We have been using PACE - the National Disability Insurance Agency's (NDIA's) new and improved computer system for six months now.
NDIS participants who has received renewed or new NDIS plans in the last 6 months may already have noticed the changed format of the NDIS plan, as well as the conversations or requests by your plan manager or NDIS support coordinators relating to 'recording' or 'endorsing' service providers.
But what does NDIS service provider endorsement mean with pace system? Is it a necessary process to complete for NDIS PACE plans? How do you endorse a service provider?
Let's explore the entire endorsement process in detail below.
What does NDIS PACE service provider endorsement mean?
Endorsing a provider simply means that under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) a scheme participant, or their plan nominee, or child representative, or Public Guardian, endorses the providers they regularly work with by ringing the NDIS helpline on 1800 800 110 and letting them know the NDIS provider ID, ABN and provider name.
Providers who are endorsed get listed as 'my providers' on your NDIS plan portal.
Those who are endorsed get paid faster than those who aren't. Additionally, they will be able to view certain parts of your NDIS plan.
It is common to hear the terms 'endorse' and 'record' used alongside each other, but they mean the same thing!
Does every NDIS participant need to record their 'my providers'?
If you’ve got a new NDIS plan as the first time NDIS participant of the scheme or have undergone a renewal of an existing NDIS plan, it is likely that you received the new PACE NDIS plan. In such a case, if you access any of the below listed services, you will need to endorse the service providers:
Plan management
Support coordination
Psychosocial recovery coaching
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Home and living support
Behaviour support
NDIS supports categories that are NDIA managed under your pace plan.
If you have a ndis plan that is plan managed, it is important that the plan manager (such as ourselves!) must be endorsed and registered as 'my provider' to process the service provider invoices that you intend to receive support from. Without endorsing your plan managers, they cannot pay your service providers. In such a case, you do not need to endorse your other support providers.
You will not be required to record your providers if you are self-managing your supports.
Further information about the NDIA's rules regarding recording providers is included below.
How do you record ‘my providers’?
Recording ‘my providers’ is easy. By following the steps below, you can do it:
Create a list of the service providers you receive support from that you wish to add as 'my providers'. Make a note of each provider's number, their legal name, and their trading name.
Your choice of service providers to be listed as 'my providers' can also be shared during your planning meeting, or during the NDIS check-in.
If any further assistance is needed, you can seek help from your 'my NDIS' contact or you can also contact NDIS helpline on 1800 800 110.
If you want to endorse ELS Plan Manager as your plan manager, we've made it easy for you! Simply ring us or complete this simple form and give it to your 'My NDIS’ contact.
When you record your 'my providers', they'll remain on your plan until you make a change. Adding or removing a 'my provider' can be done by talking to your 'my NDIS' contact or by contacting the NDIS national contact center.
What does this mean for service bookings?
Those who used the NDIA's 'old' computer system will likely be familiar with the practice of setting aside funding to cover the supports your provider agrees to provide when you book services.
PACE is different than before, but these changes are designed to simplify participants' lives.
The NDIA says service bookings are no longer necessary once your plan is added to the PACE computer system. Any provider associated with your current bookings (except those that deliver SDA, home and living supports, and behavior supports) will automatically be encoded as 'my provider', allowing claims to be processed more easily.
To read more about endorsing 'my providers', additional resources are available
The NDIA has created resources to help participants record their ‘my providers’. The resources are accessible online and include:
Let us help you
It’s important to remember PACE is a new NDIS system and it’s evolving – which means there are plenty of changes happening! By regularly visiting our PACE FAQs web page, you can stay informed about what's coming.
If you’ve got a PACE question, we’re here to help. You can email us at planmanager@elsaustralia.org or call us on 1300 323 399 from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.
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