What does NDIS plan managed mean?
Once you have approval for the NDIS, you will have a planning meeting where a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or Planner will gather information from you to create your NDIS Plan, during this meeting, you need to decide how you wish to manage your funds/plan.
You will need to choose from 3 ways your NDIS plan funds can be managed:
- Agency Managed: The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) manages your NDIS funds for you and they will pay registered providers and services on behalf of the participant.
- Self Managed: You or your plan nominee (children) manages your NDIS funds. This means that you do everything! You find and pay service providers yourself, and then you must claim these payments from the NDIS participant portal.
- Plan Managed: Choose a Plan Manager who will assist you in managing your NDIS plan funds by handling all payments to providers. You engage the providers (and perhaps get a little help from your plan manager) and then they pay the bills on your behalf. No admin or out of pocket expenses for you.
What does an NDIS Plan Manager actually do?
When you choose to be Plan Managed, your Plan Manager will perform the following tasks for you:
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Pay all your bills - you can send them to your Plan Manager when you receive them or service providers can send the bills directly to the Plan Manager for payment.
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Send you monthly statements to help you track your plan spending.
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Reimburse you for anything you need to pay upfront.
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Some plan managers like Plan hero Plan Management will help you with establishing service agreements with providers.
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Some plan managers like Plan Hero Plan Management help you find other supports and services you need
Why should I choose to have my NDIS funding plan managed?
A good plan manager (make sure MyCareSpace helps you find a good one) will make your NDIS life so much easier, without compromising your choice of NDIS service providers.
The funding for a Plan Manager is specific and does not come from any other area of funding in your NDIS plan. The NDIS will pay your Plan Manager directly.
The ADVANTAGES of having a Plan Manager:
- You can use both registered and unregistered NDIS providers, which means you have more options to choose from, particularly in the areas where there aren’t a lot of providers (Find our more about the difference between registered and unregistered providers)
- You don't need to perform any admin tasks - your Plan Manager will pay your bills, keep receipts and track your spending
- You have help understanding your NDIS funding - Your Plan Manager will help you understand the different parts of your NDIS plan
- Tracks your budget so you don’t run out of money - this is super important! Your Plan Manager will keep an eye on how fast or slowly you are spending your funding and will keep you informed
- Gives you more control over how you use your funding - your Plan Manager will guide you around the type of services you can spend your funding on
- Removes the stress of paying bills on time - your Plan Manager pays all your bills so that you can spend more time on activities you enjoy
- Increases your confidence and skills around managing your budget - because you have the information at your fingertips and someone to guide you along the way
How much does an NDIS plan manager cost?
Do I have to pay any out of pocket costs for my plan manager?
No, the NDIS pays for plan management under a separate area of funding in your plan. This will not impact funds used for other services in your budget
What makes a good plan manager and how do I find one?
Your Plan Manager must be an NDIS-registered provider. The friendly MyCareSpace Connections Team give you options to choose from:
HELP ME FIND A GREAT PLAN MANAGER
So, now what? How do I ask for plan management?
- Request Plan Management at your initial planning meeting OR request a review of your plan to include plan management.
- Await NDIA plan approval. If confirmed, the NDIA will allocate separate funding in your plan to pay for plan management services.
- Select a plan manager (ask MyCareSpace for help) then contact them to set up and sign a Service Agreement
- Start sending invoices to your plan manager for payment
How can I change Plan Managers?
Did you know that you can change Plan Managers at any time?
If you already have a Plan Manager but are not happy with them and the level of service they are providing you, check this resource on How to Change Plan Managers.
This article is sponsored by Plan Hero Plan Management
Plan Hero is an independent plan manager (this means they are only Plan Managers) and rated 10/10 on MyCareSpace.
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