage your NDIS funds, you need to keep evidence of what you spend your NDIS funds on (e.g. invoices, receipts, pay slips, bank statements).
You have the right to
- Choose who delivers your supports and how they do this. You do not have to use just one provider for all your supports
- Not use a provider if you feel they aren't acting in your best interests
- Ask if a provider has a conflict of interest
- Not feel pressured to buy services or supports you don’t want or need
- Pay for supports at a fair and reasonable rate. You must follow the NDIS Pricing Arrangement and Price Limits if you are NDIA-managed or plan-managed
- Decide what personal information you give to a provider so they can deliver supports.
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission works with all providers so that you can get supports that give you choice and control. They have a participant information pack that helps you understand your rights.
Where to get help?
If you have questions about how to use your NDIS funds, your NDIS planner or LAC can provide advice and support to help you do the right thing.
NDIS Guidelines
NDIS guidelines explain what the NDIS needs to consider and how decisions are made based on legislation and formal rules. They have been consistently updating their guidelines to make the language clearer and easier to understand. The new guidelines are written in plain English and include detailed examples to help participants better grasp the process. These updates aim to support individuals in making confident, informed decisions about their support and funding.
Changes to NDIS Legislation
On 22 August 2024, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 was passed by the Parliament. The passage of the Bill allows us to get on with making the NDIS stronger and improving the experience for participants. The Bill received Royal Assent on 5 September 2024. The new NDIS laws come into effect on 3 October 2024. Until then:
- All access and planning processes, decisions and supports will continue in line with current operational guidance.
- Participants should continue spending in accordance with their plans and existing operational guidance.
- Providers should continue to claim for supports in line with current operational guidance.
Many of the changes will be implemented through new NDIS Rules, which set out the details of how the Scheme operates. New Rules will be designed with the disability community – continuing to put people with disability at the heart of NDIS reforms. Rules will be implemented in stages over time as other key reforms, such as the development of foundational supports, are introduced.
What is changing?
- How their eligibility is assessed
- The supports that can be funded by the NDIS (the lists)
- How their plans are managed
- How their funding is allocated and needs to be spent
- Requirements for information gathering for eligibility reassessment.
Need More Support?
If you have more questions about the changes to the NDIS, you can go to the Department of Social Services website or visit the Frequently asked questions about legislation page. Join Participant First for opportunities to get involved. For personalised support or questions, feel free to contact us directly.