What is the NDIS?

What Does NDIS Mean?

The NDIS stands for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In simple terms, it’s a government program that provides funding to people with disability so they can get the supports they need to live their life — at home, at school, at work, and in the community. The NDIS isn’t about charity. It’s about choice, control, and access to the right supports.

What Does the NDIS Pay For?

The NDIS funds disability-related supports that help you:

• Be more independent
• Build skills
• Stay safe
• Participate in everyday life

This can include supports like:

• Support workers
• Therapy (speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology, etc.)
• Equipment and assistive technology
• Transport support
• Help around the home
• Support coordination (help finding supports)

All of this funding is set out in a document called your NDIS plan.

What Is an NDIS Plan?

Your NDIS plan explains:

• Your goals
• The funding you’ve been given
• How long your plan runs for
• How your supports can be used
• How your plan is managed

Who Can Access the NDIS?

You may be eligible for the NDIS if you:

• Are under 65 when you apply
• Live in Australia and are an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Have a permanent disability (or significant developmental delay for children) that affects everyday life.

How Do You Apply for the NDIS?

Applying for the NDIS involves a few key steps and some paperwork, which can feel daunting at first. The process usually includes:

1. Making an access request to the NDIA
2. Providing medical or allied health evidence
3. Waiting for an outcome

We’ve written a clear, step-by-step guide that explains the process in plain language: How to apply for the NDIS

The Different Ways to Manage Your NDIS Plan

Once you have an NDIS plan, you’ll also have plan management funding. This determines who pays invoices and how much admin you need to handle. There are three main ways to manage your NDIS plan.

NDIA-Managed

With NDIA-managed plans:

• The NDIA pays providers directly
• You can only use registered providers
• There is less flexibility

This option suits people who want minimal involvement but are comfortable with provider restrictions.

Self-Managed

With self-management:

• You pay invoices yourself
• You claim the money back from the NDIA
• You can use any provider

This gives you full control, but also full responsibility for admin, payments and record keeping.

Plan-Managed

With plan management:

• A Plan Manager pays invoices for you
• Your budgets are tracked for you
• You can use registered and unregistered providers

You stay in control of your choices — without having to do the admin yourself. You can read more here: What is NDIS plan management?

Why Plan Management Makes the NDIS Easier

We see this every week. Participants come to us with funding already approved, but feeling unsure, cautious, or worried about making mistakes. With plan management:

• Providers send invoices directly to us
• We pay them on your behalf
• We track your funding in real time
• We help you understand what you can and can’t claim

It doesn’t change your funding. It just makes the NDIS easier to manage day to day.

How Plan Hero Helps You Use Your NDIS Plan

Once you have NDIS funding, the biggest challenge is usually not getting supports — it’s managing the admin that comes with them.

That’s where Plan Hero comes in.

As your NDIS Plan Manager, we take care of the financial side of your plan so you don’t have to. We pay provider invoices, track your budgets, and help you understand what you can claim — all in plain language.

With Plan Hero, you can:

• Use both registered and unregistered providers

• Have invoices paid on time, without chasing

• See your funding levels clearly, anytime

• Ask questions and get clear, practical answers

We speak to participants and families every day who already have funding but still feel unsure about using their plan confidently. Our role is to remove that uncertainty and reduce the admin load, so you can focus on your life — not paperwork.

That’s how we help make the NDIS easier to live with, every day.

If you’d like to talk it through, you can a call to speak with one of our Plan Managers, or sign up now and we’ll take care of the rest.