Did you know your Core Supports budget might be able to fund a cleaner, Short Term Accommodation (STA), wheelchair repairs, assistive technology, or even a meal delivery service? And that’s just the beginning!
Depending on your disability and its impact on your daily life, there’s a wide range of support you may be able to access through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), without dipping into your personal savings.
In the NDIS, Core Supports funding is designed to help you with daily activities. While participants typically use it to pay support workers for assistance with everyday tasks like household chores or attending appointments, it has the flexibility to cover much more.
This means that, within your Core Supports budget, you can reallocate funds from one category to another (with some exceptions). Although you can’t move funding across different sections of your NDIS plan, within the Core Supports ‘bucket,’ there’s considerable flexibility – as long as the spending aligns with your disability, plan, and goals. If you’re unsure, just ask your plan manager, support coordinator, NDIA planner, or Local Area Coordinator (LAC).
Here are six ways you might be able to use your Core Supports funding. Read on:
1. House and Yard Maintenance
Disability can create barriers to everyday tasks like cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, or fixing a broken cupboard, and the cost of hiring a cleaner, gardener, or handyman can quickly add up.
The good news is you can claim these supports out of your Core Supports funding if your inability to complete the tasks is related to your disability and if the supports meet the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) reasonable and necessary criteria.
2. Short Term Accommodation (STA), Including Respite
STA is accommodation at a different place from your usual home. You can access STA funding for up to 14 days at a time, totaling 28 days per year, under the right circumstances.
The cost of your STA – including personal care, accommodation, food, and activities agreed upon with the provider – can be covered by your Core Supports budget. STA can be used for a short stay away from home to make new friends, develop new skills, or try new things. It can also provide respite, helping participants and their informal supports take a break to maintain current living arrangements.
3. Meal Preparation
If you have a support worker who assists you with cooking and serving meals, and they can’t come in for a while – or if you’re looking to become more independent at home – you may be able to use your Core Supports funding to have meals prepared and delivered to your door.
If meal preparation isn’t specifically written into your NDIS plan but meets the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria, it can be claimed from Core Supports funding for 90 days. After that time, you’ll need written approval from an NDIA planner to continue claiming meal preparation, or you might need to submit a change of circumstances or undergo a plan reassessment.
4. Low-Cost Assistive Technology
Assistive technology includes equipment or devices that help you perform tasks you can’t do – or are limited in doing – because of your disability. Using assistive technology can help you complete tasks more easily or safely.
There are thousands of products on the market to make daily life simpler, like adaptive cutlery, non-slip bathmats, laundry and washing line adaptors, and medication management devices. If assistive technology costs less than $1500, it can often be claimed through your Core Supports funding – but always check first!
5. Disability-Related Health Supports
If they help you participate in everyday activities, you may be able to use your Core Supports funding for a range of disability-related health supports. Specified by the NDIA within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, these supports – while medical in nature – may be funded when they directly relate to disability.
6. NDIS Training
Navigating the NDIS can be complex, time-consuming, and difficult to understand.
Many NDIS participants struggle to understand how to maximize their NDIS funding and find the right providers to support them in building their capacity. They seek expertise to ensure they use their plans effectively and make every dollar count to achieve their goals faster.
If you're keen to explore your options or need assistance with your NDIS plan, give us a call at 0434 425 855, and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Stay connected with us:
📞 Phone: 0434 425 855
✉️ Email: info@proactivepm.com.au
🌐 Website: www.proactivepm.com.au
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