The Impact of NDIS in 2024: Feedback from the frontline and how to prepare for 2025 - Webinar Replay
MPM Group CEO, Jane Kittel on the NDIS Legislation changes in 2024 and the path forward into 2025 and beyond
Jane Kittel, CEO of My Plan Manager Group, gave the Kinora team an extremely generous download on the NDIS changes across 2024. The rare birds-eye-view of the sector, as well as how these changes are implemented ‘on the front line’ in real time, within the day to day business operations of MPMG, highlighted how investment in safeguarding practices, data insights and customer service is helping MPMG steer the NDIS towards a sustainable and best-practice future.
Jane gave her perspective on:
Why she works in the NDIS sector
The fight against fraud and non-compliance within the sector
The promised ‘foundational supports’ and ‘Navigator’ role.
What she’d like to see the NDIA and the Government prioritise in 2025.
This webinar is a rare insight into the daily operations of one of the biggest players in the NDIS arena and a hard look at the guiding principles from the top job.
Join Kinora today and keep the conversation going within the community.
-
Kinora Article: Major NDIS Changes: What Participants and Providers Need to Know
Summary of NDIS legislation changes
NDIS Events and Information sessions
NDIA Fraud Reporting Form | NDIS
Administrative Review Tribunal (previously AAT)
Kinora article: Red Flag Behaviours Every NDIS Participant Should Know — NDIS Solutions
-
2024 NDIS in Review with Jane Kittel
Hello, everybody.
Welcome to our webinar.
We will be starting soon.
We're just going to let everybody in, just a few more folks and then we'll get started.
Great.
I think we have most people in the webinar now, so I'm going to get started.
So hello everyone.
Welcome to our webinar.
Today we will be looking back into 2024 to get an idea of how to prepare for 2025.
And with us today as we reflect on the last 12 months, Oh gosh, that went really quick is our special guest, Jane Kittle, CEO of the My Plan Manager Group.
I'm Lisa, one of the Kinora community Coaches, and I'll be hosting today's session with Erin and Yvette.
Come say, come say hello.
They're from the team of Kinora and they'll be manning the chat and collecting questions from the community and the audience.
If you're a community, if you're a Kinora community member, you would have seen us around the traps, answering questions, connecting you with solutions providers, offering good practical guidance to some of the most common NDIS issues affecting participants today.
And if you're not a Kinora member, please join.
We'd love to have you on today.
We'd love to have you on and for you to get as much NDIS help as you could get.
Today's webinar is support of our good friends at the My Plan Manager Group, the largest NDIS plan management provider in Australia.
By supporting almost 70,000 NDIS participants, My Plan Manager Group serves as a significant advocate and voice for participants and oh gosh, processing millions and millions of invoices a year plan, My Plan Manager have a unique and clear view of how the NDIA and the disability service sector are truly functioning together for better participant outcomes.
So OK, just a bit of housekeeping here before we jump in.
Now this webinar is being recorded, we will share the video replay and any resources we mentioned on the community first and but if you're not a member, don't worry and you're registered for the webinar.
We will send you the replay video and resources direct to your inbox for our live audience to access closed captioning there.
Up top is 3 dots.
Click more with the three dots at the top of your screen there and choose Language and Speech and then select Turn on Live Captions for questions or comments during our webinar.
There's a chat button at the top of your screen as well, so go ahead and click on that.
Now.
This is where you can introduce yourself, put in your questions, and add comments, but please be wary about sharing too much information about yourself for safety reasons.
Again, Erin and Yvette will be there to keep an eye anyway, we will leave about 10-15 minutes at the end to address questions, and we may not be able to get to all questions today though, but the team will be in contact in the coming days to offer you some answers.
Now, a quick background on Kinora for those who aren't members yet.
Kinora is a free, safe and supportive online community where you can get support for your NDIS questions from us coaches and our community of thousands of other NDIS participants, their families, support coordinators, and service providers who are all experts in their field and on Kinora.
We have an incredible knowledge base as well of NDIS information and free resources.
You should really check it out.
If you're not a member, you should really join.
As I've said, it's free.
Get all the NDIS resources updates into your inbox.
But honestly, the real benefit is that when you don't know where to turn for NDIS help or troubleshooting, you're going to have Kinora.
So look us up www.Kinora.com dot AU.
We'd love to have you as a member.
OK, so before we dive in, I'd like to make an acknowledgement of country in the spirit of reconciliation.
Kinora acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to the land, sea and community.
We pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
We acknowledge the culture, diversity, knowledge and experiences of First Nations people and celebrate their contributions and specifically those living with disability, their families, carers and individuals dedicating themselves to a career in supporting people with disability.
So if you're just tuning in now, welcome to our webinar.
Today we're looking back at the changes of 2024 to get an idea of what 2025 is going to look like.
And we've got, we've got here today a very special guest, Jane Kittel, the CEO of the My Plan Manager Group.
Jane, welcome to one of our Kinora webinars.
I've always wanted to have you on.
So great to have you.
Thank you, Lisa.
It's great to be here.
Good.
So you know what, I'd love to start with that really gorgeous story about my plan manager and of course your back story and how these two stories intertwine beautifully to today.
Well, thank you, Lisa.
I mean, our story goes right back to 2014 when My Plan Managers founder Claire Whitley Smith saw a need to support Australians with disability who were moving on to the NDIS for the first time and it was very much about conceptualising what plan management could be and bringing that service to life.
Claire had a background in special education and disability policy and she developed the idea of my plan manager around her kitchen table while she was working at the NDIA.
