What is the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is Australia’s way of funding support for people with permanent and significant disability. It is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency, and it is insurance-based rather than welfare-based: the idea is to invest early in someone’s capability so that support needs over a lifetime are lower than they would otherwise have been.

In practice, an eligible person gets an individual plan with funding attached. You choose who delivers your supports and, within the rules, how. That choice is the part people most often do not realise they have.

What the NDIS funds

The test is whether a support is reasonable and necessary. In the legislation that means it must:

What the NDIS does not fund

The last point above does a lot of work. The NDIS is not meant to replace the health, education, housing or income support systems. So it will generally not fund:

• Everyday living costs everyone has — rent, groceries, utilities
• Clinical health treatment, including most hospital and GP care — that is Medicare and the state health system
• What a school is already required to provide for a student
• Income replacement — that is the Disability Support Pension through Centrelink
• Anything likely to cause harm, or that duplicates a support already funded

Who runs what

Where Avion Care fits

We are a provider. We cannot approve your plan, change your funding or decide your eligibility — only the NDIA does that. What we can do is deliver supports once they are funded, help you prepare for a planning meeting, and be straight with you about what a plan is likely to cover.

This page is a plain-language summary written by Avion Care, not legal or official advice. The NDIA sets and changes the rules; always check ndis.gov.au for the current position, or speak to your Local Area Coordinator or an independent advocate.