What does a plan manager do and what is plan management?

One of the three options for managing your NDIS funds is having a plan manager (the other two options are to self-manage or have your funding managed by the NDIA). Consider plan managers to be your own NDIS fund accountant. An NDIS registered plan management provider,  such as OysterCare, must register with the NDIS. On your behalf, they handle the administrative duties of your NDIS plan, process invoices, and submit claims.

Meanwhile, you don’t pay anything more to have a plan management providers on your support team. All that is required to have a plan manager is for plan management to be covered by your NDIS budget.

Since your plan funding is being managed by your plan manager, you may enjoy life and concentrate on what matters to you. The key responsibilities of NDIS managers of your plan are the following:

• Obtain invoices either from a provider or the participant directly.
• Withdraw funds from the NDIS Portal.
• Pay bills within the set time limit.
• Make sure that, in accordance with NDIS specifications, providers are issuing NDIS invoicing with the right information.
• Ensure proper NDIS financial plan management.
• Send the participant a monthly report with a breakdown of the remaining funds overall and for each support category, along with a spending summary.
• Organize service contracts with providers.
• Consider many options or scenarios for budgeting.
• Develop your self-management and financial literacy skills.
• Assist you in gathering information for your plan review.
• Assist you in utilizing your plan as designed and maximizing its benefits.

During your NDIS Plan or Plan Review meeting, your NDIA Planner may inquire about how you intend to handle your NDIS funding. 

Additionally, you might have determined prior to your meeting that you want funding for NDIS plan management services. In this case, you should be ready to inform your NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator as they will provide you with guide and an NDIS budget template.

To put simply, Plan Management is an option for all of your NDIS fund or just a portion of it. (Self-Managed and NDIA Managed are additional options.) Your budget for assistive technology, for instance, might be NDIA Managed.

It’s unusual to realise that the budget you allotted for Plan Management either too much or too little as a result of changing circumstances. You can ask for a Light Touch Review if you want to manage more (or less) of your budget plan in between review meetings.

Additionally, you are able to switch and find the best NDIS plan manager at any time without consulting the NDIS. Just make sure you understand the notice criteria in your service agreement with your existing provider, let them know you intend to switch, and move forward.

This is dependent on your circumstances, personality, and availability.

During your planning meeting, your early childhood partner, LAC, or NDIA planner will inquire about your preferred method of handling your NDIS funding. They will assist you in determining the appropriate financial management strategy for your requirements and situation.

Plan managed: When a participant decides to hire a plan management provider to help them manage their NDIS plan finances, this is referred to as plan managed. Plan management companies may buy assistance from recognized or unregistered suppliers on behalf of participants. Funds from the NDIA will be given to a plan manager, who will then distribute them to companies who provided additional services on a participant’s behalf.

Self-managed: This refers to the management of NDIS plan money by a participant (or their plan nominee). For the NDIS supports obtained, the NDIS will pay a participant or their plan nominee directly.

Agency managed: This refers to a participant who elects to have their NDIS funds administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). On behalf of a participant, the NDIA will directly pay NDIS IT managed service providers of pertinent services.

Both NDIS plan management and NDIS support coordination services assist individuals in implementing their NDIS plans and initiate care for plan management, but they do so in various ways.

An ideal plan manager can create a specialised plan management and help you with the financial aspect of your plan, whilst a Support Coordinator can assist with managing your supports and providers. This is the primary distinction between an NDIS Plan Manager and Support Coordinator.

Plan Manager

An effective plan manager will:

• Get your NDIS provider payment request and pay them
• Claim funds from the NDIA
• Manage NDIS funding and NDIS payment
• Send out statements each month on your NDIS managed services expenditures and care plan management

Support Coordinator

The purpose of a support coordinator, on the other hand, is to help you use your plan to accomplish your objectives, live more independently, develop your abilities, and participate in your community and workplace.

A reliable support coordinator will:

• Link you to community, mainstream, and other government services to assist you in understanding and implementing your NDIS plan
• Negotiate service charges and fees with NDIS managed service provider
• Make sure service agreements and reservations are completed
• Aid in developing your capacity for choice and control

Pay for plan managers comes from an exclusive fund set aside for ideal plan management. This budget for capacity building is added to your NDIS plan. These funds are independent financial administrative supports that are not part of the current plan assist or support budgets and cannot be utilised in any other way.