Changes to Support Coordination flexibility, and where to go from here
Cast your mind back to March 2020. Covid had just started rapidly spreading around the globe and no-one really knew what was happening, or what the world was going to look like moving forwards. We all took the advice of the experts and hunkered down in our homes, only venturing out for necessities or to work on the front lines.
This was a scary moment in time for everyone, but particularly terrifying for people with a disability who rely on outside supports to help them live their day to day lives. According to the Department of Health, some people with disability would be (and still are) at a greater risk of more serious illness if infected by covid, adding to the distress already rife within the disability community.
The NDIS was initially created to give people with disability a voice, and choice and control in how they live their life. It was built so that everyone can access the supports they need to live their best life and reach their goals. But what would this look like in the midst of a global pandemic?
We all breathed a collective sigh of relief when the NDIS announced a series of measures they would put in place to help make sure that people were not left alone and without help during this time.
One of the biggest changes was to bring more flexibility to participant’s core budgets, in particular by adding line items for Support Coordination into the core section of the price catalogue.
For people that desperately needed help to arrange supports in this new strange world, this addition to the price guide was a god-send.
People that didn’t have a support coordination budget included in their plan were all of a sudden able to access people that could connect them with much needed supports. Likewise, participants that already had a support coordinator but needed an increase in support hours, no longer had to worry about all of their budget being exhausted and being left with no-one to turn to for help.
This change relieved a great load of pressure from anxious participants, but also gave them a lifeline to the community in a time when we were all physically isolated from one another.
Fast forward to Thursday the 25th of February 2021, and the NDIA announced that they would be removing this option.
Support coordination line items will no longer be claimable under a participant’s Core budget.
This change was initially set to take place on 28 February 2021, giving participants only two days notice. The NDIA have now extended this to 31 March 2021. They did not acknowledge the impact this will still have on a great number of participants, stating only about the extension:
“we acknowledge that a further period of transition will assist those participants still utilising this temporary measure to better manage their supports, as COVID normal services resume”.
The extension is likely due to a wave of backlash received from those in the disability community. Sebastian Zagarella, CEO of People with Disability Australia (PWDA) has called this move “both callous and potentially harmful”, pointing out that there was not enough time to put alternative measures in place for people in need.
So…what does this mean for me?
If you have a support coordinator that helps you access and implement your supports, this may not be claimable from your plan after the 31st of March.
If a support coordination budget was included in the capacity building section of your plan, don’t worry, your support coordinator will still be covered by your plan (as long as you have enough funds remaining). However, if you have been utilising your core funding to cover support coordinator costs, you will no longer be able to continue this.
Unfortunately, in making this decision, the NDIS has taken away some of your choice and control in how you use your funding. With not a whole lot of notice, this may leave you feeling worried and anxious about how to move forward and what will happen with your supports put in place.
Ok… well what can I do?
There a number of steps you can take to make the transition easier, and help ensure your supports remain intact.
Check your plan document – if you have a specific support coordination budget you will still be able to claim from here.
Contact your Local Area Coordinator, ECEI partner or planner – if you believe you require support coordination as an ongoing part of your plan, ask for an urgent plan review to have this included. Of course, with a significant number of participants impacted by this decision, it may take some time for reviews to be able to take place.
Contact the NDIS directly on 1800 800 110 – ask them if there are any other ways you can use your funding to properly support your needs.
Contact your support coordinator – this is going to be a hard time for support coordinators too as they grapple with the change and how to best support their clients through it. They will let you know if they have put any plans in place to ensure continuation of your supports or if there is any urgent action required on your part.
Check your service agreement – discuss this with your support coordinator as well, you may have agreed to services that will no longer be covered under your plan. Make sure that if you are unable to proceed with services that you have previously agreed to, you are giving your support coordinator notice.
Document – write down why you believe support coordination is reasonable and necessary for you; how has their support impacted you, and how will they continue to assist you moving forwards? This will be helpful come review time and it’s good to take note whilst fresh in your mind.
Let the NDIS know how you feel about their decision – you can submit feedback using the NDIS contact and feedback form.
Contact an advocacy group – if you need urgent support and are not sure where else you can turn, you may be able to find an advocacy group that can help, search for one using the Disability Advocacy Finder
Get in touch with Kinora NDIS coaches - if you need help making sense of this and how to proceed, post a question in the Everything NDIS category on the forum, our coaches are here to help you.
Whether you’re a participant, a family member, or a support coordinator, the Kinora community is here to support you through this time. Let us know how you are impacted by this decision by commenting below or contributing to the thread in the community forum here.
If you’re not already a member of Kinora’s online community - it’s free to join. We are all about shared experiences, support and capacity building. With all of us focused on helping each other, our journey with the NDIS could only lead to better outcomes.
Come say hello. We’d love to meet you.