Easy read: NDIS plans explained

Our guide to understanding your plan

After your planning meeting, you will receive your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Plan. This plan is based on what you talked about in your meeting.

The plan will have lots of information in it. We explain what will be in your NDIS plan.

Information about you

The first section is information about you. It will include:

• Your disability
• The activities you do every day
• Where you live
• Who you live with
• Who cares for you

Your family and friends

This section is about the people who help you. These people don’t get money to help you. They are the people who love you like friends, parents or siblings. These people help you with your goals.

Services and community groups

Depending on where you live, there might be community groups or services you can use. Community groups help people get together who have things in common. Services are usually government funded and are available to all people.

Some examples of community groups or services are:

• Public transport
• Health centres
• Schools
• Youth groups
• Religious groups
• Sporting groups
• Libraries

Your goals

This section talks about your goals. Goals are things you want to achieve with your NDIS plan. You talk about your goals in your planning meeting. Goal setting is important when you have an NDIS plan. You can have short-term goals and long-term goals.

Short-term goals are things that might happen sooner. Some examples are:

• Learning photography
• Volunteering for a community group
• Visiting the library once a week
• Joining a hydrotherapy class

Long-term goals are things that take longer. Some examples are:

• Getting a job
• Getting more confidence to go out with a support worker
• Moving out on your own
• Learning to drive a car
• Learning to cook

Funded supports

This section talks about your funding. Funding is the money you will get from the NDIS. Your funding will be in ‘support categories’.

The support categories are ‘Core Supports’, ‘Capacity Building Supports’ and ‘Capital Supports’.

You may get funding in one or two categories. Or you may have funding in all three. It depends on you, your goals and your disability.

Here we explain each category.

Core Supports

Core supports help you with everyday life. It can include:

• Help with daily life. This might include help with going to the toilet, showering, cleaning and looking after your house and garden.
• Things you might need like continence items or technology to help you.
• Help from a support worker to help you join a community activity.
• Transport funding.

Core supports are flexible. This means the funding can be used for many things depending on your goals.

Capacity Building Supports

Capacity Building Supports are to help you do more things on your own.

There are different categories in Capacity Building Supports. Your plan will say what money you have to spend in each category. This means you have to use the money for the right category. You can’t use it for something else.

The Capacity Building Categories are:

Support Coordination

This is a person who can help you with your plan. They can help you understand your plan. They can also help you use your money in the best way.

You can read more about support coordinators here.

Improved living arrangements

If your goal is to find somewhere to live, you might have funding in this category. This category helps you with housing.

It could be someone to help you:

• Decide where to live.
• Work out your budget.
• Choose the right house to rent.
• Talk to a landlord or real estate agent.

Increased social and community participation

Is your goal to do more in the community? If so, you might have this funding.

You may get a support worker to help you:

• Join a group
• Go to a concert
• Go to a social event
• Go on a holiday camp

You could also do training to help improve social skills. This means you would learn about how to talk and listen better.

Finding and keeping a job

This category can help you get a job. If your goal is to work, you might get money for:

• Training to help you get a job
• Help with your resume. This is a piece of paper that talks about your skills
• Training to help you at work

Improved relationships

Improved relationships are sometimes about making friends. It can also mean making sure you treat people the right way. You might get money to help you learn about other people. It might help you make more friends. Or it could help you understand people better.

Improved health and wellbeing

This category is about ways to get healthy.

It can include things like:

• Talking to a dietitian about your diet. A dietitian is someone who is an expert in healthy eating.
• Talking to a personal trainer about how to get physically active. A personal trainer is an expert in exercise. They could give you activities to improve your strength or fitness.

This category doesn’t include gym memberships.

Improved learning

This category is about helping you improve your skills. If your goal is to study, it could help you go to school, TAFE or University.

It can include help with:

• Applying for a course
• Managing your study workload
• Managing your student budget
• Setting up your living arrangements.

Improved life choices

If you are funded for improved life choices, you may get plan management. This service can help you manage your plan.

It can include:

• Help with your budget
• Advice about managing your plan
• Updates on your spending

Improved daily living

Improved daily living can help you improve independence. You might have this if that’s your goal. There are lots of ways you could use your budget. It depends on your goal. It might include money for:

• Physiotherapy. This can help you with improving how your body works.
• Exercise physiology. This can include exercises to strengthen your body.
• Occupational therapy. They can help you with daily tasks.
• Speech pathology. This person can help you with talking and swallowing food.

Capital Supports

Capital Supports are higher cost items. You might get money that can improve your life or your home so you can live more independently.

It may include money for:

• A wheelchair.
• Adding a ramp to your house.
• Changes to your car so you can drive safely or be a passenger.
• A hand-rail in the bathroom.

What to do with your NDIS plan

Do you have a new NDIS plan? If you’d like to know more about how to understand your NDIS plan, we are here. At Five Good Friends, we can help explain our plan. We also have lots of people called Support Coordinators to help you use your plan well.

If you’d like to learn more, get in touch with us at Five Good Friends. Our friendly team can talk to you about what support would work best for you.

Learn more: Disability support services: How to access the NDIS