NDIS PACE for NDIS Providers: Top 5 Things You Need to Know

The NDIS is rolling out a new billing system called PACE. 

PACE will eventually replace the current NDIS business systems, portal, and payment systems.

PACE is being designed to be more user-friendly but will bring some significant changes for NDIS Providers.

Here's what you need to know!

1. What do the changes with PACE mean for NDIS Providers?

The rollout of PACE will change how NDIS Providers bill for the services to NDIS Participants. 

The new PACE system, as well as the new My NDIS Provider Portal, will eventually replace the current online system and MyPlace Portal.

These new systems are rolling out from 30th October 2023 and is expected to be completed by Feb 2024. 

2. How will NDIS Plans change?

New NDIS PACE plans issued will use the new PACE format. The new format has the same type of information, it's just much easier to read.

Categories of Funding

PACE plans offer more plan flexibility for Participants: Funding in NDIS plans will be built at the support category level. There will be no line items built into plans.

For example, a Participant's plan won't say they have funding for "Occupational Therapy", it would say you have funding for "Improved Daily Life" so they will have more flexibility over how they use your total budget. 

Participants will still have stated and flexible supports. 

Service Bookings

PACE NDIS plans won’t have service bookings. This means more choice and control for participants, as their funding is not pre-allocated to future supports. You are able to cahnge your mind more easily.

Support Types

PACE is moving from 3 to 4 support types.

Support types now include:

1. Core
2. Capacity building
3. Capital
4. Recurring 
    

Support Categories

We will move from 15 to 21 support categories.

We have split some of the existing categories to make the new categories easier to understand.

Budgets are displayed at the support category level. 

NOTE: the 6 new support categories are all stated supports (this means you can only use them for very specific supports).

They include:

1. Home and Living (Core) - includes SIL (Supported Independent Living)
2. Behaviour Support (Capacity Building)
3. Assistive Technology Repairs and Rental (Capital)
4. Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) (Capital)
5. Recurring Transport (Recurring)
6. Specialist Disability Young People Living in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) - (Cross Billing Core)

View NDIS PACE categories
 

need to have their Providers recorded as myProviders (at a support category level in their NDIS plan), or their claims will automatically be rejected.

Transport Recurring is a new support category for participants who receive transport funding. It will appear in all plans and have a zero-dollar amount if you don't receive funding for transport.

Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) - Cross Billing has been added so that funding can be allocated in plans for payments for residential aged care subsidies and supplements. 

3. Working with Participants

Participants can permit Providers to view PARTS of their NDIS plan via the NDIS my Provider Portal. Participants can choose when to share budget information, goals and funded supports.

What you see depends on the type of Provider you are (by default) and how the Participant manages their plan:

• Providers nominated as a "myProvider" by a Participant can see:

  • Basic information (DOB, gender, communication requirements and contact details)

  • Nominee details

  • Active NDIS goals

  • Participants can choose to share more information with you

  • See more information for myProviders

• Support Coordinators & Recovery Coaches can see:  

  • Basic information (DOB, gender, communication requirements and contact details)

  • Nominee details

  • Active and old NDIS goals

  • Budget information

  • Plan information, including historical plans

  • Funded supports, About Me section, informal community and mainstream supports.  

  • See more information for Support Coordinators and Recovery Coaches

• Plan Managers can see: 

  • All basic and budget information, including:

  • Active and old goals.

  • Active and old budgets

  • Funded supports, that are plan-managed.

  • Budget availability for self-managed and NDIA-managed supports

  • See more information for Plan Managers

Agency-Managed Participants

• Participants will need to add their chosen providers as a “participant-endorsed provider” (know as a myProvider) so they can access the funding for the services provided. 
• Note that providers will need to nominate specific staff from their organisation to have a role as the ‘person with consent’. Only those staff can act on behalf of a participant. 

Plan managed Participants

• Participants don't need to record myProviders for their supports if they don't want to.

4. Billing Participants

Using Funds

All participants with: 

• SDA (specialist disability accommodation),
• home and living supports (includes SIL) and
• behaviour supports

No more single line item claims

• Providers will not be able to use the single line-item claim function. Claims will need to be made using the: Bulk Payment Request template 
• Providers will need to submit all single claims via the bulk upload process.
• Watch a video 
• See more about making claims and payments

No More Service Bookings

• This is a big change. NDIS plans developed in our new computer system won’t have service bookings. Instead, participants can tell us who the my Providers are for their plan.
• If a Participant's previous plan had service bookings, you will be recorded as a my Provider on the Participant’s new PACE NDIS plan.
• It is more important than ever to have a written service agreement set up with all of the providers you engage with so that it is clear to everyone involved how much funding will be used.

See our resource on Service Agreements

5. How to use the new my NDIS provider portal

• Login to the new my NDIS Provider Portal
• All existing providers who access the myplace provider portal will be able to access the my NDIS provider portal. 
• NOTE: SDA providers across Australia must still use the myProvider Portal to enrol their dwellings. 
• Providers can now create reports in the my NDIS provider portal for participants with plans in our new computer system. 
• Training on how to use the new portal

All you need to know about PACE for Providers

NDIS Provider Tools and Resources