NDIS

This blog post will look at some tips to manage and get the most out of your NDIS Plan. Using a plan manager is an effective way to make sure that all aspects of managing an NDIS plan run smoothly, allowing peace of mind that your funds are being managed responsibly and efficiently by experienced professionals.

Let’s break down what a plan manager is, the benefits of having one, and how to find the right one for you.

What Does A Plan Manager Do?

A plan manager is a registered NDIS provider who helps manage the funding in your NDIS plan. They will pay any providers for the support you purchase as part of your plan, keep track of your funds and do financial reporting for you. This way, you don’t need to worry about paying bills on time or making sure all paperwork is up to date – your plan manager will handle it all.

We not only help you keep your payments on track because we can help you to budget your funds and understand any service caps where you may have out-of-pocket expenses and the supports and budget available under your plan.

Benefits Of Having A Plan Manager

Having a plan manager means that you will save time and energy from managing your own finances. You won’t need to worry about taking care of financial paperwork and making sure everything is up to date – your plan manager will take care of it for you.

It also means that if there are any discrepancies with payments or invoices, these issues can be dealt with quickly by someone experienced in NDIS issues.

Finding The Right Plan Manager For You

When choosing a provider, always check their registration status and consider asking for personal recommendations first – this way, you can be sure that you’re getting the best service available.

Finally, chat with your Plan Manager to make sure they are the right fit. You can even prepare some questions like their turnaround time for processing accounts. Your Plan Manager helps you with the day-to-day management of your plan, so it is important that they understand what you want to achieve and can support you to get there.

Your Plan and What You Want to Achieve

The first step in creating your NDIS plan is setting up a planning conversation. To get the most out of your NDIS Plan, you need to clearly understand what you want to achieve. Without clear goals, measuring your progress and understanding where the funding can be used to support you best is difficult.

Goals and objectives help you stay on track. When you meet with the NDIS to determine your funding, you will likely set goals around what you want to achieve. These can always be updated in your review.

Your goals can be big or small, short-term or long-term, simple or complex. They don’t need to be about anything in particular – they can be about anything you want to work towards.

For example, some of the things that you may want to work towards include becoming more independent, getting or keeping a job, learning new skills, enrolling in education, becoming more active in your community, or improving relationships and making friends

By setting goals during the planning conversation, your NDIS plan and subsequent funding can be better tailored to your needs. It is important to remember that any goal is valid.

How Can These Goals Help You?

Think about the things that make you happy – what do you like doing? Is there something that you want to change or try? Having an understanding of these things helps to establish what kind of goals would be most suitable for you as an individual

Your goals must reflect what is important to you, so your funding is tailored towards getting you the support that suits you. By setting clear objectives from the outset, you are laying the foundations to pave the way for success.

You can invite friends, family members or advocates to join our planning conversation; having another person with you that you trust could be helpful.

Considering Needs & Eligibility Criteria

You will be assessed to see if any NDIS-funded supports are necessary for you. These must meet the NDIS funding criteria to move forward with your plan. This assessment determines if an item or service meets yours and the NDIS requirements, considering reasonable and necessary supports, making sure that the price of an item is in line with the market rate, etc.

Developing & Approving Your Plan

Once all this information has been gathered and considered, your plan will be developed and approved by the NDIS. Then it will be sent to you so you can start using it immediately.

Remember that you don’t have to go through this process alone – if needed, other people such as friends, family or an advocate are welcome to join the conversation.  

It is essential to know that we can only pay for support that you buy after your plan starts – any expenses incurred before this will not be covered by the NDIS

Check-Ins and Reassessments

During your NDIS plan, you will have periodic check-ins with NDIS to ensure that everything is going smoothly and that your plan is working as intended for you. As circumstances change over time, so may your NDIS needs and goals. This is an opportunity to make sure that you are getting the funding to reach your goals.

Your plan ends when a new one is created (your plan comes up for renewal or if you have had a review completed) or when you leave the NDIS.

Plan Management & Your Goals

To get the most out of your NDIS plan, your funding should provide solid foundations to achieve your goals. As your Plan Manager, we walk with you along with your service providers to move forward towards those goals.

A clear understanding of what is important to you means we can help you budget your plan and check that services and service providers are approved under your plan. If you would like to chat about our approach to Plan Management, book a chat with Amanda.

This blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information provided in this blog post should not be taken as professional accounting advice or recommendations.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.