NDIS Plan Meeting: What to Expect and How to Prepare?

In a rapidly moving and growing world, finding someone with a consistent intensity and morality of support coordination is rare. It's not often that someone will head up and come forward to assist you with your daily hustle, especially if you are disabled! People with disability need extensive support throughout the day with almost every activity they get involved in, whether in their house or office.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was formed by the Australian govt on 1st July 2013 to bear the cost of disabled people and provide them with the necessary support. It involves all kinds of support, including:

1. Household Support
2. Transport Assistance
3. Therapies/Treatment

However, the detailed work cycle of the National Disability Insurance Scheme is well described in our previous blogs and service section. In this article, we have brought vital information about your NDIS plan meeting and how you should prepare for the same to get high-end and quick access to its benefits.

So go through this article and tick the checkbox for helpful info and documents to prepare for your upcoming plan meeting venture.

So, What is NDIS Plan Meeting?

Usually, you will get on board for the planning meeting once NDIS approves your eligibility as an eligible participant. It means when you first apply for their disability service, the officials will go through your life and verify your level of disability. Upon successful verification, they will give their node and declare you an official NDIS participant entitled to all applicable services.

The planning meeting occurs 2 to 4 weeks after you get tagged as a verified participant. It's a general conversation between you, a Local Area Coordinator (LAC), or a Planner from the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The planning meeting will help you decide on essential services, funds, and other details in your disability plan.

A full-fledged NDIS plan includes brief information about you and your life (personal details). Plus, your mainstream goals, informal supports (support you receive from friends and families), and community and other government services you receive (mainstream and community support). Lastly, the necessary fund supports to help you reach your goals.

Preparing for NDIS Planning Meeting - Basic Questions!

As a beginner, it is challenging to come across the starting point and navigation skills with officials, irrespective of the domain in any niche. And when you are disabled without prior knowledge of the organization and its service operation, it is undoubtedly a more arduous task for you.

So to help you out, here we have come up with some basic questionnaires and a paperwork list you can follow to navigate better in your next planning meeting.

You can start by preparing in the following manner:

Questions:

The planning meeting usually takes between 1 and 2 hours where the Planner will ask questions, including:

Personal Details - Name, Age, Profession, Guardian, Residential Address, and your primary disability.

Informal and mainstream supports about your community include general activities or help you often get from friends, family members, and sometimes the local community.

(Note - These supports will be mentioned in your NDIS plan but not subject to funding).

How you manage your everyday activities - The support and services, including equipment, accommodation, or other necessary help you may need in your home or office for better results.

Activities or tasks you need help with independently and safely - It includes your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly everyday doings. What supports and services best suit your need to overcome your disability so you can do these activities yourself and achieve your goals?

Your long-term goals (what you have in mind and how you will achieve that in the next twelve months) - Keep your goals wide and open to maximize the range of services and supports you acquire to help achieve them.

The last 15 minutes of the meeting will be a question session - It's regarding how easy/challenging you are to find specific activities and tasks. Remember, how you answer these questions will influence how much-funded support you receive in your plan.

Paperwork:

Once you both (you and the plan manager) finish discussing your goals, everyday activity management, and all the sections mentioned above, it's time for you to bring the required paperwork for document verification.

The Planner will ask for evidence (a prescription or medical certificate) that states your disability condition to ensure seamless disability support. The medical reports could be from Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, or Physiotherapists. It is to outline the functional impact of the disability and the specific activities or tasks have advised or organized to help you achieve your goals.

However, it would be best if you reach out to your therapist before the meeting to suggest changes in equipment or treatment methods to demonstrate the need to the plan manager.

Learn What Can and Can't Be Included in Your NDIS Plan:

While NDIS plan management is full of supplies and support designed explicitly for participants, many didn't make it to the planning segment, including:

• The supports that are not relevant to your disability. You cannot get support in your NDIS plan that is not related to the functional impact of your disability.
• The National Disability Insurance Scheme will not directly assist you with the support you get through the education, health, or housing systems.
• You will not get support for your day-to-day living costs unrelated to your support needs.
• You will not get support for your action that will likely cause you harm or pose a risk to others.

Decide your NDIS Planning Management!

You can choose between Self Managed, NDIS, Agency Managed, or Plan Management. Each of these management segments is popular amongst participants and has its definitive way of doing things under expert provisions.

You must indicate your preferred option to the plan manager during your meeting.

Self-Managed: - In Self Management, you pay for each service you receive and later apply to the NDIS for the needed amount. After applying, you wait for the funding and pay for your service or support.

Here, the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) recommends you set up a separate bank account. You must keep records of your services and payments.

Most importantly, you can negotiate your price directly with the provider under self-management. Plus, you can access both unregistered and registered disability service providers accordingly.

NDIS or Agency Managed: - Service providers send their invoices directly to the NDIA, which pays them. Under this option, you can only use registered providers with the NDIA, and they must be paid the NDIA rates. You won't get the same flexibility you used to get from self-management as an agency, not individual handling this.

Plan Management: - Under this option, a registered organization like Admire Care handles all your paperwork, payments, and service funding. The Plan Manager sends you monthly statements to keep you on the fund received and expenditure loop. Here, you can skip paying for the Plan Management service and use registered and unregistered disability service providers.

How can Admire Care help you?

Admire Care is a registered NDIS service provider organization in West Australia. We have highly qualified and experienced NDIS plan management specialists who help participants choose the right plan. They prepare them for the interview or meeting and boost their confidence to leave a good impression on the officials. We also support and provide disability plan management, allowing them to access the funding required to achieve their goals.

For best-in-class NDIS support and services, call (+61 483 282 061) or email (info@admirecare.net.au) and let us assist you.