Her mission then still stands as ours today and it was really about creating an inclusive Australia where everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential.
Our values in the company are the same as well.
It's about being kind, genuine, innovative and inclusive and they drive everything that we do now.
For me, I started as CEO of my plan manager in January 2020.
From memory, I think it was about six weeks before the first national lockdown with COVID.
I'm so it was, it was a bit of a baptism by fire, but I was really brought in to lead a significant transformation of the company.
We were growing rapidly and you know, we really needed to invest substantially in our people, our processes and technology to ensure we could provide the highest level of service to our clients and really to enable us to grow sustainably.
Before joining my plan manager, I'd worked in senior leadership positions in banking and finance and insurance for over 30 years.
And I'd reached a point in my life where I really wanted to do something different.
And I wanted to work in a sector that was growing and one where I could feel that I was contributing more to society and really utilise my skills and experience in a way that, yeah, enabled me to feel as if I was making a real difference to the community.
And I can say now, looking back, it was a great decision.
Amazing.
So Jane, you were saying, what was it?
How many months before it was locked down?
Oh, it was six weeks.
Oh gosh.
And the NDIS back then, there were so many changes, remember, with like vaccines and even like access and oh, it was a crazy time for everybody.
What has changed with the as well, even with COVID over those years?
I mean, if you can, if you run through maybe actually maybe let's not go back to 2020.
Let's just go because we're here for 2024.
I got a little bit lost there with your wonderful story, but OK, so for so for 2024, let's look back.
OK, a lot of has evolved since 2020, but for this year, from your perspective with the NDIS, what were the big changes?
Oh, well, what a year it's been.
Yeah, when I, when I look back, I'm, I'm sure like me, everyone is really looking forward to a break over Christmas.
It feels like it really has been a relentless year of change.
So for me, you know, let me call out a few.
There are way more than I could talk about in the time that we've got available today.
But here's some of the memorable ones.
So we really started out the year with the introduction of PACE.
So that's the NDIS new technology platform.
And like any major technology change, you know, it's been a big change with some teething problems along the way.
So initially we saw issues for participants whose plans were moved across to PACE and some support codes weren't working, which meant claims couldn't be processed.
And we continue to see issues with provider endorsement.
For planning managers, this was especially challenging.
You know, it meant for us delays in being able to reconnect the client's plan, which is needed for us to be able to process their claims.
And for providers, I think it's also been especially challenging having to operate across both Pace and PRODA for what's now been a really extended period of time.
And you know, what we've seen is a significant number of participants plans simply being extended in Prota.
So I expect next year we'll see a large migration to pace.
So that's one of the big ones.
You know, the next one I'd call out, of course is the NDIS review recommendations and the NDIS Royal Disability Commission or the Disability Royal Commission.
I could, I should say.
Yeah, I haven't.
That was released actually about exactly a year ago now, pretty much.
That's right.
And of course, we'll see the formal response from the government I expect in the next couple of weeks.
I'm certainly that's been their commitment.
But following those announcements, what we've seen this year is being changes in the legislation being released, which is about addressing and acting on the recommendations.
So the first one was the Getting the NDRS Back on track bill #1 and I think what we've seen there is that without an updated price guide and operational guidelines being released, we've seen people's understanding of the rules being shaped by website content from the NDA planner behaviour, and also compliance action by the NDIA, which is making it difficult to navigate.
So, you know, we've seen the support list of what's in and what's out.
And, you know, for us, we've seen that having a huge impact on participants and there's still quite a bit of confusion.
You know, there's some clarity in some areas.
So for example, we know tablets are out, but there are some areas that remain ambiguous.
So for example, what constitutes adaptive clothing or a holiday package?
And of course, it extends to grey areas around STA.
You know, STA operational guidelines haven't been released yet.
And the major change in, I guess, is in line with the outlets, which states that cruises, holidays, packages, holiday packages, you know, holiday accommodation and airfares, passports, visa, you know, activities and meals included in travel, they're not covered.
So, you know, I think some of the tips and for people to ensure that they continue with their STA arrangement is make sure you get the support that's described in your plan and where possible, engage a provider that can actually provide an invoice amalgamating all costs associated with the STA.
Now that will avoid the NDA reviewing and denying claims for accommodation on the basis that they're a holiday accommodation.
There are, I guess, an FAQ that the NDIA has released and that indicates that you cannot claim for food or activities if STA isn't delivered in a group or centre setting.
So just some things I guess for people to remember.
Yeah, that's a lot to know though.
Actually it is, it is.
Look, another big one's been the fight against fraud and non compliance.
So we've seen a significant ramp up against fraud and non compliance, which I think's really important and was well needed.
Just this week in fact, we saw the government announce another $110 million investment in the fight against fraud in the NDIS.
And, and part of that, I guess fight against fraud has introduced delays on some payments for participants and that enables the NDIA to evaluate them for compliance and fraud cheques.
But I know that provides a lot of challenges for people.
You know, the minister called out in his press release this week announcing that extra investment that over 2100 providers have been investigated with problematic claiming behaviours and many of those now are subject to historic audits or criminal prosecutions.
And I guess we've seen a lot in the paper about that.
Yes, yes, there's been a lot in the paper and and the ABC actually.
So you've actually raised a really good point.
Yeah.
So have you received a lot of calls from participants and providers that are, you know, maybe stopped by some of those payments?
Yeah, we, we certainly have seen calls from people and you know, it's very frustrating, I know for providers as well.
I think maybe just to give everyone some context, you know, we represent one in 10 indoors participants as their plan manager.
