Below is a summary of the NDIS Price Guide or Support Catalog (now “Pricing Arrangements”) changes released 1 July 2021. You can read more on the NDIA website on the following url: https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-arrangements.
Updated pricelist is already available in Brevity instances – a new price list has been added ‘NDIS JUL-21’.
Summary of NDIS Price Guide or Pricing Arrangements Changes
Price Limit Increases
In line with increases from 1 July 2021 to the super guarantee percentage from 9.5% to 10%, Fair Work Commission 2.5% increase in the minimum wage, and 1.1% CPI increase, price limits have been adjusted accordingly.
Temporary Transformation Payments (TTP)
The Temporary Transformation Payment (TTP) loading has been reduced by 1.5%, from 6% to 4.5%, as planned.
PRODA Participant Plan Budgets
NDIS have indicated there will not be any general increases to participant plan budgets. This needs to be considered when applying the new pricelist as it will mean less number of hours available to provide services.
National Pricing Alignment
Apart from the line items below, pricing has now been aligned for all other line items across all states, with the exception of remote and very remote areas.
01_700_0118_1_3 Capacity Building Supports For Early Childhood Interventions -Psychology
01_701_0128_1_3 Assessment Recommendation Therapy And/or Training (Incl. AT) -Psychology
01_720_0118_1_3 Capacity Building Supports For Early Childhood Interventions -Physiotherapy
01_721_0128_1_3 Assessment Recommendation Therapy And/or Training (Incl. AT) -Physiotherapy
11_022_0110_7_3 Specialist Behavioural Intervention Support
15_001_0118_1_3 Capacity Building Supports For Early Childhood Interventions -Psychology
15_003_0118_1_3 Capacity Building Supports For Early Childhood Interventions -Physiotherapy
15_054_0128_1_3 Assessment Recommendation Therapy And/or Training (Incl. AT) -Psychology
15_055_0128_1_3 Assessment Recommendation Therapy And/or Training (Incl. AT) -Physiotherapy
Group-based Supports
NDIS has extended the transition to the new program of supports approach for a further 12 months to allow providers more time to adopt the new model and agree the new arrangements with participants. This helps reduce the administrative burden of the new pricing arrangements for participants currently receiving these types of services.
Provider Prepayments
Providers can now claim prepayments for some supports without written approval from the NDIA. Prepayments allow for deposit to be taken for the purchase of customised or high cost supports, subject to the conditions listed in NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Claiming for more than one worker or therapist
NDIS has clarified the rules for claiming for more than one worker or therapist on a shift at the same time. If a participant needs assistance from more than 1 worker or therapist at the same time, providers can claim for everyone’s time. For example:
- ‘Shadow shifts’ to allow new workers to be introduced to a participant who has complex individual support needs.
- Supervision of, or specific training for, therapy assistants by the supervising therapist as part of the handover of the support delivery.
- A case conference between therapists about the specific support needs of a participant.
Australian Business Numbers (ABN) and plan-managed payment requests
Plan managers must include the ABN of service providers when making payment requests for plan-managed services and supports. This is not required if you provide direct supports and are not the plan manager for the participant.
Claiming for support items with no price limit
Where a support item does not have a price limit, providers can calculate claims using the ‘notional’ unit price listed in the NDIS Support Catalogue and the NDIS Assistive Technology, Home Modifications and Consumables Code Guide (Code Guide).
To enable consistent claiming across a number of supports, where a support has a notional unit price, it is now set at $1.
The Support Catalogue and the Code Guide now include the notional $1 unit price for the following supports:
- Provider travel – non-labour costs
- Activity based transport
- AT repairs and maintenance
- AT rental (including deactivated supports)
- Low cost AT
- AT delivery (including deactivated supports)
- Assistance with daily life tasks in residential aged care
- Incontinence alarms.
Examples of how to calculate a claim using the notional unit price are included in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
