For people with disabilities, transport is an essential component of their day-to-day lives. It can allow them to participate in job-seeking and work opportunities, attend appointments, social and community activities and even complete simple errands. However, there is still a lot of confusion around ndis transport funding and how it works. In this article, we will explore how to get the most out of your ndis transport funding and what options are available to you.
There are three levels of ndis transport funding that you can access: activity-based, participant, and group transportation. Each of these is typically paid fortnightly and used to provide a transport budget for participants.
Transport assistance services allow participants to travel to and from various locations using buses, taxis, private cars or specialised vehicles. It’s like having your own personal chauffeur! This type of ndis transport is best for those who need to attend medical appointments and shopping trips or who have difficulty using public transport.
This form of ndis transport is usually provided by your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) as part of their core supports. It can be claimed from your Improved Daily Living or Developing Capacity budget.
Alternatively, you can use your ndis transport funds to pay for a support worker to travel to you and assist with your activities. This is often called ‘activity based transport’ and is claimed from your Improved Daily Living or Developed Capacity budget.
Finally, if you want to learn how to drive so you can travel independently, this may be eligible for funding. It can be claimed from either your Improved Daily Living or Developing Capacity funding and falls into the category of ‘reasonable and necessary’.
If you are unsure which level of ndis transport funding you are entitled to, it is recommended that you speak with your LAC about your needs and what is reasonable for you. It’s also important to consider what your goals are and how they relate to the way you travel.
Another thing to keep in mind is that transport-related costs such as petrol prices, parking fees and road tolls are not considered a labour cost. They can be charged at a rate of $0.85 per kilometre for NDIS participants and are included in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document. Here at ShiftCare, our NDIS provider and invoicing software automatically includes these non-labour costs as a component of the total charge. You can see how this is calculated by viewing the Travel Charges tab in the NDIS Invoicing Dashboard. Alternatively, you can also use the NDIS pricing guides on their website.
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