Engaging a Plan Manager can help to build your confidence and remove any stress you may have about managing the financial and administrative obligations of your NDIS plan. So, what steps can you take to engage and work successfully with a Plan Manager?
NDIS Plan Management Step 1: Engaging a Plan Manager
Once you’ve been approved for Plan Management in your NDIS plan, the NDIS will fully fund you. This covers a one-time set-up fee (for every plan) and twelve instalments of a monthly processing fee. Plan Management funding is provided in addition to your other supports, so you won’t pay any additional expenses. You can apply for this funding with each plan review. Just make sure you request to have ‘Improved Life Choices’ included in your NDIS plan.
At the end of your planning meeting, you’ll be asked to specify your preferred option for managing your plan. To make things easy, we’ve created a Referral Form for First2Care Plan Management that you can give to your planner.
NDIS Plan Management Step 2: Working with Your Plan Manager
Your First2Care Plan Manager will available to talk with you over the phone, via email or face-to-face, five days a week (weekends by appointment). If ever there’s a time your Plan Manager is away or sick, our friendly First2Care team members will be happy to help you.
Your Plan Manager will work through your plan with you, helping you to understand what the support categories mean and how to maximise your available funding. And if you have any questions – just ask!
If you have a preferred means in which you’d like to communicate, we can adapt our approach to meet your disability needs, using a range of communication styles, services and aids.
NDIS Plan Management Step 3: Tracking your NDIS budgets and spending
Your Plan Manager will oversee your budgets and make sure there are always funds available when you need them. It’s our job to keep you on the right track with your spending. To help with this, we have developed our First2Care Plan Magic online portal to help us deliver financial services in true partnership with you. You can login via a portal at any time to check the status of your budget, update your profile, load documents and input your goals.
Our First2Care team will upload all your invoices, service agreements, and payee details in the First2Care Plan Magic online portal ready for you to view and approve.
NDIS Plan Management Step 4: Processing invoices and payments
Life’s too short to spend it paying bills. Your Plan Manager will pay your providers for you, so you don’t have to. Even with a Plan Manager, you’re still the decision maker. Using the First2Care Plan Magic online portal, you can review and approve all invoices before payment. You can also use the platform to compare invoices with your service provider invoices, to make sure you’re being invoiced correctly.
Once we have received your invoice and checked the details are correct, we’ll process it. Processing is currently two business days, and we are well on our way towards achieving our goal of same day processing.
Your Plan Manager can reimburse you for any out-of-pocket purchases that are funded in your NDIS plan upon receiving a complying tax invoice receipt. You’ll need to provide a tax receipt of your purchases, and your bank BSB and account number for the money to be paid into. These bank account and provider details go through further validation processes upon initial setup with third party tools to ensure the funds are being directed to the correct entity. You may also need to provide a description of the purchased item if it is not clear on the receipt, or if you need to demonstrate how your purchase relates to your disability.
First2Care can help you say goodbye to the stress of financial management, and hello to living life the way you want
First2Care is a registered NDIS Plan Management provider with more than 30 years experience in the financial management industry. First2Care is solely focused on Plan Management, meaning we will always put you first. We aim to reduce the financial and administrative stress of managing your NDIS plan, so you can focus your attention where it matters – you.
We believe in giving our Plan Managed participants the specialised attention and advice they deserve, to empower them to build their confidence, skills and to achieve their goals.
Read more about the benefits of working with an independent, professional Plan Manager. Alternatively, contact our friendly team on 1300 322 273 or support@first2care.com.au.