FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions.
NDIS and Terminology
This is the name of the actual scheme which provides lifetime funding to people with permanent and significant disabilities in Australia. People who are eligible are given an NDIS Plan which contains funding that they can use to meet their needs and goals.
This is the name for the organization that manages the NDIS and has been appointed by the government. It employs the Planners, and decision makers, administers the funding, provides the information and determines if people are eligible to access the scheme.
Support Coordination is a funding type that only some people are given in their NDIS plan. A Support Coordinator is the person who is chosen by the participant to use this funding to help them understand their plan and to find and engage with the services they need. A good Support Coordinator will be able to help the participant build their own knowledge of the NDIS and connect them with both mainstream and NDIS funded services.
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Short Term Accommodation is a form of respite or support to help participant’s stay somewhere that isn’t their home for a short period of time. STA funding, accessed from the Core budget, covers all the person’s needs during their stay, including accommodation, personal care supports, food and agreed activities. It is often used for respite for carers, if informal supports aren’t available, or to practice new skills.
Medium Term Accommodation is specific funding to support people who need somewhere to live while waiting for another permanent accommodation. The funding pays only for the accommodation for up to 3 months and is typically available to people who have been approved for a new SIL or SDA but can’t move in straight away or awaiting specific equipment to make their own home safer.
Supported Independent Living is a form of support for people who need someone around 24 hours a day. Typically this support is provided in homes with 1 or 2 other participants. The SIL provider will have staff in the home at all times to help the participant and their housemates help to complete their usual activities, like getting ready, cooking meals, etc. Support is also provided overnight, with a support worker sleeping in the home. This type of support needs to be approved by the NDIA and is for the support only – it doesn’t pay for rent or food.
A Planner is a person employed by the NDIA to explore the participant’s needs, goals and develop and approve a Plan. Participants may meet directly with a planner if their situation is complex, their disability is newly diagnosed or they have other factors like your ethnicity or language that mean it would be better to work directly with the person making the decision.
If a participant chooses to have their NDIS Plan ‘Plan Managed’ the plan manager is the person or organization that takes on that role and pay’s the invoices and helps keep track of the plan budget. They are like a bookkeeper for your funding. Plan Managers are paid by the NDIS at no extra cost to the participant in a budget category called ‘Improved Life Choices’.
