
Once you are deemed eligible and accepted into the NDIS plan, a planning conversation will be organised between you and a National Disability Insurance Agency representative to develop your first plan. This plan is your entry point to the NDIS and outlines the reasonable and necessary supports to meet your immediate needs as well as your identified short-term and long-term goals. Your first plan will provide individualised funding that you can control and choose how to use, so it is important that you prepare for your planning conversation.
To learn more, check out A Preparation Guide for my Plan or give our NDIS hotline a call on 1300 662 822
The steps involved in developing an NDIS Plan are:
When your access to the NDIS is confirmed, you will be contacted by the NDIS and a planning conversation will be organised between you (or a nominated representative) and a National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) representative. For most people, that will be a Local Area Coordinator (LAC).
When organising, here are some things you want to consider:
Once your planning conversation is organised, it is time to prepare.
Planning conversations take on average 1-2 hours to complete and the representative will try to gather enough information from you to develop your first plan.
Questions will be asked to:
Have a chat with your family, friends and carers to discuss what your goals might look like now and into the future.
Your goals form the basis of your first plan, and funding for your supports needs to be linked to identified outcomes in your plan. Now is the time to think big about what you want in life and see if there are any gaps or barriers to achieving those aspirations.
When working out your goals, think about all parts of your life such as your:
After thinking about your current situation, you can then start developing your goals and the steps needed to achieve them. Funding allocated to you will:
This step is one of the most important in developing your first plan, which is why we have developed a handy preparation guide to help you through the process. To request a copy of the guide or to speak with someone about the process, please contact us by emailing ndis@paraquad.org.au or calling our NDIS hotline on 1300 662 822.
Before the planning conversation takes place, make sure you have:
For many people, this planning conversation will occur over the phone; however you may choose to make alternative arrangements. Remember, the most important thing is to have end goals in mind and frame your wants and needs to how they will match your goals. Below are some other tips to support a productive planning conversation:
Once the planning conversation is completed, your NDIA representative or LAC will write up a plan to be approved. Once it has been approved and finalised, you will then work with somebody to implement the plan and put it into action. This may be through a Local Area Coordinator, a plan support coordinator or another party who will help you to connect with community and mainstream or funded supports.
If you have any questions regarding your NDIS plan, make sure you check out A Preparation Guide for my Plan or give our NDIS hotline a call on 1300 662 822