Your client’s access request to the NDIS is successful. What next?

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) access and eligibility.

A question that frequently pops up from clients is ‘I’m in the NDIS – what's next for me?'. Here’s a simple answer.

Often after a person is approved to access the NDIS, they will receive an invitation to a pre-planning meeting with a Local Area Coordinator – or LAC. LACs help many people with disability to develop, review and implement their plans. 

During the 90-minute catch-up, the LAC will gather information and work with the person to determine what to put in their plan. 

Their first plan will set the tone for the rest of their journey in the NDIS and how their budgets are structured in the following years. That’s why it’s important to prepare for this meeting. 

How a person with disability can prepare for their pre-planning meeting 

If a person receives an invitation to a pre-planning meeting with a LAC, they will also receive information to help them prepare to prepare for the meeting. When preparing, they may want to consider:  

• what current supports they have in place – like therapies and support workers; 
• how they rely on other people day-to-day, including friends and family; 
• past therapeutic recommendations, and what they want to achieve from their plan; and 
• if there is any assistive technology or any home modifications that would support them to grow their capacity or make their life easier. 

Making a list of things a person wants to potentially claim for from the NDIS can help the LAC in their assessment. When writing this list, they may want to ask ‘are the items on it reasonable and necessary?’. If the answer is yes, they can keep them in.  

Blocking time out to answer these questions can help people to prepare and achieve better plan outcomes. They can ask their current providers to help them, or even to join in their pre-planning meeting.