NDIA Accountability Project

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Guide – Hearing supports appendix A – Funding responsibilities

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Guide – Hearing supports appendix A – Funding responsibilities

The contents of this document are OFFICIAL.

This article provides guidance for a planner delegate, internal review delegate, complex support needs (CSN) planner, national reassessment delegate and local area coordinator to:

  • understand funding responsibilities for hearing supports.

Recent updates

October 2023

This guidance comes from the Practice Guide – Hearing supports. We’ve made minor updates to change any NDIS Business System language to PACE language. We’ll make improvements to this guidance in the future.

Before you start

You have read and understood:

  • Our Guideline – Reasonable and necessary support [external]
  • Our Guideline – Assistive technology [external]
  • article Guide – Assisting communication
  • article Guide – Hearing supports.

Funding responsibilities

Use this list as a guide to help you understand the responsibility of other government and broader systems of support services. We call these mainstream and community services.

Assessment fittings and devices

Supports generally funded by the NDIS

We’ll fund hearing supports that meet the NDIS funding criteria when the participant is not eligible for the Hearing Services Program (HSP).

Supports generally funded by mainstream and community services

If the participant is eligible for the HSP, it’s more appropriate for assessment fittings and devices to be funded under the HSP.

Speech Processor upgrades Supports generally funded by the NDIS If the participant is older than 26, we may fund speech processor upgrades if the support meets the NDIS funding criteria. This doesn’t include the initial speech processor. Note: You need to get advice from the Technical Advisory Branch (TAB) for speech processor upgrades. Supports generally funded by mainstream and community services Speech processor upgrades are generally provided under the Community Services Obligation component of the Hearing Services Program for participants under 26 years of age.

Remote Microphone systems Supports generally funded by the NDIS We’ll generally fund this support if it meets the NDIS funding criteria and the participant is not eligible for the Community Services Obligation (CSO). Supports generally funded by mainstream and community services If the participant is eligible for the HSP, it’s more appropriate for remote microphone systems to be funded under the HSP.

Waterproof covers for cochlear implants Supports generally funded by the NDIS We’ll generally fund this support if it meets the NDIS funding criteria and there is evidence the participant takes part in water activities. The cochlear aqua accessory is a lower cost alternative to the cochlear aqua plus accessory. Supports generally funded by mainstream and community services This support isn’t generally funded by mainstream and community services.

Work related modifications or assistive technology Supports generally funded by the NDIS We’ll generally fund hearing devices and supports related to daily living that a person would need in their day-to-day life regardless of the activity. Supports generally funded by mainstream and community services

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FOI-3 23/24-0648

It’s more appropriate for work related modifications or equipment to be funded by the Employment Assistance Fund (external) via Job Access (external). This may include workplace specific:

  • modification such as visual alerts
  • assistive technology such as specialised phones, amplified stethoscopes and interactive whiteboards
  • communication support such as Deaf awareness training, Auslan interpreters or live captioning.

Supports generally funded by the NDIS We’ll generally fund hearing devices and supports related to daily living that a person would need in their day-to-day life regardless of the activity.

Supports generally funded by mainstream and community services

It’s more appropriate for education specific supports to be funded by mainstream and community services. This may include education specific:

  • modification such as visual alerts
  • assistive technology such as specialised phones, amplified stethoscopes and interactive whiteboards
  • communication support such as Deaf awareness training, Auslan interpreters or live captioning.

Next steps

  1. Add NDIS funded hearing supports to the participant plan, refer to article Add or update hearing supports in a plan approval case.
Article topics and case names – internal use only

Topics This article relates to the following topics:

  • Add: t_assistivetechnology
  • Add: t_communication
  • Add: t_hearing

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Case names

You can use this guidance for the:

  • Add: dc_case_checkin
  • Add: dc_case_earlysupports
  • Add: dc_case_internalreview
  • Add: dc_case_participantbudgetupdate
  • Add: dc_case_planapproval
  • Add: dc_case_planchange
  • Add: dc_case_planimplementation
  • Add: dc_case_requestforservice
  • Add: dc_case_technicaladvice

Version control

Version Amended by Brief Description of Change Status Date
1.0 CS0074 Class 1 approval APPROVED 2022-11-18
1.1 MGC723 Updated to make sure content is transferred from PG — Hearing supports DRAFT 2023-09-14
1.2 BTM847 Peer review DRAFT 2023-09-28
1.3 MGC723 Action peer review and add links DRAFT 2023-09-28
2.0 JSO0082 Class 1 Approval APPROVED 2023-09-28

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