A great article was written by Sam Paior, founder of The Growing Space (a fabulous Support Coordination team in South Australia) who suggested the questions you should ask a Plan Manager when trying to choose a great plan manager.
The team at Plan Hero Plan Management are an independent Plan Manager that is particularly great at supporting parents. They have a great deal of knowledge about the types of support parents need (and want) to spend their funding on. They are particularly experienced in supporting young autistic individuals and their families, with over 90% of the participants they support being autistic
The Plan Hero team work TOGETHER with parents (not against them), helping them understand their NDIS funding and working out ways to make the best use of that funding.
"Our first response is never, 'NO you can't buy that', " says Kim McMurchy, general manager at Plan Hero. "We work with parents and their funding to help them spend their funds on the supports that their children need - supports that will deliver the best outcomes and help them reach their goals".
We asked Kim a selection of our own questions PLUS Sam Paior's questions, so you can see how they stack up.
- How quickly do you pay?
Plan Hero: Our agreement states 4-7 business days, but we do our best to aim for 3-4 business days (unless we are waiting for approval from a participant or an invoice is missing information and we are waiting on a provider to give us an updated invoice.)
- Do you ask for my approval before you pay each invoice that comes to you?
Plan Hero: It's up to you! When you get started with Plan hero you have the choice to select 'automatic approval' or 'manual approval'. If you select manual approval, you will receive an email to approve every invoice prior to processing.
- Can I login and see all invoices and balances etc?
Plan Hero: Absolutely - the Plan Hero portal makes all your invoices and NDIS plan details (including balances and budgets) accessible to you and to whoever is supporting you and to whom you give permission to access your information.
- Who covers for you when you’re away or sick?
Plan Hero: We have an awesome team of plan managers who are knowledgeable, dedicated and support each and all of our participants. If your dedicated Plan Manager goes on holiday, another team member will look after you whilst they are away.
- Can I call you and speak to a human?
Plan Hero: You sure can. The Plan Hero team are real people that get to know you! Give us a call 1300 599 770
- Can you talk me through my plan?
Plan Hero: Yes - when signing up, you have the option to schedule an 'Unpack your plan' call where we go through your plan in more detail, or we can send you easy-to-read resources on how understand your plan and how to use your NDIS funds.
- Do you have an app or another easy way for me to keep track of my budgets?
Plan Hero: Yes - you receive a login and password via email, and can also login from our website home page. You can view your payments, and your plan budgets and check your spending levels.
All information is presented in visual form so you can see how you are tracking at a glance.
- How long have you been doing this work? (fly-by-night plan manager is not a good look)
Plan Hero: It's been 2 years since Plan Hero got started and our team have over 12 years of combined NDIA experience.
- Will you pay above NDIS rates?
Plan Hero: No, the NDIA guidelines state as Plan Managers we can only pay UP TO the NDIS rate for supports.
- Do you make decisions on what you will and won’t pay, or am I the decision maker?
Plan Hero: We are not the decision makers, but we are guided by the NDIS Operations Guidelines. We work with you to help you spend your funding on the support you want because you believe they will best help you reach your goals.
If you are claiming items not usually funded by the NDIA, we will help you gather the information needed for the claim to be submitted. We may even help you understand how else your plan might fund that support.
- Can you help guide me on making decisions about what I can and can't claim?
Plan Hero: Absolutely, our team of plan managers are very knowledgeable about the NDIS. Our number one priority is to help you access the supports you need, so we use our knowledge of the NDIS intricacies to help you do just that.
- Is Plan Management your main business, or are you registered for lots of things? (it's nearly always best to have your Plan Manager separate from your other supports and services)
Plan Hero: We are registered for Plan Management only!
- What information do you require on submitted receipts to reimburse me?
Plan Hero: We need a tax invoice/receipt, your proof of payment and of course your bank details so we can pay you. Once you've provided your bank details, we won't need them again. We make it as easy as possible for you to claim: just send us the invoice in an email or even a photograph!
- Can you meet my accessibility needs?
Plan Hero: We support you however you need us to. Plan Hero go above and beyond to ensure we can meet your accessibility needs. Get in touch, and let us know how we can best support you.
- Will you reimburse me for services I pay for, or will you only pay on invoices, direct to providers?
Plan Hero: We can reimburse you for supports you have already paid for that are included in your NDIS plan (provided you supply the invoice and proof of payment) or we can pay providers directly. Providers simply need to email us their invoices after they have delivered your services. We organise everything with your providers so you won't have to worry about it.
- How often will you provide me with up-to-date budget statements?
Plan Hero: Monthly statements are sent by email, however, you have access to the Plan Hero online portal at any time, which allows you to login and view all budgeting information, including how much you have spent in each category, how much you have remaining, and every invoice we have claimed on your behalf! If we notice you are overspending in a category, we will notify you immediately instead of waiting for the month's end.
Both our email statements and our portal show your budget information visually so that you can easily see whether you are on track, underspending or overspending!
Plan Hero Plan Managers are a small independent Plan Management company (meaning they don't do anything else) who are very experienced in supporting families, particularly autistic children.
Find out more from Plan Hero Plan Managers
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