NDIS Wollongong

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The National Disability Insurance Scheme, also known as the NDIS Wollongong, has started operating state-wide in New South Wales since July 1st, 2018 and is now available in Wollongong. The NDIS is a vital resource for providing continuous, much-needed support for people in Australia living with a permanent and significant disability.

Residents of Wollongong who have been living with a disability will finally be able to receive benefits and support thanks to the NDIS, improving their quality of life. As the NDIS continues to roll out through other Australian territories and states, the government encourages Australians to participate in the NDIS and get support.

As of June 30th, 2020, 127,139 people in New South Wales are already receiving benefits from the NDIS, with 58,944 people in the state receiving support for the first time and 5,341 initial plans recently approved. Over the remainder of 2020, the Australian government hopes that all those eligible under the NDIS will be able to sign up and benefit from this programme.

What Is NDIS Wollongong?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (aka the NDIS) is a government system developed to help Australians with a permanent and significant disability achieve a better quality of life.

Under this government programme, the NDIS will provide eligible Australian citizens and residents with information and connections to different services available in their community. For those who have an intellectual, cognitive, physical, sensory, or psychosocial disability, this may be the first time that they can receive such support that can meet their needs.

The NDIS is administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency or the NDIA. Unlike welfare systems, the NDIS collaborates with eligible participants to find out which services and support are best for addressing their disability-related needs, developing their skills and independence over time.

Qualifications for NDIS Wollongong Participants

With over 4.3 million Australians living with a disability, the NDIS is a crucial resource for helping people receive support and necessary services. As the NDIS has already been rolled out in Wollongong residents can apply for an NDIS Plan and start receiving support upon approval.

However, not everyone with a disability is qualified to be an NDIS Wollongong Participant. The NDIS aims to help those with a permanent and significant disability. Ideally, the support should be given those who have disabilities that hamper them from living a full and busy life.

Under the NDIS eligibility checklist, applicants must see if they meet the two following criteria before being eligible to be an NDIS Wollongong Participant:

  • Must be between the ages of 7 and 64 years old; and

  • Must be an Australian citizen, Permanent Visa Holder, or a Special Category Visa Holder living in Australia.

Additionally, NDIS Wollongong applicants must have any of the three following criteria apply to them:

  • Must need support from another person because of a permanent and significant disability;

  • Must use special equipment because of a permanent and significant disability; or

  • Must need current support to reduce needs in the future.

If an individual passes the criteria under the eligibility checklist, they can qualify as an NDIS Wollongong Participant and can receive support under this system to help with their daily needs. If they do not, they may still apply to the government for other support services that can ease the difficulties of living with their disability.

Types of Support Under The NDIS

The NDIS helps a large, diverse group of people, all with different needs and goals which will require individual planning. The NDIS concentrates its resources into providing the right support for different disabilities, providing customised treatments known as NDIS Plans.

When an NDIS Participant reaches out to NDIS Officers, they will collaborate into developing their unique Plan which will lay out their goals and plan of action for improved support. This holistic approach will include services given by registered NDIS Providers, who are approved by the NDIS to give treatment and support to NDIS Wollongong Participants.

Registered NDIS Providers will have the necessary training and qualifications to provide professional services, whether they are a group, an organisation, or an individual. Tasked to improve the NDIS participant’s quality of life, their knowledge and resources are a vital tool in helping a Participant address the daily challenges of living with their disability.

Every Australian region or territory where the NDIS has been introduced will have a database of registered NDIS Providers in the area. By availing of NDIS resources, Wollongong’s NDIS participants can easily look up and select NDIS Providers nearby who are ready to address their needs.

What Are the Different NDIS Support Budgets?

Every NDIS Wollongong Participant will require different types of support or services that will best implement their individual NDIS Plan. To determine which support budget a Participant will receive, the NDIS has several categories which will fund an NDIS Participant’s goals, based on their disability and their needs. Here are the various budgets under the NDIS, and the items that they can fund.

Capacity Building Support Budget

If an NDIS Participant’s Plan is most focused on building skills and gaining independence, they may be best suited to a Capacity Building Support Budget. NDIS Participants using the Capacity Building Support Budget cannot move funding across its nine categories. However, participants can decide which products and services under each category can receive a certain amount of funding.

The nine categories which can be funded under the Capacity Building Support Budget are:

  • Support Coordination;

  • Improved Living Arrangements;

  • Increased Social & Community Participation;

  • Finding & Keeping a Job;

  • Improved Relationships;

  • Improved Health & Wellbeing;

  • Improved Learning;

  • Improved Life Choices; and

  • Improved Daily Living.

Capital Support Budget

Meant to fund high-cost, vital one-time purchases, the Capital Support Budget can fund NDIS Plans that focus on providing assistive equipment and home modifications for NDIS participants. The funding received under this budget cannot be used for other purposes.

The two categories of items that can be funded under a Capital Support Budget are:

  • Assistive Technology; and

  • Home Modifications.

Core Support Budget

Considered the most flexible of all the NDIS support budgets, the Core Support Budget is tailored to improve an NDIS Wollongong participant’s daily needs and activities. Under this kind of budget, a Participant will have the flexibility to move their Plan’s total funding across any of the categories.

The four support categories under the Core Support Budget are:

  • Assistance with Daily Living;

  • Consumables;

  • Assistance with Social & Community Participation; and

  • Transport.

If you are living in Wollongong and are eligible for NDIS assistance, you can apply to become an NDIS Participant. Just call the NDIA Office by phone at 1800 800 110 for a Verbal Access Request. You can also email enquiries@ndis.gov.au, webchat, or call your nearest NDIS office to set a visit and discuss your NDIS Plan.

Improve your quality of life and get the support you deserve! Reach out to the NDIS, become a participant, and develop the right plan that can best help you reach your goals.

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