Understanding the National Disability Insurance Scheme
NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which was introduced in 2013. Under this scheme, persons with disability below the age of 65 can access special care and support. The scheme works under the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). It ensures access for people with long-term disabilities to funds provided by the government — support programs to enhance and care for the health and wellbeing of people with disabilities.
The NDIS has a diverse range of support programs from which participants can choose the ones best suited to their needs. It also provides them with the choice to use their funding as they want. The support programs cover numerous sectors including accommodation, employment, independence, fitness, community access, and — most importantly — allied health.
NDIS makes sure that funding is directly received by people with disabilities so they can spend it on the services they want, from the service provider of their choice. The needs of each individual can be specific, and NDIS creates a plan for each individual based on their needs and progress objectives.
If you are accessing the NDIS for yourself or a loved one, are you getting perplexed by the technical terminology? Carefully understanding the terminology will help you choose appropriate support programs — you can begin with a few terms and do your own research on them.
A detailed explanation of each terminology can be found in the NDIS Glossary and Dejargonator, and there are various online tools developed for this very purpose.
After confirmation of your qualification for the NDIS, you should consult your planner. Your planner will help you access the scheme more efficiently, so communicate well about your needs and goals.
Please note that everything you require as a support because of your disability is considered a reasonable support by the NDIS. Reasonable support can range from mobility support to therapeutic support to household tasks. If you are unsure what reasonable support looks like for you, your planner can guide you — the basis of support identification is that it should help with your disability, and not duplicate support you're already receiving.