NDIA Annual Report 2018-2019
2019 was a year of significant growth for the NDIS. Almost 300,000 participants are now in the Scheme. 100,000 of these participants are receiving supports for the first time. This is a 10-fold uplift from just over 30,000 participants who had a plan at the beginning of Transition on 1 July 2016. It is projected that the scheme will continue to grow rapidly. By 30 June 2023 it is expected that the scheme will reach about 500,000 participants. Scheme costs for all participants are projected to be about 0.9 per cent of GDP for 2019–20 and 1.4 per cent for 2029–30.
The NDIA knows that disability service providers are central to the quality of the participant experience. As this new market for disability supports under the NDIS grows and evolves, ensuring an adequate supply of quality providers is critical. The NDIA have already taken measures to ensure providers can offer participants services that increase their choice and control. These measures include:
Releasing enhanced information through the NDIS demand map
Providing up to date forecasts of NDIS demand by postcode across Australia
Providing data on market demand in the COAG Quarterly Reports
Creating the Provider Finder which helps connect participants to providers
Releasing refreshed data cubes that allow providers to undertake their own analyses.
An analysis is being undertaken by the NDIA to better understand the causes of lower participant budget utilisation[1]. The Chairman and CEO are discussing specific state and regional data to develop action plans to address this issue. As a background to those discussions, the NDIA has released more granular information in the COAG Quarterly Report.
The Annual Report highlights the impact of the Scheme on participants’ lives through improved outcomes. The NDIA aims to strengthen the outcomes focus of the Participant Pathway Review. This will improve participant satisfaction, and enable individuals to reach their goals. It will also increase the consistency and reliability of access and plan budget decisions.
The NDIA introduced the reference package and guided planning process. This will better align a participant's support package with their level of function. It will ensure that the right assessment questions and tools are being used to inform plan decisions.
The agency is facing some sustainability pressures relating to operational challenges. These include:
“Scheme coverage scope creep”. The Scheme is facing many pressures in entry and funding decisions. For example, how it interfaces with mainstream services, and community and informal supports. This is testing the boundaries of who can access the Scheme and what makes up “reasonable and necessary” supports. These cost pressures will require management responses so that the Scheme does not become a “funder of last resort.” This is relevant where other arrangements may be better suited to provide the required supports.
Participant cost pressures. Plan budgets and support payments continue to grow by more than expected. This is due to normal inflation and ageing. The support costs for participants in supported independent living are an example. This competent of the scheme is continuing to increase above normal inflation. Management of these cost pressures, while ensuring participant outcomes, will be important for financial sustainability.
To find our more, Arahni Sont, has written a 14 page Blog which is an extract of The NDIA 2018-19 Annual Report of 182 pages. In the Blog Arahni discusses:
The underspend of $4 billion/ underutilisation of participants’ plan budgets
The high number of “Non-active” service providers
The integrity of the data
The challenge of “scheme coverage scope creep”
Participant cost pressures.
[1] Utilisation of plans has been steadily increasing since the start of the Scheme’s transition period, from 68 per cent for the 2016–17 support year and 70 per cent for the 2017–18 support year. An ultimate utilisation rate of 72 per cent is projected for the 2018–19 support year.
Workforce Statistics – Appendix I