Due to the recent bushfires across the country NDIS has advised the following should you be affected.

Urgent Assistive Technology repairs

To make sure participants can access urgent repairs for their Assistive Technology (AT) supports even when they don’t have funding in their plan, the Contact Centre can provide authorisation for funds over the phone.

Repairs and maintenance of AT is included in a participant’s NDIS budget where they are funded for AT supports. If there is no funding available for an urgent repair, the Contact Centre can provide an authorisation number over the phone to ensure participants can access the support they need and providers are paid appropriately.

Urgent repairs include repairs to equipment the participant is dependent on for safety, mobility, communication, or activities of daily living (e.g. showering). Generally out of hours repairs should be limited to making the AT safe and usable.

Repairing AT damaged in a natural disaster will be classified as an urgent repair. This extends to hiring a replacement item where needed (e.g. the AT is destroyed or significantly damaged) until a more permanent solution is available.

If a participant needs an urgent repair to their AT supports, and does not have funding available in their NDIS budget, the following action should be taken:

Agency-managed participants

• Providers should always try to complete a service booking for an urgent repair.
• If this doesn’t work, the provider should call the Contact Centre on 1800 800 110 to seek a pre-claim authorisation approval. Providers will need the participant’s name, NDIS number, and date of birth to gain authorisation.
• If a repair is required outside of Contact Centre hours (8am to 8pm), a repair can be made to make the AT safe and usable or an alternative support hired. Approval for further repair, and/or a pre-claim authorisation can be provided on the next business day.

Self-managed participants

• Participants should pay the provider for urgent repairs directly and then claim against their plan.
• If there isn’t sufficient funding available in their budget, call the Contact Centre on 1800 800 110 for assistance.

Plan-managed participants

• The participant’s registered plan management provider can pay the AT provider for urgent repairs and claim against the plan.
• If there isn’t sufficient funding available in their budget, call the Contact Centre on 1800 800 110 for assistance.

For more information please read the full article here.