You’ve finally managed to get your NDIS plan approved, which is an important first step in your journey towards greater independence and achieving the health, social and community goals you have set out in the plan. But now what? Here is a list of three things you can do to make the most of your plan and the funding available.
1. Get access to the myplace portal.
This is the place where you’ll be able to access all your NDIS information. It’s important that you or someone you trust (and grant access to) can log in to the portal and view your information. Talk to your NDIS Local Area Coordinator (LAC) about how to get set up on the system or check out the information here to get started.
2. Decide on how you will manage your plan
Will you manage your plan yourself? Will you require basic support from a Plan Manger, or do you need a greater level of assistance through a Support Coordinator?
If you decide to self-manage your NDIS plan, you will be responsible for overseeing your funding and invoices, selecting the supports you require and managing your appointments and schedule.
Reporting on how you’ve used your funding, normally at the end of every year, is also a key part of self-management,
My Spending Planner is a great tool: it helps you manage your budget, supports, schedule and reporting in the once place. You can also call on assistance from Auscare Support’s Budget Builder service to help you get the best out of our software.
Managing your NDIS budget and supports can be confusing and after considering your options, you may decide that you need more assistance. So should you choose a Plan Managers or Support Coordinator?
A Plan Manager’s job is to help with financial administration, while a Support Coordinator will help you choose the right supports, liaise between you and your Plan Manager and help you connect with community services.
(Regardless of your choice, the review process is changing and will become increasingly challenging for participants, so having the right tools behind you will be important. Have a read of [insert article tilte] to find out about how to prepare yourself for the future of the NDIS.)
Finally, talk to friends or family – word of mouth is often a reliable way of understanding your needs and sourcing a reputable provider. Speak with your treating health providers (your doctor, physio or psychologist for example) and of course, you can ask your LAC.
My Spending Planner has partnerships with Auscare Support and Support Coordination Academy (SCA). Both organisations offer a combination of My Spending Planner technology and Support Coordinators and Plan Managers.
3. Create a budget.
Whether you’re self-managing or receiving assistance, you will need to create a detailed budget.
Managing budgets and tracking that you’re not under or overspending over the course of the year can be tricky. The task is made more difficult when you think about the changing prices, guidelines and other issues that come with trying to keep on top of NDIS updates.
Your plan will include amounts for the three different types of funding available – core, capacity building and capital supports.
The core funding is the most flexible and it’s a good idea to think about how you will use this funding over the life of the plan. For example, you might start with needing help to prepare meals but then over time, as you get more independent in some activities, you may want to switch the funding into activities that get you out and about in the community.
At the outset, it’s a good idea to use a budgeting tool like My Spending Planner, It enables you to input your NDIS funding levels for each category and then select items using the NDIS price guide (with built-in pricing levels that reflect the most recent price guide), specify how frequently you will have that item and then work out the total for each item across the year.
You can adjust the levels of services, as you need to, throughout the year and always know where you sit in relation to your remaining budget allocation.