So I just received my NDIS plan ,so relieved to finally have it, and I’m in the process of searching for a support coordinator, which I’ve heard can be tricky. But in the meantime, I have a question about the way my funding has been allocated for therapies.
Under Capacity Building, I’ve been given funding for different supports like OT, speech therapy, psychology, and therapy assistants. The hours for each therapy are listed, and then there’s an overall budget for Capacity Building, but the breakdown shows a specific number of hours for each type of therapy.
Do I need to stick exactly to the number of hours they’ve listed for each therapy, or can I adjust the hours between the therapies? For example, if I have 10 hours allocated for OT but need more time for psychology, can I shift things around as long as it stays within the total Capacity Building budget?
Any advice from people who’ve dealt with similar situations would be so helpful. Thankyou guys.
Someone might be able to correct me if I am wrong because as a provider I am on the receiving end not the planning end.
I am pretty sure that you need to use the hours as they are allocated for each therapy because they are allocated in line with specific goals in your plan. You can use unallocated funds with a bit more freedom. I have seen plans that were adjusted under certain circumstances. That was done after a review though.
Under my Capacity Building budget, it’s listed as “stated supports.” The description there reads: “You must use stated support funds to buy the support in the way we have described in your plan.”
On the budget page, it mentions: “The support categories included in this budget and a description of how you can use these funds.”
In the plan section for Capacity Building, it clearly states: “Unlike my Core Supports budget, my Capacity Building Supports budget is not flexible. I can only use this funding to buy approved individual supports that fall within that Capacity Building category.”
From what I’m seeing, it strongly suggests that the funds can only be used for the specific services listed in the plan (e.g., the particular therapists).
What makes it confusing though is that it’s marked as stated, but it just shows a total budget alongside hours for each service. So it’s made me unsure if I’m restricted to using exactly the hours allocated for each, or if I can distribute the funding across the listed services in any way, as long as I stay within the total amount.
I honestly thought this would be an easy thing to figure out . Why does the NDIS have to make everything so complicated? I even asked during the planning meeting if anything had changed with how the system works, since I had already learned it all to help someone else with their plan under the previous setup.
I really hope it’s straightforward like this, but I just don’t get why they’ve turned something that should be simple into something so confusing.
They need to improve how they communicate these things on the plan.
The problem is NDIA keeps everything intentionally vague to try to accommodate everyone’s disability in every conceivable way. This of course makes it jibberish a lot of the time.
I would say the expectation is that you stick to the set hours but the budget is along side it because the costs of those “hours” may vary depending on the provider you use.
It is unfortunately painful for everyone. I have worked in a couple of industries in the past. Every industry has a standard of best practice to adhere to as a business. Here are the rules, stick to them or get out.
When I asked NDIA for this industries standard of best practice, I was told the industry is too young to have developed them. Dealing with the health and safety of vulnerable people for over a decade is apparently not long enough.
In the new PACE system, the way plans are worded can be confusing. My understanding is, the listed amounts for Capacity Building (CB) Improved Daily Living are just the way the total funding has been calculated. It doesn’t mean you’re required to use the funds exactly as shown for each service. However, when it says “This is a stated support,” it means that the entire amount in that specific funding category (like CB Improved Daily Living) cannot be used flexibly for other purposes.
If an item in your plan is a stated support, it will be clearly marked. For example:
“15 hours of Occupational Therapy funding for a Functional Capacity Assessment report - This is a STATED SUPPORT.”
This means you are required to use those hours specifically for that purpose and with that type of therapist.
Definitely. What makes it even more difficult is that different people have different interpetations of the same thing.
Even if you try to call the NDIS enquiries line, their training is minimal and you usually get a different answer each time you call. LACs are equally as bad.
There are some people who dont even bother with NDIS funding due to the drama of it all. People with mental health challenges don’t want to have this kind of confusion and stress on their plate. Its very messy. No one seems to know what is what. NDIS needs to invest in more support and providing of clear, accurate information.
. Why does the NDIS have to make everything so complicated? I even asked during the planning meeting if anything had changed with how the system works, since I had already learned it all to help someone else with their plan under the previous setup.