Take The Pain Away
Managing a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Plan can be complex and time-consuming. Let Casa cut through the red tape for you. Our expert, friendly NDIS Plan Management team can do all the finance and administration tasks like paying invoices, so that you can get on with enjoying life.
Plan Management is funded under Capacity Building – Improved Life Choices in your NDIS Plan.
The Casa Difference
As an NFP provider of disability services since 1978, Casa has a deep understanding of what people living with disability need in Alice Springs and beyond. Casa launched its Plan Management service in mid-2019 and has grown rapidly to be Alice Springs’ largest plan manager. Casa Plan Management now manages the NDIS plans of nearly 300 participants from Central Australia and across the country including South Australia, the APY lands, Queensland and Tasmania.
What does a Plan Manager do?
A Plan Manager liaises between an NDIS participant, their service providers, and the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency, which runs the NDIS).
A key task of Plan Managers is to receive and pay for invoices from providers, on behalf of NDIS participants.
So, instead of having to juggle and manage invoices from different disability providers, Casa does it for you – and more.
It’s fast, easy and free for NDIS participants who have ‘Improved Life Choices’ in their Plan.
Plan Management fees do not come out of participants’ support budget. They are paid for separately by the NDIS. This means there is no out-of-pocket cost to eligible participants.
What are the benefits of Plan Management?
Plan Management gives participants more choice: the power to choose the best carers and services that suit them. Importantly, this includes providers who are not NDIS-registered.
Casa’s clients – NDIS disability participants, or their guardians – love Plan Management – because it is free and unlocks precious time.
If you have a preferred gardener or disability support worker, but they are not registered with the NDIS, you can go ahead and employ the gardener or support worker that you want, while Casa does all the invoicing and paperwork.
Can I use a non-registered NDIS provider if my plan is managed by the NDIA?
It is not possible to use a non-registered NDIS provider when participants’ funding is managed directly by the NDIS agency (the NDIA). Under NDIA Management, service providers must be NDIS-registered, which means participants are often unable to employ the people they want.
What is the difference between Plan Management and Self Management?
Plan Management is different from Self Management. Self Management means you have more choice, but you have to do all the invoicing and paperwork.
| Benefits | NDIA Management | Self Management | Plan Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| No cost to your plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| Access to registered providers | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| Access to unregistered providers | ✘ | ✓ | ✔ |
| Help to manage service agreements | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
| All invoices paid on your behalf | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
| Management of NDIA portal | ✓ | ✘ | ✔ |
Example
Mary suffers a stroke aged 47. She now needs help with personal care and home care.
Under the NDIS she has funding to hire a personal carer to help her shower in the morning and to have breakfast. She also has NDIS funding for help around the home.
Mary loves gardening, but the stroke means she can no longer do any heavy work. She wants to hire a local gardener who she knows and trusts, Vince, so she can keep enjoying her garden, which she planted 34 years ago.
Mary has no family nearby to help her manage her own plan (Self Management) so the NDIA is managing her NDIS Plan (NDIA Management).
She asks Vince if he is registered with the NDIS. He says he is not.
Under the NDIA Management option this would mean she can’t hire Vince – she has to find a different, NDIS-registered gardener, who she doesn’t know. This is not appealing to Mary as she lives alone and has experienced abuse by men in the past.
But if she has a Plan Manager, she can go ahead and employ Vince, even though he is not NDIS-registered.
How does Plan Management at Casa work?
Casa Services is a registered provider for Plan Management. We are funded in your NDIS Plan to act as a financial intermediary between you and your providers (registered and non-registered). We manage your plan for you and claim directly from your NDIS Plan to pay providers on your behalf.
Casa Plan Managers also ensure participants make the most of their NDIS budget.
We help manage spending and update support coordinators constantly to avoid under- or overspending.
Our mobile app makes it easy for a participant or guardian to keep track of their NDIS budget.
About Our Plan Management Team
Our professional, friendly plan managers, Shahriar Rifat and Beiant Kaur, know the NDIS system inside out, and are highly qualified financial professionals.
Shah holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Professional Accounting, with experience in regional and remote communities, while Beiant holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Business (specialising in accounting).
Shah and Beiant also:
• Provide regular statements to a participant to show the financial status of their plan
• Maintain a participant’s records securely and confidentially
• Give expert financial advice to make the most of your NDIS funding
Let us walk you through the process and take the pain out of NDIS Plan management!
Contact our Plan Management Team today by emailing us here.
Download a form here
