On the 3rd of October the government’s first wave of NDIS changes came into effect. If you are like me it may be difficult to understand what these changes mean and how they will immediately impact participants plans. The good news is that not much has changed. Participants can still use their plans to purchase disability related supports, but the key change is that the government has clearly defined what is and is not an NDIS support. While not much has changed, I thought I would take this opportunity to outline what is and what is not included in the definition.
There are now 37 categories of supports that the NDIS fund. While overall this list is not much different to what was funded previously, including assistive equipment, assistance with daily personal activities (both within the home and within shared living environments) and participation in community, social and civic activities. A few notable inclusions should be mentioned:
Costs related to eligible assistance animal including assessment, matching and the provision of an eligible assistance animal, dietary needs and grooming, veterinary services and yearly accreditation reviews are all funded. It is important to note that the NDIS will only pay the costs related to eligible assistance animals, all other animals are considered pets including companion animals and not funded.
At this stage it also looks like Support Coordination is here to stay. Despite the government foreshadowing that they may do away with Support Coordination in favour of the new foundational support system it has been included in the current definition. Similarly, employment related supports above and beyond what Disability Employment Services provide is also included.
The NDIS has differentiated between day to day living costs and not evidence-based supports. While on the whole day to day living costs are expenses which everyone is expected to pay and therefore not reasonably expected to be paid by the NDIS including rent, electricity, groceries, and clothing. However, the NDIS has also included a few things on the list which it seemed could use to be funded.
So, what is not a NDIS Support?
The NDIS has made clear that accommodation packages including cruises and overseas holidays cannot be funded under the NDIS. This seems to suggest that providers who were offering these services as part of the NDIS short-term accommodation are no longer able to do so, which I’m sure will make a few participants and companies quite unhappy. Also out are costs associated sports, recreation and entertainment activities including tickets to theme parks, concerts and local sporting clubs.
Not evidenced based supports include alternate therapies sch as cuddle therapy, clairvoyancy, aromatherapy and surprisingly animal therapy. Also on the excluded list are Wellness related activities including massages (not provided by allied health professionals) hypnotherapy, wellness coaches, and energy and healing practices.
NDIS has made clear that services provided by other government sectors are not funded. These include reasonable adjustments made for those to participate in mainstream schooling, higher education and employment and supports provided by other government departments such as housing, aged care, child protection and justice.
Lastly, while smart watches and everyday household assistive items are specially mentioned on the out list, participants can apply to the NDIS to have these included in their plans as a replacement support if they specifically assist the individual participant with their disability related needs and replaces other funded supports on the approved list.
While NDIS may be lenient for participants who purchase things on the excluded list, particularly in the first 12 months after implementation, the NDIS has stated they will be harsher on repeat offenders or for purchases over $1500.
NDIS Legal Updates Blog 