Managing your NDIS plan can be a very difficult and time-consuming process. The NDIS plan structure can also be very confusing for new NDIS participants. You will want to choose the best possible support for the unique needs of your or your loved one’s disability.
The NDIS attempts to cater to a number of different disability needs. It does this by offering a choice of three basic types of support budgets. Each of these budgets has a number of support categories. You can customise your support plan to suit your short, medium or long term goals.
The three support budgets are the:
• Core Supports Budget
• Capacity Building Budget
• Capital Support Budget
The Core Supports Budget is the most flexible of the three. It covers your everyday disability needs such as buying necessary supplies, transport, and activities.
The Capacity Building Budget, as its name implies, is aimed at building your capabilities. It does this by offering professional support across several different categories. These include life skills, home living, and employment.
The Capital Support Budget is specifically tied to the purchase of things like wheelchairs or modifications to your home.
Once you decide which budget best suits your needs, there are several ‘support categories’ to choose from.
Core Supports
The Core Supports categories are:
1. Consumables
2. Daily Activities – assistance with self-care
3. Social and Community Participation – social and recreational activities
4. Transport
The Core Supports Budget allows you a degree of flexibility in how you spend your funds. For example, if you have funds allocated to consumables but find that you need to spend more on daily activities, you can use the consumables money to do so. You will need to be careful with this unallocated spending as you cannot use funds tied to a specific purpose. For example, you can't reallocate a fortnightly payment for transport funding to other
support categories..
Capacity Building
There are eight support categories for Capacity Building. Unlike the Core Supports, once chosen, you can’t move funds to another category. You will, however, have the freedom to buy whatever you need within any specific category. For example, you can choose different therapies within the Daily Activity category.
The Capacity Building categories offer professional support and counselling for:
1. Choice and Control – plan management service and training
2. Daily Activity – support for therapies
3. Employment – assessment and counselling
4. Health and Well Being – specific to your disability
5. Home Living – finding specialist accommodation
6. Lifelong Learning – towards further education
7. Relationships – behavioural support strategies
8. Social and Community Participation – life skills development
Capital Support
If you need money to buy assistive technology, for example, a folding travel electric wheelchair OR maybe you need an accessible bathroom renovation instead, then the Capital Support Budget is the plan for you.
Capital Support funds are not flexible. They are tied to the specific items needed from the two available support categories, which are:
1. Assistive Technologies
2. Home Modifications
Assistive technologies include any tech that helps you with mobility, personal care, communication and recreation. Any home modifications you need are also available but must be negotiated on a case by case basis with the NDIS.
Bright Plan Management is here to help you understand and make full use of the resources available for you or your loved ones under the NDIS. Contact us today for an obligation-free appointment at your home or one of our offices. Our dedicated plan managers will help you to plan the best use of the NDIS.