Will The NDIS Fund My Holiday?

Written by:  NDIS Plan Management Team

When you’re planning your next getaway, there are some elements that your National Disability Insurance Scheme Plan (NDIS Plan) can pay for and others that it won’t.

From flights and accommodation to the support you require, it can all be quite confusing, so let’s break it down.

While the National Disability Insurance Scheme won’t fund the holiday itself, there may be some elements of your trip that can be paid for within your NDIS Plan.  Keep in mind that the NDIS only funds supports that it deems reasonable and necessary, this means that the supports must be directly related to your disability along with other reasonable and necessary criteria.

Want to get your head around the actual meaning of Reasonable and Necessary?  Check out this previous blog we put together: What Actually Is Reasonable + Necessary?

Short Term Accommodation + Respite:

While the purpose of Short Term Accommodation (STA) is not to act as a holiday, it can be a good way to get a “break” for yourself and for your informal supports.

Short Term Accommodation may be funded within your NDIS Plan for a range of reasons including:

• To give you a chance to try new things;
• To help you to make new connections and develop new skills; and
• To help to maintain your current living situation by giving your informal supports a break.

During this time, you may as a part of a group, or as an individual, go to stay with a provider who can assist with your support needs.  This includes:

• Personal Care;
• Accommodation;
• Food; and
• The activities you and the provider agree to.

Travel Overseas

Whether you can use your NDIS Plan for support overseas will depend on your personal circumstances and the supports you require.

If you are planning on travelling overseas for more than one month, the NDIS may be able to assist you with the costs, however, usually only for the first six weeks of your holiday.  It may be beneficial to discuss this with your National Disability Insurance Agency contacts to find out if the grace period may be extended.

These supports may include equipment hire and consumable purchases you usually use and the cost of a support worker. However, it is important to remember that the supports purchased overseas must meet the same criteria as they would in Australia, you can refer to the Reasonable and Necessary Criteria for this information.

I’m sure you’re wondering to yourself:

“But how do I pay for supports while I’m overseas?”

This can be done in the same way that it would in Australia, although the providers will not hold on ABN, you will still require an invoice that shows the following information:

• Their name;
• Descriptions of the service/s;
• Number of hours (quantity) and the agreed rate; and
• Total cost.

It is important that you are able to show the cost of these supports in Australia Dollars (AUD), the best option for this is to pay for the supports with a credit card, so that you can show the amount in AUD through your credit card statement, this will make it much easier to claim after your holiday.

Bringing Support Workers On Your Holiday

During your holiday, you may need a support worker with you for assistance.

Your support worker’s time is usually paid for within your NDIS Plan, however, while travelling they will be working outside of their regular hours and therefore it is important that you plan your trip with your support worker and set out the expectations to ensure that it all runs smoothly.  This may mean planning exactly how many hours they will be expected to work each day, discussing who will pay for what parts of their costs, i.e. you may have to pay out of your pocket for their flights and accommodation but negotiate to pay only a certain portion of the activity costs that you do together.  It is important to keep in mind that while this is your holiday, it is still work for them.

Also consider if this option is the best for you and if it will fit within the budget of your NDIS Plan.

If you think that it may be more beneficial for you to find a support worker closer to your holiday destination, your Support Coordinator or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) may be able to help you.

Budgeting For Your Holiday

One consideration you will need to make when planning your holiday is the accommodation you will choose.  While going on a holiday and staying in a hotel are not disability related, if you have to choose a particular hotel due to your disability needs and its accessibility, you may be able to claim for some of these costs.

When planning your holiday, we need to consider your budget, the last thing you want or need is to exhaust the available funds in you NDIS Plan so that you can’t access the supports you need when you return home.  Getting quotes for the supports you need while away is a great idea to help build your budget.  Some things to consider include:

• Support workers;
• If you will need to hire a wheelchair or a hoist;
• Perhaps particular Assistive Technology will need to be accessible;
• The consumables you’ll need while you’re away; and
• Consider if your baggage may cost more at the airport due to disability related equipment or if you will need transport that costs more due to your disability.

Your NDIS Plan may be able to cover some of these costs, however, you will need to ensure that the costs fit within the budgets set out in your NDIS Plan and the reasonable and necessary criteria.

From your Support Coordinator or LAC to your NDIS Plan Management team or Planner, if you’re unsure there are plenty of people who can help you understand what might be able to be claimed and what might not be compliant.

Your Holiday + Canny Plan Management

As you can see, there is a broad range of ways that your National Disability Insurance Scheme plan can support you when you’re on holidays, however it is important to understand how you can utilise the funds within your plan for these supports.

Canny Plan Management can assist you to access all of the information and resources to determine whether these supports meet the reasonable and necessary criteria and ensure that you’re getting the best value for money for your NDIS Plan.

Get in touch with our team, to find out how we can assist you with your NDIS Plan and your NDIS Budgets.