Preparing for Your NDIS Planning Meeting

When preparing for your planning meeting, you will be asked questions about how you are going in different areas of your life. This will help to develop a plan that provides the right support for you.

The information you provide will also be important for tracking the progress of the NDIS and will help to improve the Scheme for everyone. If possible, a family member will also be interviewed, to see how they are going as well.

Examples of things you will be asked about in your first NDIS planning conversation:

  • your personal details;
  • your community and mainstream supports;
  • how to manage everyday activities;
  • your safety, including equipment, accommodation or help to take care of yourself or your home;
  • the goals you want to achieve;
  • ways to manage your plan; and
  • the support you need to use your NDIS plan.

Phone Planning Meetings

Lots of planning meetings are done over the phone. Here are some tips to make sure that you get the most out of a phone planning meeting.

Before the phone meeting

  • Complete booklet 2 – Planning. If you don’t have a physical copy, you can download a copy from the NDIS website.
  • Make sure you know when your phone appointment is, and who it will be with.
  • Find a quiet place to have the call where you can focus. Planning meetings can take over an hour depending on your situation.
  • Make sure you have your phone with you, it is charged and you are in a space with good reception.
  • Have any reports or assessments with you. If possible, send them to your ECEI partner, LAC or NDIA Planner before the call.
  • If you want a friend, family member or someone to help you with the meeting, make sure they are available, and make sure that only one person talks at a time.

During the phone meeting

  • It’s ok to ask the person doing your planning meeting to stop, repeat, or explain things.
  • They need to check they are speaking to the right person, so will ask you proof of identity questions.
  • They will guide you through the planning process but take notes and ask any questions you have along the way.
  • Make sure you know what the next steps are before ending the call.

After the phone meeting

  • If there is anything important that you didn’t let them know, you can email or call your ECEI Partner, LAC or NDIA Planner on the number they gave you.

Your Next Steps

Lady typing on a laptop

At the end of your planning conversation, you will talk about the next steps, including how your plan will be reviewed and how to start using the funding in your plan.

For participants who will have an LAC to support them to implement their plan: A Local Area Coordinator (LAC) from an NDIS partner organisation will be in contact with you to discuss your plan, help you access supports and discuss your longer-term goals under the NDIS.

For participants who receive help from a Support Coordinator to implement their plan: Your plan will include funding for a Support Coordinator to help you implement your plan. Once your plan is approved, this person will contact you to discuss your plan, help you access supports and discuss your longer-term goals under the NDIS.

For participants who are self-managing their NDIS plan: You will be contacted by the NDIS once your plan is approved and they will talk to you or your nominee about the opportunities and responsibilities of self-managing your plan.

Mobility Allowance

Mobility Allowance provides financial assistance for people with disability, illness or injury aged 16 years or over who cannot use public transport without substantial assistance and need to travel to and from their home for work (including volunteer work), training or job seeking. Centrelink directly pays the allowance to recipients.

When you become an NDIS participant, your plan will include any supports the NDIS will fund. This includes any reasonable and necessary transport-related funded supports, this means you will no longer be eligible for Centrelink’s Mobility Allowance because the NDIS may cover those Mobility Allowance costs in your NDIS plan.

You need to advise Centrelink when your NDIS plan is approved. If you don’t tell Centrelink within 14 days you may be overpaid. If you have a Health Care Card, you still get to keep it. Nothing changes there.

Continence Aids Payment Scheme

The Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) provides a payment to eligible people to assist with some of the costs of their continence products.

Services Australia (formerly the Department of Human Services) directly pays the payment to eligible customers, or on behalf of eligible customers to an authorised, legal or payment representative or organisation.

When you become an NDIS participant, your plan will include any supports the NDIS will fund. This includes any reasonable and necessary continence-related funded supports, which means you may no longer get the Continence Aids Payment Scheme payment because the NDIS may now cover these continence products costs in your NDIS plan.

© National Disability Insurance Scheme Launch Transition Agency 2013

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