Three Ways to Manage Your NDIS Plan

April 5, 2023

You’re eligible for NDIS funding. Now what? 

Accessing the NDIS and being approved for funding can be quite a rollercoaster! But now, you’ve collated the documents, submitted the evidence, and the NDIA has decided you’re eligible.  Congratulations, this is an exciting step! 

Now it’s time to prepare for your planning meeting.   

This is where the NDIA will decide how much support you need, and therefore how much funding to allocate. There’s a lot riding on this, so it’s important to be ready to clearly express your needs and goals. It’s also a good time to think about how you’ll manage your plan when it all comes through.   

The three options for managing your NDIS Plan 

Plan managed  

Plan management is like having your own NDIS-specific bookkeeper handling the admin for you. You get full choice over your service providers, while also benefitting from your plan manager’s experience and knowledge.   

A good plan manager will take the stress out of managing your plan. The fact is, managing an NDIS plan can be quite complicated: processing payments and reimbursements, record keeping, budget tracking, and the constant worry over whether you’re doing it right and whether you’ll be able to make your budget stretch to cover everything you need.  

But with a plan manager on board, your provider invoices are sent straight to them, and the payments and reimbursements are made on your behalf. The best plan managers will also examine your budget and help you to spend every dollar wisely. 

[Read more: What to Look For in a Great Plan Manager] 

Some extra benefits of plan management: 

• It comes at no cost to you 
• It doesn’t dip into any other funding in your plan 
• Every NDIS participant is entitled to it, just by asking 

If you want a plan manager to help you on your NDIS journey, you can say so at your planning meeting. The plan management funding is added as an extra category in your plan.

Agency Managed 

You might choose for your plan to be Agency-managed, meaning the NDIA pays your providers directly. Sounds simple, but it also means you are limited to working with NDIS-registered providers, so you may not have access to all the supports and services you want.

[Read more: Registered vs Unregistered Providers] 

Self Managed 

You might choose self-management, for more control and flexibility than Agency-management. This way you get full choice over which providers you work with. But self-management can be complex and time consuming. And if you’re ever unsure of what you’re doing, it’s not always easy to find answers when contacting the NDIA.  It can be pretty stressful! 

How can we help? 

When you choose plan management with Disability Plan Services, you know your plan managers really have your back, as Desley and Peter explain here.  Our team is experienced in dealing with the NDIS – we understand how complex it can be! But we pride ourselves on going the extra mile to look after your plan funds, so you can focus on the things you love.  Contact us today to find out how we can make managing your NDIS plan simple!