There’s a lot to understand about the NDIA, and all the terminology does not make it any easier. Even the ‘simplified’ versions are enough to make your head spin. Many people get confused when the NDIA tells them they’re getting a ‘plan extension’ or ‘plan variation’. We hope the following will help explain it a bit better!
Your NDIS Plan
If you’re an NDIS participant, that means that you have a plan or will get one shortly. Your plan tells you what you’ve been funded for, and for how much. Your plan shows you:
- A start date. Any services you get from that date to when your plan ends, come out of this plan. Services you receive before that date come out of a different plan (if you have one).
- An end date. Also called “plan reassessment date” or “plan review due date”. This is the date that the NDIS expects your plan to last to. They’ve given you enough funding for what they think you need during this time. The NDIS must decide whether they need to issue a new plan before this date.
So what happens when the ‘end date’ comes up?
A new plan
The NDIS can issue you a new plan at any time. This happens when:
- Your plan no longer suits your needs. You may have told the NDIS that your circumstances have changed. The NDIS can also decide to issue you a new plan, if they think you need one.
- A review has been done by the NDIA. They will usually ask you to submit reports and other evidence, to show what supports you need. The new plan will be based on that information.
- Sometimes you can get a ‘new’ plan which is almost the same as your old one. This used to be called a ‘rollover’. This could happen if:
- Your plan still meets your needs, but the NDIS needs to move you from their old computer system to the new one.
- You have a plan in the old computer system and need to change something about your plan. For example, your support coordination funding is agency managed, but you need it plan managed.
- Your funding has run out, and the NDIA is still finishing their review. They may give you a ‘new’ plan (rollover) so you’ve got funds while they finish the review.
Important things to note for new plans
- When you get a new plan, it will have new start and end dates. Your old plan now finishes the day before your new plan started.
- Your supports are claimed based on the date they were provided (not the date of the invoice). The date you received the service determines which plan it is drawn from. You can’t use ‘leftover’ funding in your old plan, unless it’s to claim for supports already received.
- New plans may change what you can spend your funding on. Make sure to discuss what supports you are using with your planner during the review. Check your plan carefully to make sure the same supports are still covered. If there is an error, contact the NDIS straight away.
- If you need help preparing for a new plan, see our blog post on Getting Ready for a New Plan.
Example
Your current plan start date is 11th September and the ‘end’ date is 10th September. You are issued a new plan with a start date of 5th August, and an ‘end date’ of 5th August.
Your old plan has now finished on 4th August – the day before your new plan started.
You had a therapy appointment on 5th August. When that invoice comes in, that appointment is claimed from your new plan.
You had been seeing a podiatrist from your old plan. Your new plan has ‘stated’ therapy funding for physiotherapy and occupational therapy. This means you can’t use your new plan for the podiatrist.
A plan extension
Plan extensions are there to make sure you can keep using your supports. The NDIA will issue an extension for any of the following:
- Your current plan still meets your needs, and no changes need to be made. They will usually let you know about this roughly three months before your plan end date. If you haven’t heard anything, you can get in touch with them to ask if you will have a plan extension.
- Your needs are being reassessed, but the review hasn’t been completed yet. An extension means you can keep using your supports while you are waiting.
- Your plan reassessment date has arrived, but the NDIA has not decided whether to review it or not. In this case, plans are automatically extended so you can keep receiving supports.
Important things to note for plan extensions
- Your plan is still the same and has the same start date. The end date changes, but the types of supports you can use don’t change (unless legislation has changed in the meantime).
- The NDIA can only extend a plan by 12 months at the most, even if your plan was longer. If your plan was shorter, they can extend it by the same amount of time as your plan, or a different amount. They can choose the time they will extend it (up to 12 months).
- You will have funding added to your plan. This will be a pro-rata amount for the time they are extending it by. If they are extending it by 1 year, they will add in almost one year’s worth of extra funding. They never give you the exact amount, it’s always a little bit less. The pro-rata amount is based on your original plan funding.
- You keep any funding left in your plan at the time it’s extended. You don’t lose the funding you didn’t use in your original plan.
- A plan can be extended several times.
- You do not need to submit review reports or evidence if you are having a plan extension. Some providers may need to submit regular reports, however. Check with the NDIA before asking your therapists to write reports for you. This can help save money in your plan.
Example
Your plan is due for reassessment by 23rd April. In January, the NDIS sends you a letter to let you know they’ve decided to extend your plan by 12 months. You won’t be able to see the new funds until 24th April. You keep using your plan as normal.
On 24th April, the NDIS adds almost 12 months of funding to your budget. This is added on top of the funding you still had left. You can see your new balances in the NDIS and plan manager portals. You can keep using your plan with the new balances.
A plan variation
With the new PACE computer system, the NDIA can now vary (change) your plan, without having to issue you a new one. A plan extension is technically a plan variation under the new terminology. Other reasons your plan might be varied:
- There is a mistake in your plan. This could be a math error, a spelling error, or an error in your details.
- The NDIA increases or decreases your funding in any category. For example, you are given more funding for SIL supports.
- Funding is added to your plan in a new category. For example, your quotes for AT have been approved so the NDIA adds an AT budget for you.
- Your funding periods are changed. This could be the length of each period, or how much funding is made available at what time.
- The way your funding is managed is changed. For example, you were self-managed and are now plan managed.
- The way you can use your funding has been changed. For example, you requested to be able to use your therapy funding for psychology. The NDIS changes the wording on your plan to let you do this.
- You’ve had a crisis and need emergency supports. Very strict criteria must be met before the NDIA will do this.
When the NDIA makes a plan variation, they will issue you a letter to let you know what has changed. Sometimes it will be just a letter, other times they will re-issue your plan document. You should send a copy of this to your plan manager so they can pay for services in line with your plan.
Still have questions?
If you are not sure about anything, get in touch with someone and ask them. You could ask:
- Your support coordinator or psychosocial recovery coach, if you have one.
- Your “My NDIS Contact” as listed on your plan. This may be a planner, LAC or Early Childhood Partner.
- The NDIS via email, calling 1800 800 110 or doing a webchat.
The NDIA document “Changing Your Plan” gives a lot more information than we’ve covered above. You can download it on the Our Guidelines page.
You can also find out more in the NDIS Fact Sheet “Evidence you need to give us before we create or change your plan”.
As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions.
Email: accounts@ontimeplanservices.com.au
Phone: 03 5446 5400
Text: 0429 800 482