The latest NDIS news - without the spin or jargon

No images? Click here [link removed]

Hi Supporter,

Just a quick note from us to catch you up on all the latest news from the NDIS – and to let you know that we are hitting the road again (virtually of course).

We had to cancel all our upcoming Make It Work forums due to the pandemic. But next week we will kick off our first online Make it Work forum. We might not be able to meet face to face, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still come together to push for the changes we all need.

New NDIS Price Guide

Yesterday the NDIA released the Price Guide and Support Catalogue for 2020-2021.

The good news is that the NDIA have got this guide out much earlier than usual. This means we all have a chance to dig around in it and get a handle on everything before it actually goes live.

As always there was a lot of detail to go through. But there were a few things that jumped out straight away:

📌 First of all there were no new prices. Hah! But there was a reason for that. The Fair Work Commission is due to hand down a decision on the minimum wage this month. This will affect NDIS prices. So an updated guide with all new prices will be released once that decision lands. We will make sure we let you know when it is released.

📌 In the meantime the NDIA have confirmed participant plans will automatically be increased to cover the increase in prices (But note - NOT the 10% loading that has been added due to COVID-19).

📌 There are some big changes in Supported Independent Living (SIL) coming down the track. The NDIA are replacing the current quote and negotiation process with fixed prices. More information about that will be released soon.

📌 This price guide features some new line items to help people with a psychosocial disability, including the introduction of new Psychosocial Recovery Coaches.

📌 There are also some new line items to cover Individualised Living Options (ILO is NDIS-speak for anyone looking to do something innovative or interesting with their accommodation and support).

📌 And finally the Price Guide has a new look. All the terms, rules and prices are now all in the one spot. Hopefully this make things easier to find.

You can find the full guide and catalogue on the Pricing Page on the NDIS website [[link removed]]. But if you want the short version, check out our quick explainer [[link removed]].

Read more about the new NDIS price guide here [[link removed]] Disability Royal Commission update

The last few weeks have been filled with stories that are both heartbreaking and enraging. We are a community of people with disability and their families and the stories have touched us all.

They have also sadly shown us exactly why a Royal Commission into the violence, abuse and neglect experienced by people with disability is so necessary.

The Commission is not holding any public hearings at the moment. But they have put the time to good use, and in the last two months they have released four issues papers. Now they want everyone to respond.

The papers cover emergency planning and response, rights and attitudes, employment and restrictive practices.

Because it’s so hard at the moment to keep track of everything, we have popped everything about the papers and the Commission in one place on our website [[link removed]].

Anyone can make a submission to the Commission. You can tell your story in any way that works for you – by phone, by video, or in writing.

There is support available to you if you need help to tell your story or need some legal advice. There is also counselling support available.

We have all the info and numbers on our website.

Read our update on the Royal Commission here [[link removed]] Self management and the NDIS

“The NDIS is great and has relieved me from significant financial pressure as I meet my changing needs. It has enabled me to stay in my own home for longer. It has ensured access to a wide range of services too. The beauty of self-managing is that there is the potential to increase your sense of self-direction and choice in the meeting of your goals.”

Heather Coombes lives in Queensland and has self managed her NDIS package right from the beginning. Late last year she shared her experiences with everyone at one of our Make It Work forums.

Now Heather has put pen to paper so everyone can learn a little more about her and her winding road through the NDIS. And she has some good advice [[link removed]] for anyone thinking about taking the plunge and self managing their NDIS funds.

You can read more about Heather on our website [[link removed]] Make it Work online forum

And we want to finish with some good news - we’re running our first online Make it Work forum!

Before the pandemic we had planned to hold more of our Make it Work forums – but the virus put a stop to all that. Now we are getting the band back together.

The great thing about an online forum is that it doesn’t matter where you are – you can come along. You can even come in your jammies!

The forum will be held in a closed Facebook group. Over two weeks we will ask a series of questions about your experience with the NDIS. You can tell us as much or as little as you want.

We can then keep pushing for the changes we all need.

Find out more about the forum and how to participate [[link removed]]

That’s about it for now. Thank you for all that you do.

Kirsten and the Every Australian Counts team

Want to change your details, like name or email address? Follow the preferences link below. Share [link removed] Tweet [link removed] Forward [link removed] Preferences [link removed] | Unsubscribe [link removed]