NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme)
More than 4.4 million Australians are living with a disability and until 2013 there was no nationwide system to support their needs.
With final rollout of the NDIS completed Australia wide mid-2020, the hundreds of thousands of Australians participating in the NDIS will have greater choice and access to assistance with a coordinated disability funding system.
The NDIS is a new way of providing individual support for people with a permanent and significant disability, their families and carers. It provides peace of mind to anyone with a disability or those affected by someone who has a disability.
About the NDIS
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (also called the NDIS) is the new way of providing support to Australians with disability, their families and carers.
The NDIS will provide all Australians under the age of 65 who have a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to enjoy an ordinary life.
The NDIS will help people with disability achieve their goals, including independence, community involvement, education, employment and health and wellbeing.
As an insurance scheme, the NDIS takes a lifetime approach, investing in people with disability early to improve their outcomes later in life.
The NDIS also provides people with disability, their families and carers with information and referrals to existing support services in the community.
People with disability have the same right as other Australians to decide their best interests and to have choice and control over their lives.
The NDIS recognises that everyone’s needs and goals are different.
The NDIS provides people with individualised support and the flexibility to manage their supports to help them achieve their goals and enjoy an ordinary life.
The NDIS replaces a disability system that was unfair and inefficient with a new, national system that is world-leading, equitable and sustainable.
This provides certainty and consistency for people with disability, their families and carers.
Australians will now have peace of mind that if their child or loved one is born with, or acquires a significant disability that is likely to be with them for life, they will get the support they need, when they need it.
There are only 610,502 Australians signed up to the NDIS, despite 4.4 million living with a disability.
NDIS provides choice and greater control over the services that Participants will receive. It won’t mean they have to change their current arrangements, nor will it change the supports that Participants receive for rent, electricity etc.
Downloads
The NDIS support packages are tailored to individual needs. Participants can now choose their own Providers, asking an intermediary (like a Support Co-ordinator) to put together the best package for them, cash out their funding and direct it to areas of need, or choose a combination that best suits them.
Why the NDIS?
Pre NDIS, disability services in Australia were at best haphazard. Funding received depended upon where you lived, as well as how, when and where you acquired your disability. Some people received adequate funding, others none.
In 2013, the NDIS was introduced to provide a fairer system of funding and support giving more control to those with disabilities.
Funding
The NDIS provides funding for employment, activities, early intervention and for accommodation.
Participants can choose when and where they receive these supports and which disability service providers they work with.
The NDIS completed full rollout across Australia in 2020.
NDIS Eligibility
In areas that the scheme is operational, eligibility is determined by the following factors:
- Under age 65
- Australian citizen, permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen with a Protected special category visa
- A permanent disability that significantly affects communication, movement and the ability to care for oneself.
- Early Intervention where such intervention would substantially improve functioning, or delay or decrease a decline in functioning, for the parent and child.
More Information:
For more details on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, call 1800 800 110 or visit www.ndis.gov.au.
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