NDIS
Disability in Australia: A disability can result from an accidents, illness, or genetic disorders. It may affect mobility, ability to learn things, or ability to communicate easily. A person can have more than one disability. It may be visible or hidden, permanent or temporary and may have minimal or substantial impact on a person’s abilities.
What is the NDIS?
The NDIS provides services and support to people with disability. NDIS stands for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
N = National means all around Australia.
D = Disability can affect:
- a person’s senses – such as their sight or hearing
- a person’s ability to move or use their body
- the way a person thinks, learns, or understands
- the way a person feels, or their mental health.
I = Insurance is a service one pays now to protect themselves against the cost of the supports and services they might have to pay for possible or unforeseen disabilities in future.
S = Scheme is a type of government program.
What does the NDIS do?
The NDIS pays for support and services for people with disability. Supports and services may include help with daily life, aids and equipment and other help to meet the goals and do the things a person with disability want to do.
NDIS aims to provide the services and supports as early as possible in their lives when they first get a disability. This is called early intervention.
Not everyone with disability can get the NDIS. So, the NDIS helps people with disability to find and use other services too.
The NDIS provides reasonable and necessary funding to people with a permanent and significant disability to access the supports and services they need to live and enjoy their life. Every NDIS participant has an individual plan that lists their goals and the supports and funding that they can access.
Who engages with NDIS?
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is a part of the Australian Government. It was set up according to the law. The law that applies is called the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. They support a better life for participants with a significant and permanent disability and their families and carers. They assess the eligibility to be a participant and their funding according to the legislation.
NDIS Commission: Also called NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates the service providers to improve the quality and safety of NDIS services and supports. It also responds to concerns, complaints, and reportable incidents, including abuse and neglect of participants.
Early Childhood Partners support children with disability and their families. NDIS have a program for children with disability under 7 years old. It’s called Early Childhood Early Intervention or ECEI. Hiba Healthcare is not currently registered to provide ECEI support.
ECEI Coordinators work for Early Childhood Partners and help the participants as early as possible in their lives or when they first get a disability.
Local Area Coordinators (LACs) help people with disability find and use services and support. They also assist the person with disability to understand and use their NDIS plan. They work for NDIS Partners in the Community.
Partners in the Community are individuals and organisations that NDIS work with.
Participant is the person eligible to access the NDIS support and services.
Cares: Someone who supports another person with their care needs.
Legal representative: Someone who supports another person with legal decisions.
Support Coordinators are people who help NDIS users and their carers with the disability plan and use their supports.
NDIS Providers: Supports and services providers to the participants under the NDIS. They range from independent persons to allied health professionals and from small organisation who deliver one or two supports, to larger organisations who deliver a wide range of supports and services. They all comply with NDIS legislations. Providers may be registered with the NDIS Commission or be unregistered. However, registered provider’s services and supports meet the level of quality and safety stated in the NDIS Practice Standards.
NDIS Workers are a person who is employed or otherwise engaged to provide NDIS supports and services to people with disability. Workers can be people who are self-employed, employees, contractors, consultants, and volunteers.
Who can take part in the NDIS?
People with disability or their carers must be eligible to receive the disability support and services. They must have a disability that is permanent (it won’t go away or end) and significant (something big enough to affects the way one live their day-to-day life.
They must be under 65 years old, live in Australia and need to be either a citizen, a permanent resident, or a holder of a Protected Special Category visa.
The support usually provided by NDIS is to help live their day-to-day life that may include help from other people, like a carer, products or technology, or changes to their home.
Some people may need immediate help to reduce the help they need later in life. And some people may need help to learn new skills or to achieve their goals.
A person can check the eligibility by visiting NDIS website at www.ndis.gov.au and complete the checklist to find out. If they are eligible, and to apply.
What does the NDIS pay for?
The NDIS pays for services and support for people with disability. The services and support must be reasonable, that is, something that is fair and necessary that a person needs
The services and support should also be good value for money, works well for them and work well with any help or support they get from other people or places, like family and friends.
The NDIS doesn’t pay for day-to-day living costs, like rent or groceries. The support provided is different to other assistance they might get, such as:
- the Disability Support Pension (DSP) – a payment from the government to help with day-to-day living costs.
- compensation – money one might receive if they have an accident.
The NDIS will not affect DSP or any compensation payments they might receive.
What about families and carers?
Most NDIS supports and services are for people with disability. But some supports and services can also be helpful for families and carers. Some families get extra help with day-to-day support. And some families use respite services. This is when they take a break from caring for someone with disability.
What about other government services?
The NDIS works together with other government services. This includes:
The education system pays for schools, universities, and TAFEs. This is to pay for teachers, equipment, buildings, and transport to activities and excursions.
The NDIS also pays for the support one might need to take part in education, such as support with day-to-day activities, like eating or getting around, special equipment or technology or for the training for teachers about their needs.
The health system pays for doctors, nurses, and other staff, for medical, dental and hospital care and for medication and treatment.
The NDIS pays for health care one may need because of their disability, that includes therapy, technology they may need or wheelchairs and or any other assistive equipment.
Employers and the government pay for changes at one’s work to help them do their job or to help to find a job if that’s what they need.
The NDIS pays for support to help them reach their employment goals. This help may include technological help such as screen readers, help to build skills or the support at work.
The family support system pays for helping children in need and for the services to support families, such as counselling.
The NDIS pays for the support a family might need because of disability and may include therapy or support, or changes to a home.
Hiba Healthcare is happy to assist you with any disability supports and services related question that you may have. Please feel free to call us on 1800 HIBA HC (1800 4422 42) fill out the “Contact Us” section on this website.
Alternatively, you can also visit NDIS website at www.ndis.gov.au or call 1800 800 110.