The new NDIS support list is now in force in the NDIS… Transitional Rules 2024. To understand what it means for providers, it’s best read alongside the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) and the Amending Act. All providers should take time to understand if the changes affect their services.
What is an NDIS support?
Firstly, the Transitional Rules provide clear definitions for funded NDIS supports — much easier to understand! The full list (published here) follows the structure of the previous registration groups. The supports you provide probably fit well within those new definitions, but it’s worth making sure.
What isn’t an NDIS support?
The Transitional Rules also indicate what is not a funded NDIS support. This is mainly of interest to participants, but providers should be able to advise participants, if required, about how funds can be used — no alcohol, sexual services, contraband drugs, theatre tickets, rent etc. Some providers will also be affected if they currently provide disallowed supports, including:
- Not evidence-based — alternative and complementary therapies (e.g. reflexology, yoga therapy, animal therapy, crystal therapy…)
- Not evidence-based — wellness and coaching (e.g. neurofeedback, gaming therapy, kinesiology, massage (except that provided by an allied health professional for purposes related to the disability)
- Not evidence-based — energy and healing practices (reiki, shamanic healing)
(We’ve only listed a few examples, so if you think your services might fall into those categories, check out the full list.)
What else changed this week?
The government has also passed an Amending Act — the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act 2024.
The Amending Act introduces further changes separate the Transitional Rules:
- Substitution or replacement support: participants may request to replace an existing support with a support that is not an NDIS support in certain circumstances. This only applies to very specific items. Providers will need to understand this inclusion to appropriately advise participants.
- NDIS plans:
- All new plans will cover no more than 12 months. (This may change in the future). Service agreements will need to work within this timeframe.
- Plans will now state a total budget amount, funding component amounts and funding periods. This will make clear how long the funds must last. For providers, it may create more certainty.
NDIS Pricing Arrangement and Price Limits (PAPL) updates
The Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) has been updated to guide charging for Disability-Related Health Supports and implementing intensive and complex behaviour supports. If you are providing either of these services, please check the detail in the latest PAPL (p.38).
Disability-Related Health Supports
A new item was added to list of supports — Disability-Related Health Supports. These supports should not be confused with health supports to be delivered by the health system. They qualify as supports when directly related to the disability and assist in undertaking daily living activities.
The NDIS Support Catalogue identifies five types of disability-related health supports and how to claim:
- Provision of Disability-Related Health Supports by Disability Support Workers —claim using the standard Daily Personal Activities and High Intensity Daily Personal Activities support items.
- Assessment, planning and the provision of Disability-Related Health Supports by therapists —claim using the standard early childhood and Therapy support items.
- Assessment, planning and the provision of Disability-Related Health Supports by nurses — claim using the new nursing support items.
- Consumables related to Disability Related Health Supports — claim using the new Low-Cost or High-Cost Disability Related Health Consumables support line items.
- Assistive Technology related to Disability Related Health Supports —claim using the new Disability Related Health Assistive Technology support line items.
Implementing Intensive and Complex Behaviour Supports
The updated PAPL reinstates support items for implementing intensive and complex behaviour supports, which had previously been removed. (There was a discrepancy between how the NDIS Commission views High Intensity supports (for the purpose of registration) and how the NDIA viewed high intensity supports, which had included the implementation of complex behaviour supports).
The NDIA has addressed this discrepancy by including specific support items relating to complex behaviour supports.
To charge under these new support items, the provider must:
- be implementing behaviour support with the participant and in accordance with their interim or comprehensive behaviour support plan; and
- be registered and assessed for Module 2A (Implementing Behaviour Support Plans); or
- have submitted a registration amendment application or new registration application to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission including a completed audit assessment against Module 2A by 30 June 2025.
What you need to do:
Here’s what we recommend:
All NDIS providers (generally) should review the supports you provide with the definitions of supports. Make sure that what you are providing falls within the definition.
- If you are providing services that fall under the supports that are not allowed, you will no longer be able to charge under the NDIS for these supports. There is a 30 day transition period, where if you make a mistake, the NDIA will not claim the payment back (under $1500).
- Talk your clients about changes, if necessary.
Providers of Disability-Related Health Supports or intensive and complex behaviour supports, should review the new PAPL to ensure you are billing under the correct support items.
Conclusion
We couldn’t include all the details in this article — there are simply too many. We’ve analysed the key areas which will have most impact on providers. But the devil is in the detail. So, you should set aside some time, read the Rules and PAPL, and check that your supports are still a good fit.
There are still questions that will be answered as the changes are implemented. We’ll keep our ears to the ground. And keep you informed.