The NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS provides support to eligible people with intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive, and psychosocial disability. The NDIS provides reasonable and necessary funding to people with a permanent and significant disability to access the supports and services they need to live and enjoy their life.

Every NDIS participant has an individual plan that lists their goals and funding. NDIS participants use their funding to purchase supports and services to help them achieve their goals. Everyone has different goals. Goals might include things like volunteering, getting and keeping a job, making friends or participating in a local community activity.

To apply for the NDIS you must be aged under 65 years.

The NDIS is only available to people who live in Australia, are Australian Citizens, or Permanent Visa holders, or Protected Special Category Visa holders.

You must also have a permanent and significant disability that substantially impacts how you manage your day to day activities.

If you are not substantially impacted by your disability the NDIS might also be able to help you for shorter time because they can see that this help would benefit you and would mean you won’t need help long term – this include adults and children.

If NDIS say you are not eligible for help you are allowed to ask them to look at your application again.

If you are over 65 you might like to read about services available to you through My Aged Care.

You may be asked to provide some additional information after you make your Access Request. This may include information about your disability and how it impacts on your day-to-day life. You can provide copies of existing information, including letters or reports, or you can ask your treating health professional to fill out and sign a form.

Once you have your NDIS plan, you can start to look for services to provide your services and supports. You might like to ask your Support Coordinator or Local Area Coordinator to assist you in this process. To find NDIS registered providers, like Your Side, you can search the Provider Finder on the myplace portal. The NDIS website also has lists of providers for each state and territory that you can use.

You might want to research providers on the internet, check reviews, get advice from friends or family and speak with different providers either face-to-face or over the phone before you agree to work with them. Each provider will be different, so it is important to find a provider who can meet your needs and provide the support services that you want to access.

A support coordinator is someone who is funded through your plan, to help you understand and implement the funded supports in your plan and link you to community, mainstream and other government services. A Support Coordinator will focus on supporting you to build skills and direct your life as well as connect you to providers.

A Support Coordinator should work with you to link you to providers, they will help build your ability to exercise choice and control, to coordinate supports and access your local community. They can also assist you in planning ahead to prepare for your plan review.

You do not have to give anyone a copy of your NDIS plan. Sharing your plan is your choice. If you want to, you can choose to share parts or all of your plan with your service providers. You may want to share information about you and your goals, so your provider knows what you want to achieve and how you would like them to assist you.

NDIS registered providers must follow privacy rules and should not share your personal information with anyone else without your permission. If you have concerns about your privacy, speak to your provider about their privacy policy and rules.

Absolutely! The NDIS is all about choice and control, so you choose who your providers are. If you want to change providers, you should discuss this with your current provider and review your Service Agreement with them. Depending on the Service Agreement, you might need to give your current provider a period of notice before you can change.

If you are unsure about this process, or need to change your provider because you do not feel safe or respected, you can contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110 or you can talk to the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission on 1800 035 544.

WeCare is a registered NDIS provider. We offer a lot of different services to NDIS participants including personal care, community access, gardening, cleaning, handyman services and allied health. We work with you to create a Support Plan so that we understand your goals and your needs.
If you would like more information about our services, please call our NDIS team at WeCare on:

Tel：02 7252 2330 ext 800

Emial：info@wecarewellness.com.au

A Service Agreement is an agreement between a provider and a participant. The NDIA recommends having a written service agreement so participants and providers are clear about what each party has agreed to. Service agreements help make sure the participant and provider have the same expectations of what supports will be delivered and how they will be delivered.

It is important that you understand what is written in a Service Agreement. If you need assistance, you can speak with your Support Coordinator or the provider to ask questions about the Service Agreement.

The NDIS is intended to provide reasonable and necessary supports and services to eligible participants, and these could cover a number of areas of a person’s life. When assessing each participant, the NDIS is guided by the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act) and the rules made under the NDIS Act in determining what would be considered reasonable and necessary. Some types of supports they could consider include:

• certain daily personal activities,
• transport enabling participation in community, social, economic and daily life activities,
• workplace assistance that would allow a participant to become or stay employed,
• therapeutic supports, including behaviour support,
• assistance with household tasks that would enable participants to maintain their home environment,
• home and/or vehicle modifications, and
• mobility equipment and assistive technology.

In all instances the supports must relate to a participant’s disability and it can be demonstrated are likely to be beneficial and effective to the participant.

The NDIS will support a person with a significant and permanent disability or a child aged under 7 years old with a disability or developmental delay, whose condition impacts their ability to carry out tasks, or who require support or assistance with activities such as self-care, social interaction, learning, communication and/or mobility.

The National Disability Insurance Agency does operate lists of conditions that are likely to qualify for NDIS eligibility, but these lists are not the only consideration that would be taken into account when determining eligibility, as the impact of a certain condition on a person’s functioning will range significantly between individuals.

The NDIS is not means tested and will not affect other income support participants receive, such as a Disability Support Pension or Carers Allowance. Funds allocated to participants are meant for reasonable and necessary support that are required by participants to live an ordinary life.

Individuals already receiving disability support services in Australia can expect to be contacted by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) once the NDIS becomes available in their area. Those not currently receiving disability support services can contact the NDIS for an Access Request Form. You can only join the NDIS if you meet the access requirements, which include:

• The NDIS already being available in your area.
• Being under the age of 65-years when you apply.
• Being an Australian citizen, or holding a Permanent or Protected Special Category Visa.
• Meeting specific disability requirements and/or early intervention requirements.

Valid access requests will receive a response from the NDIA within 21-days, unless additional documents, assessments and/or evidence is needed.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is intended to fund and provide a range of services and supports for people with a permanent and significant disability, their families, and their carers. The purpose is to assist people with permanent and significant disabilities in living an ordinary life and increasing their social and economic participation. The NDIS also makes provision for early intervention, access to assistive technology, and support to access community services and activities. The NDIS recognises that everyone has different needs, so plans and support are personalised for all eligible persons. However, the NDIS is not intended to fund services and supports already available through other programs, including Medicare, and is not yet available throughout Australia.