The Growing Space wrote this wonderful article titled 'Got my NDIS Plan, what now?'
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When I first get my NDIS plan in the mail, what do I *need* to check to make sure it’s ok?
First, check that your name is spelled correctly, take note of the dates and how long the plan lasts for, and that your NDIS goals are accurate enough and broad enough to encompass any supports you’d like to use your funds for.
While many people go over the goals with a fine toothed comb, their relevance for the NDIS is more broad and being pedantic over grammar errors, for example, won’t change your funding amounts.
Next, check that the money management method you chose is what has been put in your plan.
At the bottom of EACH budget item/Support Category will be a line that says one of these three things.
- “NDIS will pay my support provider directly for these supports” – that means Agency/NDIS Managed
- “NDIS will pay me directly for these supports” – that means Self Managed
- “NDIS will pay my Plan Management agency directly for these supports” – that means Plan (broker) Managed.
Some line items, like Support Coordination, are almost always Agency Managed in everyone’s plans, regardless of how the rest of your plan is managed.
And Plan Management fees are always Agency Managed, too.
Third, check nothing major is missing
Is needed transport included?
Have they listed all the equipment you need to get quotes for? Are there funds included to maintain your existing equipment? Did they remember SLES funding for some school leavers? (some of these things can be fixed without the wait for a full review - ask for a "soft touch review" as soon as you can if they've made clear errors or omissions).
Fourth, do some maths on your budgets – figure out how much money you absolutely *need* to survive, and see if the plan provides enough funding. To get an idea of what most support providers change, google “NDIS Price Guide” to see the costs (which are capped for Agency Managed line items).
Lastly, get an activation code (if you haven't already), login and connect up to the MyPlace NDIS portal through MyGov. On the portal check that the budget numbers in the "My Support Budget" pie chart match up to those on your paper plan. And in the "My Contacts" section, add in your bank details if you have a transport budget and/or are self managing.
If all of this checks out OK, then you should be good to get started! If not, you might want to ask for some changes, or even a review, but make sure you start using your funds while you wait. It can be many months before a review is completed.
If you have Support Coordination in your plan, that's a great place to start, and if not, make a call to your LAC for a "plan implementation" meeting.
All the best!!
This post is copyright The Growing Space 2018.
NOTE: MyCareSpace wrote a resource titled UNDERSTANDING MY NDIS PLAN which goes into more detail about each support cateogry/funding area of your plan.
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