Support categories and PACE.

There are changes taking place within the NDIS. These include a new computer system (called PACE), some new processes and additional NDIS support categories.

The new PACE system is already rolling out to people getting their first NDIS Plan. Existing participants will move to the new system at the time of your next plan reassessment.

Young man siting on a couch in a loungeroom smiling at the camera
Young man siting on a couch in a loungeroom smiling at the camera

A guide to NDIS supports and PACE.

Recent changes to the NDIS and the introduction of PACE means some of these categories are changing.

The funding in your NDIS Plan is divided into budgets which are sometimes called NDIS support categories or NDIS budget categories.

It’s important to note that there are some differences in the categories depending on whether you’re on an original/legacy NDIS Plan or an NDIS PACE plan.

Wondering how the changes may affect your child? Take a look at the dedicated PACE and parents page for more details.

PACE changes to NDIS support categories.

When you transition to the PACE system, you will notice some changes to support categories. While most support categories remain the same, there are some new supports and names have changed for others.

Under Core supports, there is one new support category:

  • Home and living: Covers supports to help you live as independently as possible.

Under Capital supports, there are two new support categories:

  • Assistive Technology, maintenance, repair and rental
  • Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).

Under Capacity Building, there is one new category and several category names are changing:

  • New support category: Behaviour support – This includes specialist behavioural intervention supports to help improve your quality of life.
  • Support coordination is renamed to Support coordination and psychosocial recovery coach
  • Improved relationships is renamed to Relationships
  • Improved health and wellbeing is renamed to Health and wellbeing
  • Improved learning is renamed to Lifelong learning
  • Improved life choices is renamed to Choice and control – This is where you can find your plan management funding.

 

New: Recurring supports.

These are supports the NDIS pays to you directly on a regular basis. This means you don’t need to make a claim for these supports.

Currently, the only recurring category is Transport – this funding is for everyday transport needs.

 

Top tip: The new support categories are all stated supports. A stated support is funding in your NDIS Plan that is allocated for a specific support or service. The funding cannot be used for any item other than the one specified.

Four adults, one male and three females, in a group all laughing together
Four adults, one male and three females, in a group all laughing together

New support types.

Home and living supports.

Home and living is a new support category under Core supports. It covers a range of stated supports that can help you live more independently. There is no flexibility with stated supports. They are restricted to using the funding as described in your plan.

Home and living supports include:

  • Supported Independent Living (SIL)
  • Medium term accommodation
  • Individualised living options (ILO)
  • Assistance with daily life tasks provided in a residential aged care facility.

 

Assistive technology maintenance, repair and rental.

Assistive technology maintenance, repair and rental is a new support category under Capital supports. This new support category splits maintenance, repair and rental off from the existing Assistive technology support category.

If you have assistive technology (AT) funding in your plan, you are likely to have some funding in this category. It covers short-term rental and trial of AT as well as repair and maintenance costs.

It is a stated support so must be used in the way described in your NDIS Plan.

 

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).

SDA is a new support category under Capital supports. This stated support is used to fund a specially designed house for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.

 

Behaviour support.

This new support category under Capacity Building supports is designed to help individuals develop behavioural management strategies to reduce behaviours of concern. This includes specialist behavioural intervention supports to help improve quality of life.

Flexible Core supports.

The new-look NDIS plans will have more flexibility. When your funding is flexible, you can use it to buy supports from other flexible support categories, as long as they have the same fund
management type. For example, if all your Core support funding is plan managed.

Under the current system, plans have separate amounts listed for each support item under Core supports.

New plans will have the Core supports budget listed as a total figure to use flexibly across:

  • Assistance with daily living
  • Social and community participation
  • Consumables.

This flexibility does not include transport supports. Make sure you check your plan to see if your funding for these support categories is described as flexible or stated. Stated Core supports such as Supported Independent Living (SIL), Medium Term Accommodation (MTA) and Individualised Living Options (ILO) cannot be used flexibly.

If you’d like more information about PACE, check out our PACE FAQs.