Understanding which NDIS Support Services you can access

February 21, 2022

ndis support services

If you aren’t already familiar with every category of support under the NDIS, we don’t blame you – there are so many! However, getting to know the options available to you as an NDIS participant can be useful. 

The more you know, the better informed you are when speaking to Local Area Coordinators (LACs) during your pre-planning meeting and subsequent plan reviews. You’ll also be better equipped when discussing NDIS support services with your Plan Manager. Understanding the different NDIS areas of support might even help you connect with an amazing NDIS provider who can align with your goals. 

As a registered provider of Coordination of Supports (Support Coordination) and Plan Management, the team at Disability Plan Services can help put your NDIS plan into action, connect you with trustworthy providers in your area, and handle the ongoing financial administration of your plan. As experts in all things NDIS, we can help guide you through the steps required to access and activate your plan, and achieve your goals. 

What are the NDIS areas of support?

Let’s start from the top. NDIS funding is distributed to participants to access ‘reasonable and necessary’ services based on the level of support they require. These supports fall into three main categories, and may be funded in your NDIS plan.  These categories are:  

  • Core: A support that helps a participant complete daily living activities such as household cleaning or transport. 
  • Capital: A support for an investment, such as assistive technologies, funding for capital costs or equipment and home modifications. 
  • Capacity building: A support that helps a participant build skills.

Under these support categories, there are 15 NDIS support services. These categories reflect all the different activities, services and supports that your NDIS funding can be used to pay for. These support categories are:    

  1. Assistance with Daily Life
  2. Transport
  3. Consumables
  4. Assistance with Social & Community Participation
  5. Assistive Technology
  6. Home Modifications
  7. Coordination of Supports
  8. Improved Living Arrangements
  9. Increased Social and Community Participation
  10. Finding and Keeping a Job
  11. Improved Relationships
  12. Improved Health and Wellbeing
  13. Improved Learning
  14. Improved Life Choices
  15. Improved Daily Living​

What supports can my NDIS funding give me access to?

What services are included under the 15 support categories? How do I go about accessing them? While every individual NDIS plan will differ according to their needs and goals, it is important to understand what you might need to prioritise when you begin the planning process with the NDIS. 

If you have been granted funding to access core supports, this budget can be used towards a variety of support categories including assistance in daily life, consumables, assistance with social & community participation and transport. You can choose a variety of supports to utilise your budget, from household cleaning to low-cost assistive technology or even having a support worker to assist you. This category is the most flexible and participants can decide which service they’d like to prioritise according to their goals and needs. 

Under the capacity building supports budget, participants may be able to access the following support services: support coordination, improved living arrangements, increased social & community participation, finding & keeping a job, improved relationships, improved health & wellbeing, improved learning, improved life choices and improved daily living. The purpose of this category of funding is to help you build your skills and independence, so you can use this funding to access services such as a support coordinator, therapy, education or support in finding an appropriate place to live. It is important to note that your capacity-building supports budget cannot be moved from one support category to another. 

A capital supports budget is granted to NDIS participants who require higher-cost pieces of assistive technology for example. If you have been granted this funding, you may have access to assistive technology or home modification services in your plan. Under this category, funding can be distributed for participants to access special equipment for mobility, personal care or home modifications such as hand rails or ramps. This funding cannot be used for anything other than their specific purpose and is only granted if these supports are ‘reasonable and necessary’ to the participant. 

You can learn more about NDIS core supports budgeting here. 

I’ve got my NDIS funding, now what?

Now that you have your NDIS plan and funding, you’re probably wondering what providers you need to reach out to and how to do this. This is where Disability Plan Services come in. As an experienced team of NDIS Plan Managers and Support Coordinators, we specialise in managing the nitty-gritty of your NDIS plan. We take out the guesswork around accessing NDIS support services by managing your budget and records and liaising with NDIS service providers. Regardless of which category your NDIS funding falls under, we have the industry knowledge and experience to guide you through your NDIS journey and introduce you to service providers who can help you achieve your goals.  

Discuss your NDIS plan with the team at Disability Plan Services by calling 1800 312 870 or email info@disabilityplanservices.com.au.

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