The rollout in Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Northern NSW, Mid North Coast, Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, Murrumbidgee, Western NSW and Far West regions completes the NDIS rollout in NSW. Now available statewide people with disability are at the centre of decision-making and are empowered to live the life they choose.

Lifebridge under the NDIS will continue to place our customers at the centre of their supports. Every step taken prior to the introduction has been to ensure this transition is as seamless as possible. You may find now, that you have already been contacted by the NDIA to develop your first plan. If you haven’t been contacted yet, there’s no need for concern they will be in contact in due course.

Once you receive your plan under the NDIS it is vitally important you let us know and we can work with you to continue delivering your services with minimal disruptions.

We’re very excited to continue providing service under the NDIS and equally as excited to continue providing supports to each and every one of our customers.

The post NDIS scheme rolls out across NSW appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

If you’re in the process of transitioning to the NDIS you’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase ‘reasonable and necessary’, and probably with great prolificacy at that. But what does ‘reasonable and necessary’ mean and why is it important to understand?

‘Reasonable and necessary’ is important to understand because it’s by this determination that the NDIS provides funding for your supports.

If you have a disability that is likely to be permanent and significant the NDIS will fund reasonable and necessary supports to help you to reach your goals and aspirations, and to take part in activities that increase your social and economic participation.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) makes its decisions on what is determined ‘reasonable and necessary’, based on the NDIS Scheme Act (2013) and the rules made under the NDIS Act. There are also operational guidelines which provide practical guidance for decision makers.

As defined by the NDIS ‘reasonable and necessary’ is defined as:

Reasonable: Something that is fair
Necessary: Something you must have

This will be different for everyone.

In its determination, the NDIS will review what formal and informal supports you already have in place. Formal supports are those delivered to you via a skilled professional including providers or practitioners, and informal supports are those delivered via your support network such as parents, carer’s or family members.

A reasonable and necessary support will be that in which helps you to reach your goal and aspirations, be more independent, take part in social activities and work, actively take part in the community and or enjoy an ordinary life.

When does this take place?

When you attend your planning meeting, the NDIA Planner or Local Area Coordinator, will gather information pertaining to your individual circumstances including an overview about you, where you live, the people who support you and your daily life. From this they will determine which supports are reasonable and necessary to your situation. When assessing what is reasonable and necessary, they will be evaluating whether a support request is:

• related to your disability & doesn’t include day-to-day living costs not related to your disability support needs
• represents value for money
• is likely to be effective and work for you

Once determined, these supports will be allocated in your NDIS Plan and you will have the choice of which providers you will like to deliver services to you.

If you require additional information or further clarification regarding ‘reasonable and necessary supports’, please contact Lifebridge on 1800 043 186.

The post What does ‘Reasonable and Necessary’ mean? appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

Understandably, within the community and across Australia there are a lot of questions, a lot of ambiguity and a lot of misinterpretations. There is a lot of information out there and a lot of information individuals need to consume.

The NDIA is assisting to alleviate some of that individual burden, and if you have a question you can ask that question to the NDIA. You can do this via their social media channels, their websites and through the contact centre.

Answers to your questions get incorporated into relevant pages on their website www.ndis.gov.au and they are also published in a news item called the Weekly Q and A.

https://www.ndis.gov.au/questions-and-answers.html

You can also find collection of their past Weekly Q and A questions, organised by theme.

The post The Weekly Q and A appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

The NDIS is new to many people and providers alike and while everyone is in a state of learning and change, it is important that we are all informed and educated. At Lifebridge, we are committed to providing transparency about your rights and making sure you understand what you are entitled too as a participant under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
A video published on the ndis.nsw.gov.au website tells a story of Samara and explains how the safety and rights of people with disability are protected under the NDIS in NSW. It details how NDIS participants are entitled to, ‘quality supports’ from their NDIS Provider as well as, the right to expect high standards of service.

For providers under the NDIS, of which Lifebridge is one, we must:

• deliver high quality supports at all times
• protect your privacy
• comply with the laws and regulations that protect participants of the NDIS

We must also be able to show we meet the NSW Disability Standards or a similar standard. The NSW Disability Standards cover a number of different areas including:

• the right to be treated fairly
• being involved and included
• making individual choices
• a way to provide feedback and complaints

As a provider we must also ensure that we are making this process as easy as possible, and that it is not complicated for you to work with us.

At Lifebridge, we encourage you to view this video and understand your rights. If they are not being met, please follow the appropriate channels of feedback.

http://ndis.nsw.gov.au/ndis-resources/videos/

The post Protecting People under the NDIS appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.