“Hi, I’m calling for your NDIS plan meeting. How are you?,” sounds a voice over the phone.
NDIS, plan, and meeting are three innocent words on their own, but when linked together they can send a spike in your heart’s beats per minute and make your knuckles turn white.
Preparing for your annual NDIS plan meeting can sometimes feel like preparing for the most important yet unpreparable exam. Plus there’s the emotional effort that comes with these meetings, as comedian Oliver Hunter on ABC’s The Drum in March explained “going to these meetings, we’re always sort of getting ready to battle and fight...for our rights or advocate for ourselves.”
In plan meetings you’re asked what supports you require, what goals you have for the next year, what equipment you might need, and will you need maintenance on said equipment. Plus more important questions about your disability support needs.
But how does anyone know what they’ll be doing in 12 months time? Do you know? Anyone!? Please tell me. I’ll take notes.
My disability causes my muscles to weaken overtime, albeit at various rates, which means a lot can happen and change in a year. And like most 26-year-olds, at my best, I might have a vague plan for the month ahead. At other times I don’t know what I’m having for dinner. As such, plan meetings can sometimes feel like a challenge - and when COVID is thrown into the mix, there’s a whole new layer of uncertainty.
So, in the starry anxious midst of my recent NDIS plan meeting, I wanted to find out how others deal with their NDIS plan meetings, what tips they might have, and words of wisdom.
Firstly, I turn to writer and mother Melanie Dimmitt. Melanie’s five-year-old son, Arlo, is an NDIS participant who, she says, “needs a fair bit of therapy and kit.”
“We’ve been lucky to have a lot of ‘light-touch reviews’ on his plan, so have only had to do three planning meetings, and our last one, thanks to COVID, was over the phone,” Mel explains.
“Nevertheless, the preparation that goes into these meetings is epic. So many reports, so much wishing for a crystal ball. Kids change a lot when they’re little, so it’s impossible to know what Arlo will need for an entire year. Much less two or three years, a timeframe I’ve heard the NDIA is keen to stretch our plans out to.”
Even though yearly, or potentially bi-annually, every plan meeting you have, you are asked to organise reports from doctors, allied health professionals, and others to support your NDIS claim. It can become a heck of a task when you need to book appointments, attend, ask specialists to write reports, while managing work, school, life… but this admin is vital for securing the funds - and supports - we require.
Melanie says that “Arlo has a legendary team of therapists around him who we trust to expertly predict what he’ll need, and when unexpected things come up, we call on them to help us get those ‘light-touch’ reviews.”
Next, I turn to Hireup’s corporate and public affairs advisor Elie El-Khoury Antonios, who practically eats NDIS for breakfast. He knows the ins and outs of the system, and he has also had his own personal experience with NDIS plan meetings. If anyone has hot tips, it’s this guy.
Elie says working closely with his allied health team is key to setting goals for the year ahead. “When it comes time for my plan review, I work closely with my physiotherapist, occupational therapist and support workers to prepare reports that outline my goals and needs for the year.”
But Elie’s golden point of advice to having “a positive plan meeting experience” is to have “a support person attend the meeting as well.”
"Usually, I have a support person attend these meetings with me to discuss any concerns or questions they have about my plan and the supports I require,” he adds.
So, to break it all down. Whether it's your first plan meeting or fifth, it's important to be clear on what your individual plans are for the 12 months ahead, but know that you can lean on your team of therapists or specialists to help predict what you might need in the near future - and hopefully this will help reduce that spike in your heart’s beats per minute.
For quick NDIS plan meeting tips, check below:
- Obtain quotes and assessments from your service providers early
- Have a support person with you in the meeting
- Think about what goals you want to achieve and what supports you need to achieve these
- You can request changes to your plan before the 12 month deadline including for Assistive Technology
Ready to find disability support workers on Hireup?
Check out what supports you can receive on Hireup and how Hireup works with your funding.
Get started with supports on Hireup today.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