So that means we're working as you said at the start with nearly 70,000 participants and in the last 12 months we processed a total of 4.8 million claims totalling $3.2 billion.
So you know, we're seeing a a lot of activity.
Just in the month of November, we handled about 35,000 calls talking with both participants and providers.
And I think in general the sentiment we've heard from participants is their anxiety and over plan funding and the changes that are being introduced.
So people are really concerned about their needs not being met and their funding being reduced
And I think there's also confusion and frustration from changes to the support list and what is or isn't supported anymore.
Absolutely, yes.
But from a business perspective, though, some of the things that you talked about just now, how did that impact my plan manager group?
Yeah.
Look, I, I think for me, I really see the job of MPMP, of MPM as being the uncomplicated for participants and providers and that's about helping them navigate the scheme.
As I've said, it's been a really challenging year.
And you know, we also have been navigating the lack of clarity and certainty.
In many ways, we are the NDI as frontline.
You know, the NDI makes an announcement about something and then we need to implement it and explain it to the participants we work with.
Our process need to change.
And yet, you know, we also bear the risk.
So with payment holds, you know, plan managers now potentially run the risk of being held responsible for payments that were paid in the past but then rejected by the NDA later.
And holding, as I've said, holding payments is frustrated everyone.
For providers, it impacts their cash flow.
And if they don't get paid, it adds anxiety to participants who worry about these services being stopped.
And so, you know, I guess they're just some of the business challenges.
But like other providers, we're also having to deal with both PACE and Prada systems.
And that's made investment, you know, added investment to be able to connect into both of those systems.
So just for clarity, Jane, you know, what were the changes from before how payments were processed to now?
Like how has it Yeah, been impacted?
Really.
Yeah.
Look, essentially, yeah, every day and certainly each month, the NDIA has a compliance team and they have a number of different teams, but a compliance and fraud team who sample, they select payments, and they sample those payments for fraud and compliance cheques.
And when they select those samples, that means they hold the payments.
And those payments could be held anywhere from, you know, sort of three days to, you know, potentially weeks if there's more investigation that needs to be undertaken.
And so they'll reach out to us as the plan manager and request copies of invoices.
They may reach out to service providers directly to request more information and evidence.
So that might be, you know, rosters, it might be other evidence about the supports that have been provided.
Yeah.
So that's, that's essentially what's happening when payments are held.
And then we'll get notification to advise us whether a payment has been approved.
You know, and, and pass those cheques or in fact, whether the payment has not been substantiated and the NDA will then cancel those claims.
And obviously, you know, we then need to communicate that to our participants and providers.
Oh, gosh.
And then what happens with the participant, the provider?
Yeah.
What's that conversation like?
Well, it's very challenging on many occasions.
Yeah.
So it's, it can be quite difficult and, and we've certainly seen for our people taking those calls and talking to participants, you know, that's a very challenging conversation to have.
And, and obviously we're trying to help and trying to support people, you know, through this and as I said, to navigate their way through, but sometimes it's difficult.
So trying to inform people and, and I guess what I always say is if, if a participant's not sure, then always give us a ring or give the NDIA a ring to clarify before they actually utilise the service.
You know, it takes a lot of the anxiety out of it, you know, sort of post.
Yeah.
So, OK, so just just heading back to, you know, also just some of the other things you've talked about.
So there was pace there was getting the NDIS back on track, build SDA.
There's been a lot of changes, of course.
And we just talked a little bit about holding payments.
You've covered the inclusion exclusion list, which is really hot right now because it was just released maybe a month ago, right.
But actually one of the things, and I actually think this was a real big shock for me for 2024 was really when we got the news that Bill Shorten had resigned.
I wanted to get your perspective on how that rang for you.
Yeah, well, I think it was unexpected for everyone, really.
So, you know, it was a bit of a shock.
And I think, you know, when I think about Minister Shorten, you know, he's obviously been a champion for people with disability, you know, for a long time.
And, you know, that I think that's been something that everyone has recognised.
But I think what I've also seen this year is that changing and, and, you know, improving the NDIS is a big challenge.
You know, I think most people would say everyone wanted to see the NDIS simplified, you know, and made simpler.
But, you know, hand on hand, I can't say that the changes that have been made to date are making it simpler.
You know, it's, it's, it's making it more complex in many ways.
Now maybe that's a transition, you know, thing and and that over time it will be become more simpler, but right now it's certainly more complicated.
Yes, absolutely.
Even with the inclusions and exclusions list, the supports list I'm talking about, of course it's supposed to make it simpler, but in fact, it's two different lists.
It's, it's supposed to clarify grey areas, but actually it's, well, it actually firstly, as you had said before, it creates anxiety.
But you know, it's, you know, where, where has reasonable and necessary gone?
Yeah, well, you know, look, it's, it's a real challenge, I think for people.
It, it comes to, you know, what's in your plan and what's been written into your plan.
And, and that is different depending on whether it's a pro to plan still or a pace plan.That's additional complexity right there too.
You've got new and old plans, you know, for people to to navigate through.
So, yeah.
And, you know, reasonable and necessary.
It's never been a plan managers decision or determination of what's reasonable and necessary.
You know, that's very much, you know, the being written into legislation that, you know, it's more about provided it was reasonable and necessary to negate the impact of your disability.
Yeah.
So, you know, there's, there's a lot to unravel yet and, and the support in and out list is only a temporary 1.
So, you know, we expect that that will be updated and post, you know, further legislation.
And this is really, once again, as I said, a transition period for people.
Yes.
