NDIS, the national disability insurance scheme is an attempt to help people with disabilities live an independent life in Australia. Physical, as well as mental disabilities, can deprive an individual of leading a normal life as they require some sort of constant help and assistance in their everyday activities. To make life easier and less dependable, one can avail of the benefits and services provided under the NDIS plan. There’s an eligibility criterion that every candidate must fulfill to be able to get the allowances and support. Once you’re approved for the NDIS plan, all disability plan management is the foremost thing to consider.
Managing the funds under NDIS can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Adequate plan management can impact the number of services you can use and claim multiple benefits. Once you get access to the funds, there are three viable ways you can manage the funding that is discussed as follows:
- NDIA-managed: NDIA is a government organization that helps in managing your funds and paying the providers on your behalf.
- Self-managed: This option allows you to manage the funds yourself and make the claims through the NDIS independently.
- Plan-managed: Through this, you can hire an NDIS-registered entity that ensures proper NDIS plan management and involves paying providers, claiming funds, and keeping a track of all expenses so that they are not abruptly exhausted. In this case, a plan manager or coordinator is appointed who helps in managing the entire fund as per your requirements and preferences. The NDIS support coordinator role is to manage and formalize the support plan for you to live an independent and stress-free life.
All Disability Plan Management: What is it?
Before you decide on the ideal way to manage your NDIS funding, it is essential to know what plan management means. It is a standard management option provided to all eligible candidates under the NDIS to carefully spend their funds to avail of the most necessary support services. Through all disability plan management, you can keep a track of your funds and control your expenses with the help of a manager who manages the funds on your behalf through the portal. Plan management is a viable option for all NDIS plan holders that involves no unnecessary costs. An additional amount is added to the NDIS funds to pay for the professional agency or individual who undertakes the NDIS support coordinator role.
Here’s what you can expect by opting for plan management in the following approaches:
- NDIA-managed – This involves managing your funds with an NDIS official who will take care of your funds and services on your behalf. However, a key drawback to this is that the availability of services and claims will be restricted to registered NDIS providers only. As a result, you’ll have to compromise or settle for limited support as NDIS-registered providers are not available widely across the country.
- Self-management – As the term suggests, this approach lets you manage your funding independently without the help of any agency or official. You can take full charge of what quality of services you wish to avail of or any other reimbursements. This can be a hectic and time-consuming process as there are a lot of formalities and paperwork involved in managing the NDIS funds. Even if you opt for self-management, the NDIS planner will assess your condition to determine whether or not you are capable of self-management.
- Plan-Management: This is one of the most preferred and viable means of managing your NDIS funding. Through this, you can appoint a professional or agency that acts as a link between the participant, the support providers, and the NDIA. One of the key benefits of opting for all disability plan management through this approach is that you are not limited to receiving support from registered providers only. You don’t have to incur additional expenses as the NDIS funds a manager to take care of expenses and the paperwork.
Plan Management: What makes it the best approach?
As discussed above, there are multiple ways to manage one’s NDIS funding. One can choose to do it by themselves or take the help of a credible fund manager to lead an independent and stress-free life. Having the right plan manager can help in making the most out of your NDIS funding while taking care of other formalities and paperwork. Plan management is the most talked about approach pertaining to the wide range of choices one can make under this. For instance, you can discuss your support requirements and have the best facilities arranged in terms of provider, location, and tenure. The claim process is streamlined wherein reimbursements are quick and you don’t have to wait long for service approvals.
Through all disability plan management, you can rest assured of budgeting and allocation of expenses throughout a time period. The manager keeps a track of all your expenses to ensure that your funds are used in a calculative manner to be sufficient for the quality support, as and when needed. Leading an independent life with disabilities can get easier with adequate fund management under the NDIS. Plan management is the best approach to NDIS fund management that can relieve you of unnecessary stress and responsibilities.