The NDIA have implemented the changes to Section 33 of the NDIS Act that came into effect in October 2024. These changes will have a profound impact on the way Support Coordinators assist participants to manage their NDIS plan budgets.
Specifically, this part of the Act relates to how funding is allocated to a participant’s plan, and allows NDIS delegates to set funding periods for some of, or all of the funding within a participant’s NDIS plan (e.g. they could nominate quarterly or monthly funding periods). This change is intended to limit Participants (and their service providers) ability to utilise more supports per week than intended which often results in the early exhaustion of their plan funds. It is important to note, that the Act is written in a way that enables this procedure to be used discretionally. In other words, this is not a mandatory new procedure.
The key take out for this new initiative is that the NDIA may restrict some or all of a participant’s plan to be allocated over a nominated period of time. For example, the Daily Living component of a participant’s Core Supports may be allocated monthly or quarterly; while the remainder of the plan is allocated to an annual budget.
What does that mean?
These are the key points Support Coordinators need to understand:
- Changes will only impact NEW Plans and reassessments of current NDIS Plans after May 19th, 2025
- If funds have been exhausted from the current plan period, the participant cannot access funds from future plan periods. In this scenario a participant would have to contact the NDIS to request access to the funds required.
- Claims will be rejected outright (no part payments) if the claim exceeds the value of funds available for that period
- Unspent funds from one funding period will roll over and can be used in the following funding period, to purchase additional supports from within the same NDIS plan.
- Unspent funds accumulated at the end of the plan cannot be rolled over into the following plan.
- Service Agreements need to cover the length of a participant’s NDIS Plan and need to include a schedule of supports within the agreement that aligns with each specified funding period.
- Participant’s NDIS Plans are expected to be 12 months long, with funding periods allocated at a support category level.
- To date, we have already seen some plans with monthly periods, some with 3-month periods, and some budgets (e.g.: Support Coordination and Therapy) have been allocated as yearly amounts.
In the event that a crisis occurs that requires additional Support Coordination support and funding, Support Coordinators will need to receive written approval from a NDIA delegate prior to proceeding with implementing those supports. Support Coordinators will then need to make a manual claim for the payment of those funds after the plan ends. A separate Blog is available to provide more information about this process – which you can access here.
What do Support Coordinators need to do?
With these new changes in place, it will be incumbent upon Support Coordinators to educate their participants and to alert the NDIA, for the need for a 12-month funding period for the Support Coordination budget.
The most intensive part of a Support Coordination service is generally within the first 8-12 weeks of the participant’s plan which includes intensive planning, documenting a participant’s support needs, gathering evidence and initial NDIS Reporting. In effect, Support Coordinators generally expend half the value of the support coordination budget within the first quarter of the participant’s plan.
It is crucial that Support Coordinators detail the activities they will need to complete, and the time involved, in their end of plan review reports and Change of Situation forms as a standard item, to ensure the NDIA are aware of the allocation of support coordination hours required.
Here is an example of the activities a Support Coordinator is required to complete within the first 8-12 weeks of a new NDIS plan being approved:
- Understand the participant and how their disability impacts them in the context of their life and their support environment.
- Understand the participant’s NDIS plan and their plan goals in the same context.
- Conduct a risk assessment.
- Create a risk management plan if risks are observed.
- Prepare an action plan that details the agreed work we will perform for the participant and compile budgets based on the supports identified by the participant with the providers they choose.
- Link in new providers and ensure all service agreements and schedules of support are compliant with the participant’s plan budget and goals, as well as the broader NDIS guidelines.
- Closely monitor and review the new services, and make any necessary adjustments
- Gather implementation reports from all providers.
- Provide the NDIA with the 8-week implementation report.
Below are a list of links to help Support Coordinators understand the changes:
NDIS Operational Guidelines – https://ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au/your-plan-menu/your-plan
DSS Section 33 factsheet – https://www.dss.gov.au/national…/changes-ndis-legislation
NDIS FAQs page – https://www.ndis.gov.au/…/frequently-asked-questions…
Bookmark the events page here – https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/events
Read the related article on the DIA website – https://www.intermediaries.org.au/news/section-33-ndis-plan-funding-periods
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