And, and the price guide as well too.
I'm sure that we'll need a lot of updating and rethinking and harmonizing all those different documents, Yes.
And I guess also we know that there's consultation that's been happening with the pricing authority that has been assigned to conduct a review such that it may not be the NDIA who are responsible for the pricing of NDIS supports in the future.
You know, that's one of the questions that's being reviewed at the moment.
So, yeah, you know, we'll look forward like everyone to having some clarity and certainly on how that looks going forward.
You know, I know that this year I think it's been a real challenge for support coordinators to have not received an increase in, you know, their pricing.
And that's meant that a number of support coordinators, you know, have actually gone out of business.
And for participants, that's meant, you know, that the support coordinators that they may have been working with, they've had to identify and find somebody else.
So, yeah, there are, you know, there are big changes happening across the scheme.
And so with the all the calls you're getting, I'm sure a lot of your team are having to not just interpret, I guess, you know, this, this whole period now with what's in, what's out.
How are you guys dealing with that?
We're certainly dealing with it the best we can.
You know, we're talking with the NDIA all the time.
We attend all of the different webinars that the NDIA run so that we can gather all of this information and interpret it.
You know, we spend a lot of time training our our people and giving them the information that they need so that we can do the best that we can for participants.
But, you know, sometimes it can be challenging.
I know I was corresponding with a provider, you know, just this week who escalated a matter because they were frustrated.
They, you know, couldn't get a support funded.
Now in that instance, we needed to go to the planner to actually get a determination.
And part of the reason why it's important to do that is that we want to protect the client so that they don't actually have a support and have it, you know, sort of paid.
I need to have it cancelled by the NDI at a later time.
So it's not easy, but, you know, we're certainly working with our people all the time to give them the the latest information so that they can support our clients.
And so in terms of, you know, it's it's in terms of some of the good things that actually happened this year.
What are some of those?
And sometimes you can get caught up in talking about all the challenges, but there, there definitely have been some good things.
So, you know, a couple that I'll call out, firstly, I think is the focus on scheme sustainability and client safeguarding.
I mean, to me these are both critical.
The sustainability of the scheme, you know, for everybody, that's vitally important.
The second one around client safeguarding, you know, is also critical and obviously there's been a focus on waiting out the bad guys.
And for me, cracking down on fraud and sharp practises by providers who are doing the wrong thing and identifying providers who are not providing the right levels of support, you know, is I think that's been a really good thing for this game and we're really aligned with that focus.
And you know, I think the listeners today, they may be interested to hear some of the stats from an organisation like ourselves.
So in the 12 months to September of this year and we've protected participant funding through our technology platform that you know we spent a number of years developing and we have a number of payment integrity cheques that that platform performs.
And that's where I stopped believe it or not 326,000 non compliant claims this year and those claims totaled $398 million.
Now that's an average of 33 million a month.
Now those claims were stopped because they were either over the NDA price guard, they would duplicate claims, you know duplicate claims.
You would be amazed.
They are a significant issue and also we support our clients ability to intervene as part of their budget management.
So a client may well have advised us that services weren't provided and we're able to stop those claims from going through.
So we're very aligned to that.
I think the the strengthening of the quality and Safeguards Commission is another really good point.
So putting more resources into the NDIA and into the Quality and Safeguards Commission has been very positive.
And I'm hoping that, you know, the NDA's getting the the, or getting the NDA's back on track.
Bill #2 when that comes out, its focus is going to be on strengthening further the the Quality and Safeguards Commission.
And that can only be a good thing for everybody.
Oh, absolutely.
So in terms of how you guys have been involved with maybe even advising the NDA with some of the things that you've seen, you know, with all that data you have and what you just talked about there.
Yeah.
Sharis, give us a little bit of a perspective of how that's been.
We've certainly been working closely with the NDIA and the Fraud Fusion Task Force.
So you know our we've invested significantly in fraud cheques and actually automating that.
So we look at a range of data points and it's those insights that we've been able to share with the NDIA to help them in understanding because the NDIA aren't seeing services from all providers at the level of detail we are.
So they see registered providers, but they don't see in detail the non registered provider claims.
So we're able to, you know, sort of provide them insights into behaviours that we're seeing.
And I, I think it's important to point out that, you know, we're not seeing a significant difference in behaviour in either of those groups.
You know, we're seeing fraud and non compliance, whether it be, you know, deliberate non compliance or not, we're seeing that present across both groups of providers.
And, you know, so working with providers, but working with the NDIA and sharing, you know, that understanding and the work that we're doing.
And, you know, right now we're really focused on sharp practises and what we can do to, you know, better inform.
So if you can imagine, you know, we're dealing with something like 85,000 providers and we're able to understand, let's say it's a, a provider in the gardening sector.
You know, we're able to see how many hours service each of those providers providing to a participant each week and you can see the outliers.
And that enables you then to maybe focus and do some further investigation in particular areas to ensure ultimately that we're protecting clients.
And you know, we know that a lot of our clients are, are more vulnerable and, you know, may not realise if a, if a provider is potentially charging them for more hours service than they're actually provided.
Right, right.
And I'm sorry, Jane, you, you mentioned it.
What is that called?
Shark practices.
Shark.
And one example is where a provider's providing service, let's say they provide 3 hours of service a week, but they're actually charging for six.
That's an example of what a sharp practise is, right, Right.
And so they're anticipating that possibly the participant won't look at the invoice or, you know, identify it.
And so this is where for example, with plan management, especially with my plan manager, the participant is empowered to were asked to approve the invoice.
Is that right?
