Payments for travel expenses are a frequent cause of contention among NDIS participants. Transportation is an essential component of freedom and independence. It allows you to visit friends, go to work, and travel around town. Building independence is a typical NDIS goal, and transportation plans play a significant role in this. Suppose your disability makes getting around difficult, but you want to learn to overcome these obstacles and travel. In that case, you may be eligible for financing such as public transportation training or driving lessons.
Here’s more information about the NDIS travel allowance and how it works.
What exactly is the NDIS Travel Allowance?
The NDIS travel allowance helps participants receive disability resources outside their residences and meet their plan objectives.
For instance, you cannot use public transportation without significant difficulty due to disability. However, you can get money for transportation help through the NDIS. The funding accommodates any covered taxi subsidy plan.
The NDIS can also pay a provider to transport you for an activity that is not supported. Travel to and from appointments with a doctor or a physiotherapist, as well as to and from work, are examples of this. However, the NDIS travel budget does not cover transportation help for caregivers to take their family member with a disability to honour daily commitments.
NDIS participant transportation funding
The purpose of transportation financing in NDIS plans is to help participants reach their communities and preserve or increase their independence. Participant transportation funding is likewise divided into two groups.
General Transport
This refers to circumstances in which participants move from one site to another. The individual providing the transportation is not required to continue assisting upon arrival (although they may). Here are several examples:
- A participant pays for a private car service.
- A participant who takes the bus, taxi, or Uber to an activity.
Participants who use public transportation may be able to deduct the costs from their NDIS Travel Allowance.
Activity-based transport
This form of transportation refers to instances in which the individual providing the transportation will also assist the member at the destination. Activity-based transport (ABT) funding caters for the cost of transporting the member.
Providers may charge for ABT if they provide services in the following categories:
- Support for Social and Community Participation
- Coordination of Assistance
- Better Living Conditions
- Increase in Social and Community Participation
- Obtaining and Maintaining Employment
- Improved Relationships
- Improved Learning
- Anticipated Transport Assistance Levels
Suppose your disability complicates the use of public transportation. In that case, the NDIS may find it reasonable and important to offer money for taxis, rideshares, and community transportation.
Three Levels for New Participant Travel Allowance
The NDIS determines the NDIS travel allowance you get each year according to your situation and how and where you study or work. There are three levels of transportation assistance. The three tiers give participants a transportation budget. Annually, NDIA-funded subsidies go through indexing.
Level 1
Maybe you are not currently working, in school, or attending day events but want to boost your community access. The scheme can cover $1,606 per year for transportation.
Level 2
If you work or study less than 15 hours per week or attend day programs, the NDIS can offer you up to $2,472 in transportation assistance per year.
Level 3
If you work, study, or look for work for more than 15 hours per week, you can get up to $3,456 per year for transportation.
This money can only pay for a transportation provider to transport you to an activity or an appointment with another provider. This assistance does not cover driver gratuities, gasoline, or other expenses incurred during the trip. In addition, you cannot use it to pay for informal support, such as a family member or friend to drive you about.
What You Can and Cannot Claim for Travel Expenses Under the NDIS
The NDIA has strict guidelines regarding travel charges for NDIS service providers. It would be best if you met the following conditions to claim travel charges from a participant’s NDIS plan:
- To claim travel costs for the support item, you must qualify under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits
- Your claim must adhere to the pricing guidelines outlined in the guide
- You must explain to the participant why paying the trip provider is appropriate for NDIS money
- The participant must agree ahead of time for you to claim travel expenses
- The activity you claim must relate to providing specified disability support to the participant
- You can only claim travel time if you are a lone proprietor or must compensate a worker for their travel time
- They must assist in person
What factors influence NDIS transportation funding?
As stated before, the NDIS can assist with taxis, rideshares, and community transportation. But you must meet reasonable requirements to incorporate transportation financing in your strategy.
Your transportation support requirements must meet the following funding criteria:
- Is it connected to your disability?
- Is it more than a day-to-day living expense?
- Is it a good investment?
- Does it assist you in meeting your NDIS objectives or being more involved in your community?
- Is it unfair to expect your informal support network to assist?
- Is the NDIS your sole option for funding support?
How should I format my invoice to account for travel expenses?
It is imperative to present invoices correctly. This ensures the NDIS accepts and reimburses your travel expense claims on time. Your invoice must identify the following connected with each service delivery occurrence:
- Support Item
- Labour Charges
- Non-Labour Expenditures
On their invoice, providers must differentiate assistance fees from travel expenditures. In some cases, the invoice will include three distinct line items:
- The provider supplied the item of assistance
- Travel expenses for providers – labour costs (time)
- Non-labour expenditures for provider travel (e.g., cost per km, parking fees, and tolls)
What About Transport for Community Participation?
Suppose a worker accompanying a participant on a trip or transporting them from home to an activity agrees. The worker can charge their travel time hourly for the support item. However, if two or more people travel on the same trip, the worker must claim the appropriate group rate.
Accessing transportation, particularly public transportation, is frequently important to gaining independence. If one of your NDIS goals is to gain independence by travelling on your own, you may be able to access funding that best suits your needs.
Related: What Can NDIS Funding Be Used For?
If you have any questions about NDIS plan management, please call us at 1800 63 63 77 or email us at info@ndsp.com.au. Register for Plan Management Sign Uptoday!
