Important highlights from the NDIS Quarterly Report December 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins The National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) latest Quarterly Report has marked a major milestone under the Australian Government, with the world-first insurance scheme now transforming the lives of more than 500,000 Australians living with significant and permanent disability. Key NDIS quarterly report statistics There are now more than 502,413 participants receiving varying levels of support. […]
The importance of having a Carer Statement
Reading Time: 2 mins If you’re an NDIS participant, you will understand the importance of having as much documentation as possible to support your initial NDIS application and for future planning meetings. One very useful document you may choose to include is a Carer or Impact Statement. Your carer will often know and understand you and your unique needs […]
7 key items to include on your NDIS tax invoice
Reading Time: < 1 min As an NDIS service provider, you are likely familiar with the importance of being paid on time. To ensure you avoid any delays in being paid, there are 7 key items you need to include on your NDIS tax invoice. Our downloadable tax invoice template will help ensure your NDIS tax invoice is never rejected […]
NDIS adds subscriptions to Price Guide
Reading Time: 3 mins From 7 December 2021, a new subscription services clause was added to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Pricing Limits guide. In summary, providers can now claim for supports using a subscription model of payment. Before we explore subscription services, let’s revisit prepayments and how these arrangements differ. What is a Prepayment? Prepayments represent funds paid […]
NDIA releases Support Coordination paper
Reading Time: 2 mins The NDIA has released the ‘Improving Support Coordination for NDIS Participants’ paper. The paper outlines the outcomes from reviewing the current support coordination model in the context of both the consultation process and broader strategic design of the NDIS. It clearly outlines the role of a support coordinator and the next steps the NDIA will […]
Updates to NDIS Transport Reimbursements
Reading Time: 2 mins To ensure compliance with National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) requirements, some updates to NDIS transport budgets and reimbursements have been made. For many NDIS participants, having access to transport services allows you to access your supports and appointments outside your home, get to your place of employment and relieve the burden from other people you […]
The NDIS 2021-22 Annual Pricing Review
Reading Time: 3 mins The 2021-22 Annual Pricing Review Consultation Paper has been released. The NDIS are seeking feedback about price limits and policy for the next financial year. The paper looks at current NDIS pricing arrangements and price limits and related policies to determine if they are appropriate, or if changes may be required. The paper outlines topics […]
The NDIS Fraud Strategy Explained
Reading Time: 3 mins The NDIA’s fraud control arrangements exist to protect the scheme and the misuse of NDIA funds intended to support people with disability. In this article we explain the NDIS fraud strategy in detail including how providers can ensure they’re operating within the NDIS’ Code of Conduct. What is fraud? Fraud is defined as ‘dishonestly obtaining […]
Public consultation opens on NDIS legislation reforms
Reading Time: 2 mins The Australian Government is proposing changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) legislation to make processes easier and better for NDIS participants. The Government is continuing to work to create a simpler, faster, fairer and more consistent NDIS that aims to work better for people with disability, their families and carers. A 2019 independent […]
Supported Independent Living vs Specialist Disability Accommodation
Reading Time: 2 mins If one of your goals is to live independently, then you are likely familiar with both Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). There are many accommodation options available however these two options are funded by the NDIS. In this article we will help breakdown the differences between the two and determine which […]
The NDIS ‘Would We Fund It’ guide updates
Reading Time: < 1 min The NDIS’ ‘Would we fund it’ guide was introduced earlier this year to improve transparency on how decisions are made about supports the NDIS may fund. The guide lets you browse through commonly requested support items and services. We often get asked whether the NDIS will fund X because someone with the same or similar […]
NDIS Price Guide updates 2021
Reading Time: < 1 min The annual NDIS Price Guide updates 2021 were released on 1 July. While there were no major updates this year, the NDIS have changed the name of the document from the Price Guide to NDIS Price Arrangements and Price Limits, however, to keep it simple, we will continue to refer to it as the Price […]
How to switch to Plan Management
Reading Time: 2 mins There are 3 ways you can manage your NDIS funding – agency-managed, plan-managed and self-managed. Agency-managed means your funds are managed by the NDIA and you can only access registered providers who can claim directly from the NDIS. Self-managed means you are responsible for all administration and claims yourself. Making the switch to a plan […]
A step-by-step guide to download your NDIS plan
Reading Time: 3 mins When you get a new a NDIS plan, your plan manager will ask for a copy to help you understand its contents. Other providers may ask for a copy of your goals to ensure their services help you to achieve these. A paper copy of a plan can take up to 6 weeks to arrive […]
Real-life Superheroes: Support for our carer community
Reading Time: 3 mins In Australia, almost 2.65 million Australians care for someone with a disability, a medical condition, mental illness or frailty due to age, therefore support for our carer community is vital. At Acacia Plan Management, we know that caring for someone with a disability can take a toll on the emotional and physical health of a […]
Step-by-step process of the all-new independent assessments
Reading Time: 2 mins If you read our latest blog, you are probably aware that in mid-2021 the Australian Government will be rolling out key changes to the current NDIS Assessment by introducing independent assessments for all NDIS participants aged 7 and over. The new independent assessments process will capture the key information needed to create your new NDIS […]
Everything you need to know about the new NDIS Independent Assessments
Reading Time: 2 mins As you may be aware, there are big changes on the horizon for the NDIS assessment. The key changes to the current NDIS Assessments will begin to roll out in mid 2021 by introducing new independent assessments for all NDIS participants aged 7 and over. Whilst the Australian Government have received a lot of backlash […]
NDIS quotable support items and claiming updates
Reading Time: 2 mins When the Price Guide 2020-21 was released, the NDIA included additional detail about NDIS quotable support items, such as preparation and delivery of meals. The clarification was added to address the practice of flexible core funds being used to pay for quotable support items that have not been approved as reasonable and necessary. Providers should […]
The importance of having a service agreement
Reading Time: 2 mins While having a one isn’t obligatory, it is important to have a service agreement with your providers. Why, you ask? The written agreement will clearly outline what each party agrees to, it sets out expectations, how services will be delivered and at what cost. It helps to remove any grey areas and if any difficulties […]
What does reasonable and necessary supports really mean?
Reading Time: 2 mins The more time you spend getting to know the ins and outs of the NDIS and your funding, the more times you’re likely to come across the phrase ‘reasonable and necessary’. What does this mean and how does it affect your NDIS funding and supports? In simple terms, reasonable is defined as something fair and necessary is something […]