Yes, yeah, that's right.
I mean, sharp practises can also like an example could be where a provider's providing, you know, let's say overnight services and providing that at a certain type or rate when it's actually not needed by the participant.
So that's another example of sharp practises, yes.
Yeah, but no.
But what I mean to say, I apologise.
My question is more that from a plan manager perspective, what you guys do by plan manager when you notice something like that, I guess there's a couple of gatekeepers in some sense, isn't it?
So the participant, if they're able to see the invoice or they haven't been, they haven't seen it in the first place, they got sent over to the the plan manager without them viewing it.
There is a mechanism for them to stop it with you guys.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
So participants can choose to, you know, so for example, they'll get a text message from us to say that we've received an invoice and it gives them details of the provider.
They can have a look.
They can then have time to have a look at that invoice and come back to us and confirm that they're, you know, approving for it to be paid or or not.
And so that's part of the claims that we've stopped is where participants have said, hang on a minute, the provider didn't provide that service.
And sometimes it can be quite innocent in that a provider might have a regular billing schedule set up for a participant who goes and sees them, you know, once a week.
But maybe the participant was away and didn't come that week, but their automatic billing continued.
So it can be as simple as that, where it's not necessarily being done on purpose, but it it enables us to pick up those sorts of issues.
That's good.
That's good.
So this is some of the technologies that you guys have built in my plan manager.
Have there been any, does your technology help with even identifying invoices and stopping them before they even get to the participant?
Like, is there a time when you would question an invoice before it reaches the purchase's approval?
Oh, for sure.
Yeah.
So a duplicate invoices and a classic example.
And as I said, we do get a lot of duplicate invoices coming through.
And that may be a duplicate that is a pure duplicate.
I it's just a replica.
But it might also be that a provider on one invoice claimed for services delivered on the, let's say the 30th of September and on another invoice with a different invoice number, they also claim for services delivered on the 30th of September with the same support code.
So we're we're picking up all of that information with the technology that we've developed.
You know, I think it's really amazing how, you know, trust and safety is something that is very top of mind for anybody that's, you know, online at all, right, with the recent even passing the social media stuff like, you know, cybersecurity, all that stuff, usage of social media, as I just said.
And now here we're talking about trust and safety in the NDIS and the investment you guys have made in my plan manager and, and this, you know, all together is all part of that huge investment into, you know, cracking down on fraud.
So it's yeah, I think sure.
And, you know, voluntarily we have a team which is a quality risk and compliance team and they're dedicated to to, you know, sort of working in this space all the time.
And voluntarily, one of the things that we've done is become accredited in external standards.
So for those that maybe know ISO 27,000 and one which is an information security management standard and also ISO 9001 which is a quality management standard.
So they're things that we've done ourselves.
We're not required to, but we feel that it's really important to be able to demonstrate the, you know, investment that we're making and the quality of the processes that we're undertaking.
So they're international standards and we're we're audited externally against those standards.
Amazing, very good.
Thank you for that.
Now I think in terms of, of all this change, what can we, what do you think we could look forward to in 2025?
Wow.
For 2025, you know, I think there's, there's been a lot of change and the reality is there's going to be more to come in 2025.
So, you know, we, we are going to see the release of the NDIS, you know, getting, getting the NDS back on track bill #2 and the quality and safeguard changes.
I think we'll also see, you know, obviously the election, the federal election will occur.
You know, when next year is, is a question still.
But, you know, there's definitely going to be an election.
And once the election's called, the government goes into what's known as caretaker mode.
And, you know, I expect them for probably six months, there won't be a lot of change in legislation.
So would that be, would that be a relief though, Really, what do you think?
I think it will be, I think it will be for sure as long as we can get clarity, you know, on some of the areas that are, are still uncertain.
Yeah.
So that's some of what's to come in 2025.
And you know, I guess there's, there's also information around foundational supports that state governments are working on.
And whilst I expect we'll probably learn more about that, I think the changes with foundational supports is still quite some way off.
So yeah, I think that's sort of still to come, but but that'll certainly be an area of focus.
Yeah, yeah, maybe tell us a little bit about how, you know, you guys at MPM are involved with some of these, you know, maybe submissions or even influencing the state level and their foundation support.
Yeah.
How are you engaged with the government on these key topics?
Yeah, so I, I certainly spend quite a bit of time engaging with, you know, both the regulators, but also government, both state and federal.
So, you know, I recently wrote to all of the ministers and shadow ministers at a state level and I've been meeting with some of them, you know, so where, where they're open to to catching up.
You know, it's about sharing some of the insights that that we have, especially for the states as they prefer prepare for foundational supports because most of the states, you know, really effectively walked away from providing disability services.
They're now having to work through a process of, you know, setting that back up again.
And we can give them insights into, you know, at a state level, what are the foundational supports been looking like over the last, you know, nearly 10 years.
So helping them as they prepare.
So that's some of the way we do it.
But also, you know, in, in trying to understand what they might be thinking and, and you know, frankly how we can also be of support.
So that's something that we're really focused on.
Yeah.
And what would you say for 2025?
What are some goals that you would or objectives you'd like to, you know, see from the NDIA?
Well #1 I'd definitely like to see the transition from product to pace ramping up.
So, you know, I don't think we, I don't think we can go for another.
You know, sort of two years for example.
I really hope that they're able to ramp up that change.
I would like to see also an improvement in service standards and some more consistency in service standards from the NDA.
So we've definitely seen participants and clients impacted as the NDA have struggled to cope with some of the volumes.
And I think we have seen in the last quarter some improvements.
