Are you making any of these NDIS mistakes?

If you haven’t already seen it, we did a blog a few months ago outlining some common NDIS mistakes and it seemed to really strike a chord. So, back by popular demand, we’ve done another round, this time for people who are a little further along in their NDIS journey.

Here are some more NDIS mistakes to avoid.

Thinking your supports roll over automatically

Even if you’ve been with your service provider for years or decades, every time you receive a new NDIS plan and want to continue receiving support, you’ll need to contact them to get a service agreement drawn up.

For more information on this process, make sure you check out our blog, 3 steps to starting your NDIS plan.

Not doing anything if you believe an NDIS decision to be wrong

So the NDIS has made a decision about something like eligibility or funding and you think it’s not right? Time to speak up! Everyone makes mistakes, including the NDIA, so if you feel something is wrong, you should definitely contact the NDIA.

Thinking you can’t get out of a service agreement

Lots of people think that when you have a service agreement, you’re locked in to that contract until your next plan review. In reality, with most registered NDIS service providers you only need to give two weeks’ notice to cancel the service agreement.

This is especially handy if you want to shop around or decide you want to go somewhere else. By having service agreements that have a short notice period, it means that you can receive supports all the way through and retain a lot of choice and control.

Not preparing for a plan review

Even if you’ve already been around the NDIS block, you still need to do some preparation for your plan review.

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve developed a Plan Review Toolkit that gives you everything you need to properly prepare so you don’t get caught out. 

Plan reviews - find everything you need

Not telling people about your goals

It’s actually really important that you tell people around you what your goals are. If you keep quiet about your goals, people won’t know what you are wanting to achieve and they won’t be able to help you.

When you know what your goals are, you should tell the following people:

The NDIS

This is a no-brainer. The NDIS needs to know what your goals are so that they can make sure that you have the right amount of funding to make them happen.

Your service providers

It can be vital that you tell your service providers what your goals are. If they don’t know what your goals are, then they will not be able to help you get there. We’ve been finding that when people are open about their goals, we can think creatively to help you achieve them.

Your friends and family

Just like your service providers, it’s important that you tell your friends, family and informal supports. The more people on your team, the better!

Not using your NDIS funding

There’s heaps of NDIS funding that never gets used. Crazy right? There are a lot of reasons why people don’t use their NDIS funding, and often it’s out of a participant’s control. But sometimes, it’s a case of not understanding the system, not knowing where the support is available or just being completely overwhelmed, it’s heartbreaking to see people not using their funding because they don’t understand the system. Help is available, whether that be through talking to your Support Coordinator (if you have one) or calling your service provider or LAC.