How we develop your plan

We work with you to develop a plan about the supports you need from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

These pages explain how we develop your plan.

Your NDIS plan is a document that has information about:

• you and your goals 
• the supports you need
• the funding the NDIS will give you.

Funding is the money from your plan that pays for the supports you need.

We have to collect certain information about you to develop your plan. 

This includes information about:

• you
• your disability
• what supports you need.

This information will help us decide what supports you can get.

Supports need to meet our funding criteria.

Funding criteria are the rules that explain what supports we will give you funding for.

We will collect this information when you apply to the NDIS. 

You can find out more on our page about how to Apply to the NDIS.

We will also collect this information when we check if your plan needs to change.

We call this a plan reassessment.

You can find out more on our page about Changing your plan.

Our new computer system will support us to develop your plan.

We use it to:

• improve the way we collect information
• help us make fair decisions
• understand what supports a participant might need in their plan.

Participants are people with disability who take part in the NDIS. 

Your NDIA planner will make sure your NDIS plan supports:

• what you need
• your goals.

An NDIA planner is someone who:

• works for the NDIA
• makes new plans
• changes plans
• develops your plan budgets.

A budget is how we split the funding in your plan.

Your NDIA planner will first make a draft of your plan.

A draft is a plan that isn’t finished.  

Some things in a draft might change before you use your plan.  

When your NDIA planner makes your draft, they will ask you to have a plan meeting.

At this meeting your NDIA planner will talk to you about:

• your goals
• where your live
• your day-to-day supports.

They will make sure:

• they understand how you live your life
• the supports in your plan work together.

They will also explain the decisions they make about your plan.

You can find out more on our page about 

Your plan meeting.

Your NDIA planner will look at information to help develop your first NDIS plan.

This includes information from your application.

An application is the document you fill out to join the NDIS.

Your NDIA planner will also look at information about other participants like you.

Your NDIA planner will look at your old NDIS plan when they develop your next plan.

They will look at other information you have shared about yourself.

And they will use this to help develop your new plan.

We will have a plan reassessment meeting when it is time to update your NDIS plan.

The people at this meeting will include your:

• NDIA planner
• my NDIS contact.

Your my NDIS contact is a support person who you have a lot of contact with.

They can be a local area coordinator (LAC).

An LAC is someone who helps people with disability find and use supports and services.

Or your my NDIS contact can be an early childhood partner.

Early childhood partners support: 

• children with disability 
• their families.

Your NDIA planner can also be your my NDIS contact.

When we develop your NDIS plan, we look at the types of support you need.

Your plan can include 4 types of support.

We explain each of these types of support in the sections below.

Your plan will include funding for ‘stated supports’.

You can only use this funding for the supports listed in your plan.

Your plan will also include funding for ‘flexible supports’.

You can use this funding for other supports if you need to.  

You can find out more on our page about 

Your budget.

Core supports are the supports and services you need and use the most.

These supports help you:

• with your everyday activities
• work towards your goals.

Capacity building supports are the supports and services that help you build skills to:

• do things for yourself
• work towards your goals.

Capital supports are for things that:

• cost a lot

or

• you only need to buy once.

This includes assistive technology.

Assistive technology can:

• make it easier to do things
• keep you safe.

Assistive technology might be:

• an aid
• a device 
• a piece of equipment.

For example, a wheelchair.

Capital supports also include funding to change your home or vehicle to better support you.

Recurring supports are funding for things you use often.

For example, funding you can use for transport.

This can include buses, trains or taxis.