So I really hope that that continues into 2025.
And of course, you know, as much clarity as we can get on the legislative change.
And so that means, you know, moving from the transition period of an interim support list of what's in and out to actually getting, you know, some clarity on what's the permanent go forward position look like.
Of course, there'll always be updates, but at least if we can get some of those grey areas clarified, I think that will be really important.
And, you know, that's going to be everything from eligibility assessments.
Oh, goodness, yeah.
You know, there's just so many things really in that space.
But yeah, as much clarity and certainty as as we can get would be very helpful and understanding, you know, what the federal government under the scheme will fund versus what is a mainstream, you know, sort of requirement for people to manage themselves.
This is what's going to be supported by the state governments and and when that will be because of course, there's also the navigator role.
Well, I was, this was going to bring up exactly.
We didn't bring that up.
Yes, exactly.
So what what is your perspective on that?
Yes, well, it's it's a very big change.
And I do think that it's going to take, you know, really some years to work through.
I know, you know, there there's certainly been once again consultation underway in relation to the navigator role.
Initially the concept that's been put forward is that there will be navigators locally positioned all around Australia.
And I think that's a, you know, that's a wonderful concept and to to have to have people in the community being able to help people living with disability and, and navigating the scheme and, and getting connected with providers.
But I just think that the reality is there are not enough people with the right skills in those locations for that model to be able to work effectively.
And I think that's why we sort of ended up with the model that we have today.
So I hope through the consultation process and as the MDIA, you know, sort of works through what this could be and the government that, you know, those sorts of issues are taken into consideration in what that model ultimately ends up being.
No good.
Thank you.
And actually one thing I forgot as well too, that this year was announced, which I thought was a real Stinger as well, is what was impairment notices and what that's going to look like in the new year.
And when you say impairment notices, you mean debt?
No, no, as in I think as part of their plan their impairment is going to be identified.
OK, OK.
Yeah, sorry.
Yeah.
Now I probably am not across the detail of that as much, but yeah, I think that's very much about trying to drive some consistency across the scheme in terms of eligibility and then what your funding package might look like.
Yes, I think so.
Yeah.
Because, you know, in the past it had the list A&B, Yep, for eligibility and all that.
So yes, now so all of this in the transition period effects participants, but also providers as well.
So you know, we do have some providers in the audience, you know, what are some, you know, maybe encouragements for them into the new year as well, which you have there for them.
Yeah.
So for providers, I think, you know, I would, I would really encourage them to be, you know, sort of considering the services that they provide and making sure they're across what the changes could look like.
And how they can, you know, potentially either capitalise on the strengths that they have in their business, but also look for the opportunities where they may be able to diversify their services.
And so, you know, I think that's really important, but also ensuring that they are investing, you know, wherever they can.
And I know that's not always easy, but investing wherever they can in driving efficiencies in administrative processes.
So you know, wherever they can, like invoicing is a key one, for example.
So driving improvements in in the way that they do that such that it becomes efficient for them yeah, in, you know in any way they can.
I think that's important and and I think you know where the NDIS is going is it's it's increasing its expectations on providers around government.
Yes, absolutely.
And client safeguarding, you know when obviously registration is being looked at I'm.
So I think getting ready and getting your business as ready for that now as you can, such that, you know, don't wait for this change to come because like we saw with the last piece of legislation as a plan manager, we had 30 days to comply.
Yeah.
So getting prepared as you can, I think we'll place you in much better stead for next year.
Absolutely good advice.
Yeah.
And absolutely being aware the fact that there is a massive focus on safeguards.
I mean, you know, really look at the best practise now, right, And start doing it, you know, get yourself organised and operationally ready for that.
So, all right, well, we're at the time where I think we can take some questions from the audience now.
So Yvette, Erin, do you want to hop on and give us some of the questions that may have come to the community or the chat?
Sure thing.
Now we haven't actually had any questions in the chat.
And I think that's because everyone's just been so focused on what you've been saying, Jane.
I think speaking for myself at least, it's been great to hear your perspective.
As you said, one in 10 participants you represent.
So it's clear you've got such a good overview of everything that's been going on.
We did have some questions pre submitted, so I'll just run through a couple of those now with Yvette and anyone that's here Live Today.
If you do have questions while we're chatting, just pop them into the chat there.
Anything that you'd like to get Jane's perspective on and we'll we'll get to those in just a moment.
Now the first question was from a mum who's adult son is actually self managed.
They're a community member.
You did briefly talk about the changes to STA little earlier and they've been using STA.
He's been getting great results, going to, you know, specific accommodation where they've developed, you know, all of these things for him and he's doing great.
But now with these new changes, it seems like that's going to change, is not going to be able to go there because it's not a group or centre based place.
Just wondering.
They've asked what they can do to keep this arrangement going.
It sounds like they're really distressed and feel like the choice and control is being stripped away.
How would you?
Yeah, what what advice would you give to them, Jane?
Yeah, look at.
So it's really challenging, I think for so many people in this area.
The the first thing I think is making sure that the the plan is set up in a way that it outlines what support can be provided and how that can be provided.
And that, you know, obviously needs to be aligned to the needs of the individual.
So I think, you know, at any point in time where that plan needs to be reviewed, you know, really make sure that that's a focus and that you've got the evidence, you know, from specialists and, and others as needed to support that one on one level of support as opposed to, you know, sort of group or centre based support.
So making sure it's set up in the plan would be #1 for me and you know, sort of then really it's about making sure, and I know you, you know, where you've already got a provider you may not want to change, but maybe it's also talking to that provider about how they're invoicing.
