The NDIS has announced plans to enhance the experience for participants and ensure more consistent decision-making by its staff. In addition to these efforts, the NDIS is also implementing recent amendments to the NDIS Act, the primary legislation that governs the program’s operations. These changes are aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of the NDIS and better supporting participants in accessing the services they need.
PACE started its nationwide rollout on October 30, 2023. If you begin the plan reassessment process after this date, you will likely transition to the PACE system.
Your NDIS contact—whether a local area coordinator or NDIA planner—will get in touch to guide you through the next steps. They will discuss how your current plan is working, how you’ve used your funding, and any changes in your circumstances.
The duration of your new plan may vary based on your individual needs. The NDIS has indicated that it might offer extended plans of up to three years for participants with stable support needs who are not expected to experience significant changes or transitions during that period.
Conversely, children and teenagers who are undergoing major life changes—such as transitioning from school to further education or entering the workforce—are more likely to receive shorter plans.
No, the budget for longer NDIS plans remains consistent each year. You will receive a fixed annual allocation of funds to manage and spend on the supports and services that help you achieve your goals.
It is important to note that if your funding runs out before the end of the year, you will not be able to access or use funds allocated for future years. Therefore, careful budgeting and management of your funds throughout the year are crucial to ensure you have adequate support.
Additionally, your budget will be adjusted each June to account for any changes in price limits, following the same process as is currently in place. This indexing ensures your plan remains aligned with any cost adjustments in the market.
Your NDIS Plan will now display a lump sum amount for each type of support instead of listing costs for individual items. This approach provides you with greater flexibility in managing your overall budget.
For instance, the budget for Core Supports will be presented as a single total figure. You can use this total flexibly across different areas, such as assistance with daily living, social and community participation, and consumables, depending on your needs.
However, the Capacity Building budget may still include certain specified supports or services that must be purchased as outlined. These funds cannot be reallocated or used for other purposes, ensuring that specific needs are met according to the plan.
Recent updates have introduced changes to the support types and categories in NDIS Plans. Any new plans created after October 30, 2023, will incorporate these changes.
The support types have been expanded from three to four:
Core
Capacity Building
Capital
Recurring (a new category)
Additionally, six new support categories have been added:
Home and Living (Core): Includes support for daily living and housing needs.
Behaviour Support (Capacity Building): Focuses on strategies and interventions to address challenging behaviours.
Assistive Technology Repairs and Rental (Capital): Covers costs related to the repair and rental of assistive technology.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (Capital): Provides support for specialized housing solutions.
Transport Recurring (Recurring): Addresses ongoing transportation needs.
Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) (Core): Supports young people living in residential aged care facilities.
These updates aim to better address the diverse needs of NDIS participants and provide more specific categories of support.
Eligibility for the NDIS continues to be based on functional capacity rather than a specific diagnosis, and this remains unchanged in the new system. However, how this information is captured will differ from the previous approach.
In the old system, all of a participant’s conditions and disabilities were recorded, but only one was identified as the primary disability. The new system will still initially record a primary disability; however, the plan is to eventually remove the requirement for this designation once the necessary supporting processes are in place.
The NDIS improvements website (https://improvements.ndis.gov.au/) has loads of helpful information.
