The National Disability and Insurance Agency (NDIA) recently released the 2022/23 update to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (Price Guide). With this update, many supports will experience their biggest pricing increase to-date.

Support work prices have increased by approximately 9% which is in line with the changes to the SCHADS Award. The support areas this increase includes are:

• Assistance with self-care activities and establishment fees
• Self and plan management capacity building
• Assistance in SIL
• Assistance to access community, social and recreational activities, including group supports and establishment fees
• Supports in employment
• Psychosocial Recovery Coaching
• Tenancy support
• Life transition planning
• Individual skills development
• Transition through school and to further education
• Training for carers/parents

Although the increase may seem significant, it has been put in place to help address the cost pressures providers face.

This change may have implications for current Service Agreements clients have with their providers. If you have any questions or concerns around this, you can speak with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC), Support Coordinator or Plan Manager.

No changes have been made to Plan Management monthly fees or Support Coordination hourly rates for the third year in a row despite obvious cost increases. The exception to this is Level 1: Support Connection as this is based on the Disability Support Worker (DSW) Cost Model.

Therapies have been significantly altered, with new line items added to replace the Other Therapies support item. This means that invoices from therapy providers must be clear about which type of therapy has been provided.

On page 92/93 of this updated Price Guide, more in depth details have been added around the professional requirements for each of the therapy professions. This is a new addition and is the first step toward the NDIS seeking to regulate and ensure that therapies are only claimed by providers who are suitably qualified.

NOTE: At the moment, there are NO provisions that require Plan Managers to verify a provider’s qualifications before making payment, however, if we become aware that a provider does not hold the required qualifications, we cannot make payment.

Similarly, if we have reason to suspect that a provider is not suitably qualified, we are able to request evidence of their qualification as per the requirements within the Pricing Arrangements prior to making payment on invoices.

For more detail on the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, visit the NDIS website.