So as I said earlier, if if a provider can produce an invoice that amalgamates, you know, all costs associated with the STA, then the NDIA is much less likely to deny those claims as we're seeing them deny individual claims where maybe just accommodation is put forward and the NDA will look at that and see that as potentially holiday as opposed to actually being STA.
So, yeah, I think if we can get the invoice amalgamated to provide, you know, sort of a view of the total support and you know that that is coming really as a package, I think that's really important.
And you know, I would say make sure you're looking at the NDIS FAQs around this and the guidance that they're providing.
Great, perfect tips.
Thanks so much, Jane.
I think I had a question from a provider as well, if you want to jump in a bit.
I do.
Thank you so much for being here today Jane, and sharing your insights.
I've got a question from Christy, who's a provider of an autism specific parenting programme.
She'd like to know your take on parent and carer training moving forward as parenting programmes and now on the out support list, disability specific training in this regard.
Would that have a be part of the inclusion list or or what?
What's your take on that?
Yeah, my understanding is that these types of supports are still accessible to people.
The in the in list, if you like, indicates that supports that provide training and development activities for participants or carers to increase ability to live as independently as possible, you know are are covered.
So I think it does get to a broader point that I'd like to make and that is that don't read the out list in isolation.
You've got to you've got to read both together because there are many items described generally in the out list that have similar items on the in list.
So for example, car insurance is out, but additional vehicle insurance premium cost as a direct result of the modification that's been needed are in.
So yeah, I really encourage people to read both and together.
Don't read them in isolation and in specific context to their particular situation.
For sure.
Great.
Absolutely, Jane.
Erin, you've got another one.
Yeah, it might jump to some questions here in the chat now.
Now, these might be a bit tricky to answer on the spot, Jane.
So if there's anything that's a bit too specific, just everybody know that we'll get back to you afterwards with some, you know, further information.
But we've got Pamela asking if you've heard anything about changes to travel charges for allied health providers and cancellation charges under a capacity building.
They've been hearing mixed things from different plan managers.
Are you aware of any changes that have happened around that space?
I'm not specifically aware of any changes, no.
Yeah, I'm, I'm sure if I ask my team, they'll they'll be.
I'm just telling some new parts to me from.
I was gonna say some people are online, so I'm just gonna put some information into the chat in regards to your trouble.
So thank you.
Perfect.
Thank you, Yvette.
This one isn't a question, but just a comment that I'll read out, Jane, because it's a really great one from Glenn saying they just want to say thank you so much to all MPM agents for helping cut through misinformed, inexperienced NDIA reps So that's good.
Thank you, the feedback for MPM.
We try our best.
We don't always get it right, but we try our best.
Always happy to take any, you know, any contact from anyone where it's needed as well.
Well, but you know, yeah, actually, Jane, you mentioned something to us about like, you know, you've been given before where you were given information about a particular legislation change and you guys worked so hard to understand it even before even the NDIA had even, you know, got to understand their own legislation.
Tell us a little bit about that.
I mean, yeah, we're always looking at the legislation.
And, you know, I'm very fortunate in our team.
We've got some very experienced people and people that have been working in disability, you know, way longer than I have.
And so, you know, they're able to and sort of work with their knowledge and also, you know, we use external, external lawyers where we need to, to interpret the legislation.
And unfortunately sometimes that's what you have to do.
And yeah, I guess like any organisation, the NDIA is a large organisation and they're doing their best to get everyone up to speed.
But the reality is in large organisations, sometimes it takes time for communication to philtre through.
And yeah, so often we find ourselves in a position where we can clarify something that maybe the NDIA person that you're speaking to doesn't have rights.
So I guess my encouragement to everyone is always to be respectful, but if you're not getting the answer that you believe is appropriate or, you know, or right, then, you know, sort of persevere and and escalate that to ensure that you're getting the right advice.
Yeah.
So, you know, I guess sometimes it's a bit like when you go to the doctor, a second opinion is always a good thing.
Yeah.
Just on that one.
There's been a comment or a question put in.
Sorry, there's a few specific questions, so we might have to get back to a few of you with more information about those, but this one sort of relates to what you were saying there.
They've asked if there's a register type thing, this is from Diane, to show which plan manager would be best suited to their particular needs or any plan managers with red flags.
So I guess, Jane, the question would be, you know, what is a good thing for people to look out for in a plan manager?
What does MPM do well that, you know, people should come to MPM for?
Yeah, sure.
So there's 2IN different areas.
I guess I'd like to speak to you, but to go to the sort of last part of your question first, Erin, certainly from an MPM perspective, you know, what we do really well is, as I said at the start, I'm complicating the experience for participants.
So helping navigate the scheme, I'm keeping them informed of changes that are happening in the scheme, you know, and being that expert to, you know, be able to provide those insights and, and guidance.
It's also the, you know, frankly, the innovation and technology investment that we've made that enables us to safeguard their funding and to really, you know, frankly be paying invoices, you know, in, in as quick a time as possible, but with all the right cheques and balances undertaken.
So, you know, our service standards at the moment are sitting at about a day and a half.
So the majority of invoices provided they made all of the compliance requirements, you know, we're able to process those and have the payment to the provider in a day and a half.
Now there will be some that require investigation and they're the exceptions and our exceptions that we, you know, spend time reviewing, you know, they're, they're currently at about 20% of our total volume.
So the vast majority are going through in that day and a half.
So for me it's about the level of service, the level of knowledge and the fast service standards that we can provide.
