Last month, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)'s released a new participant and provider pathway, designed to improve the experience of people and organisations dealing with the National Disability Insurance Shceme (NDIS). The NDIA has announced that the initial participant pathway pilot will start in mid-December in two Victorian NDIS regions. 

Robert De Luca, NDIA Chief Executive Officer, said the pilot will be testing the new pathway using current NDIS sites and broader network of supports. 

“The pilot will start in Victoria North and Victoria East in partnership with Brotherhood of St Laurence and Latrobe Community Health Services - two established Local Area Coordination (LAC) partners with considerable NDIS experience who are well positioned to help us test and refine the changes we’re making.

“The pilot will focus on the following stages of the new pathway – learning about the NDIS and how it fits in the broader system of supports, understanding current supports and preparing for planning, creating a plan to achieve goals and receiving an approved plan."

 Below are some of the key features that will be piloted in the Victorian sites:

• Matching participants with a consistent point of contact based on individual needs (i.e. Local Area Coordinator)
• A re-designed plan that enables participants to see how their goals have been recorded and linked to community, other government services and funded supports
• Face-to-face planning meetings with an LAC, the participant and an NDIA planner to finalise their NDIS plan
• Participants will have the opportunity to review a version of their plan during its development, ask questions and provide feedback during the planning meeting.

The NDIA is also testing features that can be rolled out nationally without the need for a pilot over the coming months, including:

• A simpler process to make minor updates to a plan
• Providing participants with the option to allow their providers to view their plan in the portal so providers can better understand their goals, and tailor their services accordingly.

The NDIA is also continuing to develop tailored pathways for people with psychosocial disability, children, people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and participants with more complex needs. These pathways will be progressively piloted and tested in other NDIS regions to allow reviews and updates before the plan is finalised.

The initial pilot is expected to be completed by the end of April 2018. Improved features will then be rolled out nationally as soon as possible after that.

Read the rest of the media statement.