Some people, particularly those with complex needs or psychosocial disability, will require ongoing assistance to help them manage their care and support by appropriately trained or experienced practitioners. As discussed above, funded support coordination is available through NDIS plans but it is time-limited and intended to be for capacity-building rather than ongoing plan management and support. Introducing case management support where needed would better assist these participants. Without adequate resourcing, the NDIS risks creating disincentives for providers to assist participants with complex needs. This could mean services participants and leave ‘cherry pick’ some people with disability without services. Review payment processes Recommendations Review NDIS payment processes to ensure providers are paid on time. Clarify payment policies and communicate to providers. Late NDIS payments are currently a significant problem in the sector and can lead to cash flow issues for many providers, including VCOSS members. Our members share broader concerns across the sector about plans expiring without being renewed, which can lead to organisations facing arrears if they continue to provide services, or withdrawing services completely. This has a significant impact on organisations operating within an already resource-constrained environment, and it can restrict their ability to undertake effective forward and business planning. Members also report that the policies around support line items and submitting payment requests are not clear, including whether particular activities (such as travel) are eligible for funding. They are unsure whether they are submitting requests appropriately or whether they are not requesting payment for certain supports when they would be eligible. Some organisations also report that it can be very difficult to obtain information about the processes or reasoning when requests NDIA’s are denied. Adjusting participant plans to account for travel and track travel as a separate line item is a good start for providing greater clarity, however further clarification and simplification of the guidelines around in and would assist and streamline processes for providers in ‘what’s what’s out’ submitting requests and the NDIA in assessing them.
Some people, particularly those with complex needs or psychosocial disability, will require ongoing assistance to help them manage their care and support by appropriately trained or experienced practitioners. As discussed above, funded support coordination is available through NDIS plans but it is time-limited and intended to be for capacity-building rather than ongoing plan management and support. Introducing case management support where needed would better assist these participants. Without adequate resourcing, the NDIS risks creating disincentives for providers to assist participants with complex needs. This could mean services ‘cherry pick’ participants and leave some people with disability without services. Review payment processes Recommendations Review NDIS payment processes to ensure providers are paid on time. Clarify payment policies and communicate to providers. Late NDIS payments are currently a significant problem in the sector and can lead to cash flow issues for many providers, including VCOSS members. Our members share broader concerns across the sector about plans expiring without being renewed, which can lead to organisations facing arrears if they continue to provide services, or withdrawing services completely. This has a significant impact on organisations operating within an already resource-constrained environment, and it can restrict their ability to undertake effective forward and business planning. Members also report that the policies around support line items and submitting payment requests are not clear, including whether particular activities (such as travel) are eligible for funding. They are unsure whether they are submitting requests appropriately or whether they are not requesting payment for certain supports when they would be eligible. Some organisations also report that it can be very difficult to obtain information about the NDIA’s processes or reasoning when requests are denied. Adjusting participant plans to account for travel and track travel as a separate line item is a good start for providing greater clarity, however further clarification and simplification of the guidelines around ‘what’s in and what’s out’ would assist and streamline processes for providers in submitting requests and the NDIA in assessing them.
SUB_180308_VCOSS-Submission-on-Market-Readiness-for-the-NDIS_FINAL.docx