As an NDIS Participant, you’d be excused for being slightly confused by the ways and methods behind the NDIA pricing for supports. The details and even documentation is quite involved and can become overwhelming rather quickly if you’re ploughing through it all at once.
Thankfully you don’t need to be a complete expert in how NDIA pricing works, you’ve got NDSP for that. It is important however, that you understand that there is a pricing guide that exists for supports, as well as understanding what you’re funded for as part of your Plan.
To provide an overview of the system we’ll paraphrase the NDIS site …
The NDIA sets the price for some supports to make sure they provide value for money for participants.
Changes to prices are updated to respond to market trends and changes in costs and are generally identified through an Annual Price Review. The Annual Price Review is undertaken by the NDIA in the lead up to new financial year, with any new prices outlined in an updated price guide, effective 1 July each year.
If you’re super keen you can download the price guide here: https://www.ndis.gov.au/media/1455/download but be warned it goes into quite some detail.
The second part of the pricing equation is the NDIS Support Catalogue (download that here: https://www.ndis.gov.au/media/1456/download) which can be equally confusing, but should be considered hand-in-hand with the pricing guide.
Glance at the above documents and you might find yourself a little dizzy. Thankfully, this exposes yet another advantage of having a Plan Manager…
Your Plan provides you with the funding you require to obtain specific supports under specific categories. These NDIS support line items have price limits on them for the most part – although some do not. If your Plan is managed by NDSP, we’re able to do two key things around your supports (while we pay the invoices):
- A: Our system ensures your providers are paid correctly and in accordance with the NDIS / NDIA rules, so you’ll never pay too much
- B: Give you access to the broadest possible range of support providers, some of which are NOT NDIS registered, but can still fit within your budget while being paid in the same method as other, NDIS registered providers
In short, as your Plan Manager, we ensure you aren’t paying too much for supports, helping you avoid sifting through piles of documentation and information to figure it out for yourself.
We should also use this opportunity to let you know about NAPPA, our Participant Portal that allows you to log in and all Plan Managed portions of your plan of your Plan’s funds. The perfect tool for extra peace-of-mind when it comes to your Plan. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look here: https://ndsp.com.au/nappa-participant-portal/
Now, For the sake of transparency and the completeness of this article, we’d be remiss not to share some of the key updates on the pricing front from July 2019 :
- General price increases and specific increases for therapists, attendant care and community participation;
- The introduction of a Temporary Transformation Payment (TTP);
- Increases to remote and very remote loadings;
- Updates to travel, non- face-to-face services and cancellation billing policies;
- Updates to Assistive Technology and Home Modifications;
- Outcomes from the WA Market Review and Therapy Services Review.
The updated NDIS Price Guide 2019–20 is now a single national price guide. It provides information and guidance about NDIS prices and linked policy. The NDIS Price Guide 2019-20 must be used in conjunction with the NDIS Support Catalogue 2019–20 when a provider and participant discuss what can be charged, and at what price, to deliver supports. The NDIS Support Catalogue 2019-20 outlines price limits and all claimable line item numbers. Providers and participants must discuss and agree on any proposed changes to charges before they are implemented.
The increased price limits across listed supports from 1 July 2019 are:
- 5% for supports listed under Assistance with Daily Activities and Social and Community Participation. This is in response to the Fair Work Commission annual wage review decision and the Equal Remuneration Order
- 1% for capacity building supports, including support coordination and therapy. This is in line with the ABS Wage Price Index
- 3% for supports listed under Consumables, Assistive Technology and Home Modification and Specialised Disability Accommodation. This is to align with the ABS Consumer Price Index between March 2018 and March 2019.
If you’re interested in understanding more about the NDIS Pricing Guide / NDIA Pricing, here are some resources you might find helpful:
- Using the NDIS Pricing Guide: https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/working-providers/using-ndis-price-guide
- Pricing Guides and Information: https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/price-guides-and-information
Now we’ve got the ‘data’ out of the way we’d like to urge you – if you’re a Participant with NDSP, you can rest easy knowing you’re paying the appropriate amount from your budget for your supports (in line with current NDIA Pricing guides).
As Plan Managers we at NDSP are here to help you get the most out of your NDIS Plan. For more information get in touch with us via our online form or give us a call on 1800 63 63 77.
