Going on a short or extended holiday has great benefits. It’s a great way to recover from stress, meet new people or gain new experiences. But what about NDIS holiday funding? Will the NDIS pay for your holiday? And what happens to your NDIS plan if you go on your holiday overseas?
In this article, we’ll tackle all this and share some important info to make sure your trip is fun and stress-free!
Will the NDIS fund my holiday?
The NDIS funds a wide range of supports and services that are reasonable and necessary. To pass the “reasonable and necessary” test, the support or service:
- must be related to a participant’s disability
- must not include day-to-day living costs not related to your disability support needs
- should represent value for money
- must be likely to be effective and work for the participant, and
- should take into account support given to you by others, for example the government, your family or your community
Travelling or going on holiday may support the goals in your approved plan. However, the NDIS will generally NOT fund costs that are not directly related to your disability. This includes plane tickets, hotel accommodation, food, entrance fees to entertainment venues and similar holiday-related expenses. These are costs that you will have to pay for privately.
What can the NDIS fund when I go on holiday?
You may need extra support to go on holiday because of the effects of your disability. You can then use your NDIS funding to pay for the disability supports and services you may need.
For example, you may need a support worker to accompany you so you can travel safely and provide assistance with your personal care needs. You can use your NDIS funding, specifically your Core Supports budget, to pay for their time.
Make sure to check your service agreement with your chosen provider, as well as your existing funding, as public holiday rates will most likely be higher.
Depending on your goals and approved funding, other supports that the NDIS may fund include:
- Specialised equipment or modification to equipment
- Transport supports when you can’t use public transport due to your disability and you need to pay a significantly higher amount for transport, e.g. when hiring an accessible vehicle or modifying your private car
Can I go on holiday overseas?
Under the NDIS, if you have a plan in effect, you can be outside of Australia without affecting your plan. This is known as the grace period. The NDIS grace period is generally six weeks, starting on the day you leave Australia.
If you remain overseas beyond the grace period, your NDIS plan will be suspended until you return.
You can request for an extension of the grace period, but only under certain circumstances. For example, you may be prevented from returning to Australia due to reasons beyond your control, such as serious illness, hospitalisation or a natural disaster.
If you will be gone for longer than six weeks, inform your Local Area Coordinator, Support Coordinator, Plan Manager or the NDIA to check if an extension can be granted to you and what documents you need to prepare to support your request.
Ready to go on holiday?
Before packing up your bags, make sure to speak first with your Local Area Coordinator, Support Coordinator or Plan Manager to discuss your support or service options.
It pays to get expert advice. You’ll want to make sure that your disability-related expenses will be covered by your funding. That way, you can just focus on relaxing!
Support from Afea Care Services
Whether you have questions around NDIS holiday funding or simply looking for support at home and in the community:
- Afea Carers can provide a variety of support, anything from complex care, mental health support, domestic assistance or 24/7 support at our Supported Independent Living homes.
- Afea’s Support Coordination team (formerly Inebura) can connect you with providers for the supports you’re funded for in your NDIS plan.
- Our Plan Management team (formerly Inebura) can help you keep track of your NDIS funding and give financial advice with regards to your plan.
