Frequently Asked Questions

What Health Supports Does NDIS Fund?

The NDIS describes a disability-related health support as a 'support you may need to help you manage a health condition directly because of your disability'. This means that the NDIS is not meant to replace the health care (or Medicare) system, it is designed to help you manage health related conditions if your disability means you can’t do this on your own. The NDIS uses the 'reasonable and necessary' guidelines to determine if you need health related supports, but fundamentally, it's about whether there is a direct link between the disability-related health support and your disability.

What Type of Health Supports Might Be Funded Under NDIS?

The NDIS provides this example of disability-related health supports that they may fund:

• funding for someone, such as a support worker, to provide your disability-related health supports

• training for your support workers or other people who support you such as family or friends

• consumables – the things you use. For example, continence products like catheter bags, pads, bottles and straps.

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The NDIS also may fund some types of assistive technology if it is determined as a disability-related health support, such as:

• pressure care cushions or mattress, if you need regular care to prevent wounds or pressure sores because of your disability

• a cough assist machine, if you need support to maintain your respiratory health because of your disability.

What Are The Disability-Related Health Support Areas?

The NDIS describes the following areas as disability-related health supports that they fund:

• Dysphagia supports: if you have trouble eating, drinking or swallowing on a daily basis.

• Respiratory supports: if you need support, care and planning to help you breathe and maintain respiratory health where this is compromised.

• Nutrition supports: if you need help with the way you eat or understanding the food you need.

• Diabetes management supports: if you need extra help to manage your diabetes, for example, testing your blood sugar level because you are unable to do this on your own due to the functional impact of your disability.

• Continence supports: if you need products to maintain your continence or someone to help you with toileting on a daily basis.

• Wound and pressure care supports: if you have slow to heal wounds, a condition that results in swollen arms or legs, or ongoing loss of feeling in your body or arms or legs, and you need regular skin, wound and pressure care.

• Podiatry supports: if you need assessment and development of a care plan to help look after your feet, ankles and lower limbs.

• Epilepsy supports: if you need help to monitor and manage seizures when they occur.