The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australia-wide scheme that was designed to provide support to people with Disability. It provides funding to eligible people based on their individual needs. It is designed to help participants get the support they need so their skills and independence can improve over time. NDIS participant has an individual plan that lists their goals and the funding they have received. NDIS participants use their funding to purchase supports and services that will help them pursue their goals.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is responsible for assessing your eligibility to participate in the NDIS. To be eligible you must:

• Be under 65 years of age
• Be an Australian citizen or hold a Permanent or a Special Category visa
• Have an impairment or condition that is likely to be permanent (lifelong) and that stops you from doing everyday things by yourself

You will be asked how you want to manage your funds and supports in your NDIS planning meeting. Your options for Plan Management are:

• Manage your funding yourself – the NDIS will provide you with the funding to pay directly to the people and organisations that support you. This is called self-managed.
• You can nominate a trusted person to manage your funding, called a ‘plan nominee’
• Use a registered Plan Management provider
• Ask the NDIA to manage your funding for you, which is called agency managed.