Plan Reviews, Part 2 of 3

What happens during a plan assessment?

So, you have prepared for your plan review, collected all of your service provider reports and the day has finally arrived for your review.

If you are having a formal review to discuss any your current plan and any modifications that you would like to make, then your meeting will be with your Local Area Coordinator (or LAC). If the NDIS plan is for a child under the age of seven, then the meeting will be with an Early Childhood Partner or ECP.

It’s important to remember that each plan review will be slightly different depending on your individual circumstances.

But here is a general overview of what might be discussed during your next NDIS plan review…

Usually the first topic of conversation will be discussing what your current situation looks like (it’s important to point out any changes that may have occurred since your plan was put in place).

Remember, the purpose of a plan review is to reassert where and why you need NDIS support.

It is important to note how the supports and funding provided in your current NDIS plan have helped you to achieve or make some progress towards your goals. This emphasises to the LAC or ECP how important it is that you receive NDIS support in the future. Discussing this will also help the LAC or ECP to understand and measure how successful or unsuccessful your plan has been. And hopefully, it will help them to understand what sort of changes would be helpful when putting together your next plan.

You should also let your LAC or ECP know what sort of goals you would like to achieve with your next plan. It is perfectly okay to keep all of your current goals or to make a few adjustments here and there. It is equally okay to crease a whole new set of goals if your circumstances have changed significantly.

It would also be helpful to let your reviewer know if you feel that you need more or less funding in a certain category of your plan. For the average participant, it can be difficult to work out what sort of changes are necessary with funding. If you are unsure, reach out to your therapists, assistive technology (AT) suppliers, support workers, and other service providers and ask what they recommend.

As mentioned in our previous article, we recommend considering the following before your plan review:

· What worked well in your plan?

· What didn’t work well?

· What progress have you made towards your goals?

· Do you want to continue to pursue the same goals in your current plan or would you like to make some changes?

· Is there someone new who can help you pursue your goals?

· Do you need NDIS support in the future?

· Are you happy with how you plan funding is managed or would you like to change this?

These are helpful talking points for you to bring up during your review. Perhaps not all of these will apply to you personally – but this a great place to start to ensure that you have considered all of the information that might be helpful to take to your LAC or ECP.

Generally, once your have finished discussing what you want in your next plan, the LAC or ECP will organise for the new plan to be reviewed and approved by the NDIA. After approval, the plan details and funding will be updated in your NDIS myplace participant portal, and you will receive a copy of your new plan.

It is important to remember that your new plan and funding will replace all of your existing funding, so any unused funding will be ‘lost’.

If you feel overwhelmed about the process of having a plan review, we hear you! It can be intimidating to meet with an LAC or an ECP, especially considering they will be making decisions about your funding. The best solution is to prepare well and take a trusted person with you (whether that’s a friend, family member, or support worker) to provide support.