The other thing that I would say is that the NDIA now and planners are also providing lists of preferred plan managers.
So you know, when you're going for a new plan, they may well show you that.
And I know as we go forward, the NDIA will be focused on that even more.
You know, I think for them it's challenging dealing with a large sector.
You know, there's over 1400 plan managers in the country.
So, you know, I know as we go forward, they're really looking for how they can deal with, you know, sort of a fewer number of providers that they know are meeting all of the, you know, requirements that that they need.
Amazing.
Thank you, Jane.
Just a slight sidestep to the idea of the stated supports within pace plans and the original question was posed in terms of a prediction of what you think the proportion of new plans will have stated supports in it.
Perhaps more insight from you could be the prevalence of stated supports that you're seeing within plans and and your comment on the pros and cons of that situation.
Yeah.
So you know, sort of going from memory and talking with my team about this, I would say in paste plans that are being set up, we are certainly seeing the majority with stated supports in them.
That is a feature and I think the NDIA are doing that so that there is more clarity on what is funded and how much, you know funding is put aside for that particular support.
So I think, you know, my message to people would be we expect to see more of that rather than less as we go forward.
I think on the one hand, it's great in terms of providing that clarity and you know, sort of the the amount of money that can be invested in that type of support.
On the other hand, you know, another way of looking at it is to potentially say maybe it takes away some of the flexibility that has been in funding and the way that participants have been able to use that funding, you know, in the past.
But I would really encourage participants as they are getting a new plan to make sure that, you know, all of their supports are covered in the plan.
You know, and that's about even when we're talking about STA, you know, if, if you need STA one on one support, let's make sure that when we're getting the plan set up that we're getting that stated.
I think we have time for maybe one more question.
Erin, did you want to grab one from the chat?
Well, there's actually quite a lot if we can fit in two.
We'll try Erin, trying to go through ones that might be a bit easier for you to answer here, Jane, because there is some specific ones.
We do have a question about the endorsement process.
You did mention that earlier, so I'll go with this one.
Emma has asked how this can be a potential barrier to participants, especially those who struggle to understand and communicate with people.
You know, needing to sit and call the Commission can take too much time for them and can be confronting.
Could there be another way for them to indicate endorsement?
Are you aware of any other ways that they can go through that process?
Yes, there have been some changes over the last 12 months where a participant can go into their mygov, you know, through mygov, go into the app and actually do the endorsement online.
And so you know, for for potential clients of MPM, our team will always help you know a a prospective client or participant work through that process.
Now, if they do have time and if at the end of the day, it requires a call to the NDIA, so it's the NDIA that you call, not the Commission, but the NDIA.
You know, we'll also stay on the line if we need to, to help, you know, work through that process.
But yeah, there has been a change enabling people to do it online, you know, which is quicker for everybody.
Good.
OK.
So the last question has go ahead.
Just while, just while we've got you here, it's probably one of the more recent changes and it's probably still a little bit contentious in the media at the moment and amongst the participants community.
In terms of your thoughts on art and music therapy modifications in terms of eligibility and payments, what are your thoughts on that?
Look, the big challenge I'm seeing publicity over the last week or so is that music and art therapy is now no longer seen, you know, as a therapy.
And whilst it can be funded under, you know, community participation, the funding, you know, or the price that can be charged is very different in those two categories.
And so we've seen a lot of focus from providers and people who are utilising on those services, especially for children highlight this.
And, you know, I'm very disappointed, which I totally understand.
I mean, personally, I can see a lot of value for people in both music and art therapy where, you know, where it's going to meet a particular need that they have.
And, you know, there are obviously benefits that have been shown.
So I know in South Australia, I, I, you know, sort of only heard the sort of last bit of a conversation on the radio where the state government is actually meeting, you know, sort of part of that payment differentiation if you like, over December, January, whilst they look at what they can do on the longer term basis.
But yeah, look, I, I won't be surprised with some of these things if the government actually makes some changes.
As I said, some of these changes are on a transition basis and we've seen before where, you know, a decision made at one point has been reversed because either, you know, a mistake was made or it was found not to be the right decision.
And this is one of those ones where I won't be surprised if it changes as we go forward.
I hope it does.
But in the meantime, you know, I really understand that it's places everyone in a very difficult position.
Great, thank you so much.
Thank you, Jane.
Thank you so much Jane for being here.
I think we're at the end of our webinar, everybody.
That was an incredible 1 hour that went very quickly
And so our team will go through and try and address every question that's still remaining and make contact.
But guys, you know, the conversation doesn't have to end here.
Sign up to Kinora and continue with your questions and share experiences.
Another really great thing is that Kinora is closely linked with My plan manager and we have the wonderful benefit of also accessing the expertise of some of the my plan manager experts that Jane has spoke about in both safeguarding but also interpretation price guide and everything.
And you might have seen that in some of the videos that we've already put up in YouTube, for example.
Jane, thank you so much again for joining us.
Your insights and he's dropped out here.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for joining us.
And your insights have been incredibly valuable being both a major layer in the disability space, but also your close engagement with the NGA and government as well.
So that was really clear perspective that you go.
So thank you so much.
Thank you everyone for being in our for our last coming to our last webinar for 2024
We'll be sending this out on email.
As we had said before, next year.
We've got a lot of new content and webinars that are related to the changes.
In fact, especially with with some of the stuff that we talked about today with funding and budgets, budget management.
So stay tuned.
I know SDA is a very hot topic.
As for the chat, I'm Lisa.
Thank you Jane again, so much.
Want to stay ahead of all of the NDIS updates?
