Frequently Asked Questions

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a new way for people with disability to receive support, offering more choice, control, and a lifetime approach to each person’s needs. It is usually referred to as the NDIS. To get started with the NDIS, you will talk with a planner who works for or with the National Disability Insurance Agency, the NDIA, or a Local Area Coordinator. To find out more about the NDIS, check out this link: www.ndis.gov.au.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent statutory agency, whose role is to implement and oversee the NDIS. They also work with other organizations called Local Area Coordination Services (LACs), who may talk with you about your plan.

When the NDIS becomes available in your region, and you already receive support through your State government department, your information will be given to NDIA. They, or a LAC, will contact you to discuss your needs. When a support plan has been agreed between you and the NDIA, you will be given a budget that you can choose to spend with approved providers.

Whether you are already accessing support through another provider, or you are researching other service providers, we are available to help. For people who already receive a service from Purple Support, if you wish our support, we can attend any meetings with NDIA or your LAC, or assist you as required.

Yes. You may need to provide evidence of your eligibility, including your residency status, date of birth, and disability diagnosis. The NDIA planner will ask about the support you need to live your life now and in the future. It is important that you have thought through what you want to achieve and what support you need to get to these outcomes so that your planning session can be the most beneficial. If you would like help with this planning preparation, contact your Purple Support Coordinator to book in for one of our local pre-planning sessions.

You choose who is involved in your planning meetings. You could choose to have a family member, a friend, an advocate, a guardian, your informal decision-maker, a support worker, or your Purple Support Coordinator if you feel this would be helpful.

If you are about to or have recently met with the NDIA, contact us at our office. We can help you in designing a support model to suit best your needs and what we offer in your area.

Our supports offer:

• Choice and control - You decide what you want to happen, including the type of support staff who work with you. They may be existing Purple support workers or other people you already work with or know.
• Flexibility and options - We will ensure that your person-centered plan has the flexibility to provide as many options as possible within your budget. This means that activities will occur at times and in circumstances to best suit your needs.

To be eligible, you must:

• be under 65 years of age when you first access the scheme
• be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or New Zealand citizen who is a Protected Special Category Visa holder
• have a permanent or significant disability.

To determine your eligibility, visit the NDIS website and complete the My Access Checker Tool.

No, eligibility for NDIS support is not means tested.

No, people from all income brackets are welcome to apply for the NDIS.

Through the NDIS, you will have a plan that outlines what goals you want to reach and what funding you have been allocated to help you reach your goals.

The NDIA will not fund everything you need. It will only fund what is considered reasonable and necessary.  The NDIA will also expect you to use all the same services as everyone else in the community, such as general health services and education services.

With your NDIA funding or support package, you can choose the following:

• who supports you, including providers such as Purple Support
• the types of support you would like
• how and when do you receive those supports

Before arranging a meeting, consider what you need to accomplish and the help you need with the goal that you get the most benefit from the meeting. Complete our valuable NDIS Pre-Planning meeting sheet and take it alongside you.

Get me the NDIS Pre-Planning Sheet (Put the link to NDIS Info Pack)

The NDIA will approve a funding plan for a 12-month period based on the participant’s expressed needs. The use of these funds will still need to be managed to ensure keeping within the approved budget. However, if circumstances change and extra funding is required, NDIA can be contacted to request a review of your plan to ensure you have the funding you need. 

There are five ways that plans can be managed.

• Agency Managed – this is where the providers claim directly from the NDIA.
• Plan Manager – funding in your plan is allocated to a third party to manage the financial transactions in your plan.
• Self-Managed – you (or your nominee) directly manage the funds; all transactions are completed by the participant for services rendered.
• Automated Payments (transport only) – these funds will be deposited into your bank account weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
• Combination – a combination of the above four options can be used together to meet your individual needs.

In some cases, the NDIA or others will manage the funding for support.

For assistance, please call our office or email at info@purplesupport.com.au or please visit the NDIS website, which is found at www.ndis.gov.au.

An NDIA planner or Local Area Coordinator will assess your needs and will be able to develop a budget and advice on the types of services the budget can go towards based on your needs. According to your plan, the Local Area Coordinator can also help you connect to the range of other services in your area. You can then select the service providers to suit your needs.

The NDIS is flexible enough to change with you, but usually, plans are for one or two years to give you security. With the support of an NDIS Local Area Coordinator and planner, though, if things change for you, your plan can be reconsidered.

If you are not currently receiving support but feel you should, you may still be able to apply. To find out if you can access services, go to the NDIS website [www.ndis.gov.au] and use the NDIS Access Checklist.

If this shows you are not eligible, there may be other ways you can get help outside the NDIS. Information, Linkages, and Capacity Building are being set up by the NDIS to support people like yourself. Full details of these services are found on the NDIS website. It is important to remember that you do have to be under the age of 65 when you first become a participant.

The scheme is rolling out progressively, so you also have to live in a rollout area.  Depending on where you live, there may be other age and residence requirements that need to be met in the rollout phase.

The NDIS Commission is an independent government body that works to improve the quality and safety of NDIS services and supports, solve problems, and strengthens the skills and knowledge of NDIS providers and participants. More information on the NDIS Commission can be found by visiting https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/

The NDIS Commission will ensure participants' rights are upheld, and that participants feel safe and receive quality services. They will make sure that providers and workers know and follow the rules for quality and safety. The NDIS Commission will also hear complaints about NDIS Services and support. People with a disability, or any other person, are able to speak up and make a complaint to the NDIS Commission.

• 1st July 2018 – New South Wales and South Australia.
• 1st July 2019 – Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria.
• 1st July 2020 – Western Australia