Add mid cost assistive technology in a plan

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) helps you add mid cost assistive technology (AT) supports in the participant’s plan.

You can also use this SOP if the participant requests replacement of a mid cost AT support. Do not use the replacement AT process in the Standard Operating Procedure – Add high cost assistive technology in a plan and include replacement AT.

Recent updates

Date	What’s changed
February 2022	Update to align with Our Guideline — Assistive technology changes for mid cost AT supports. Mid cost AT items are now between $1,500 and $15,000. Includes new procedure to use the new AT Item Budget Tool to calculate how much mid cost AT funding to include plans.
November 2021	Plan developers update the Quantity and How Often fields to reflect the amount of mid cost AT the participant needs during their plan.

Checklist

Topic	Checklist
Prerequisites	- You have:

• read and understood Our Guidelines – Assistive Technology
• received Technical Advisory Branch (TAB) advice, if needed
• checked the participant’s record for AT related interactions or inbound documents, for example written evidence, including in the ATHM tile
• determined what mid cost AT is reasonable and necessary
• determined if the participant has a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and requires AT supports. Refer to Practice Guide – Motor Neurone Disease
• spoken with the participant about their preferred plan management option
• reviewed the Participant Service Guarantee and are complying with the response timeframe related to your task
• checked the request for AT does not relate to: |

ndis’ Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Topic	Checklist
	o a primary request of a participant requested review (s 48 request)
o a primary request of a review of a Reviewable Decision (s 100 request)
o a complaint about AT supports in the Feedback tile.
Note: If the request relates to one of the above, it is your responsibility to make sure the right business area actions the request. Talk with your team leader if you need further advice.

| Actions | Q) 3.1 Find the AT Item Budget Tool QO) 3.2 Use the AT Item Budget Tool QQ) 3.3 Add mid cost AT supports in the participant’s plan U 3.4 Next steps |

Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Use the AT Item Budget Tool

Use the AT Item Budget Tool to select the correct mid cost AT code to use and the right quantity (number of units) for an AT item in a plan. You must consider all costs that may come with the AT item such as:

• delivery
• set-up/installation
• rental of a similar item due to maintenance, repairs or short term rental. You can also use this procedure to search for the benchmark price for low cost and high cost AT.

1. From 1. Search for item: Enter item name or code. Select item from dropdown list. Note: For Motor Neurone Disease type flexible in the Search for item.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

2. The result will display.

• For mid cost AT, go to step 3.
• For low cost or high cost AT, go to step 6.

3. You need to note the following information to complete the steps in section 3.3 Add mid cost AT supports in a participant’s plan:

• At 2 Use this mid cost code in the plan, note this code.
• At 3 Funding level to be added to the budget, note the amount. You will need it to choose the quantity (1, 2 or 3) when you add the AT item in the participant’s plan. You must place the amount determined by the AT Item Budget Tool into the participant’s plan for each mid cost AT item.
• At 4 Please type the following information to the comments sections in the plan, note the information. You will need it to complete the comment in the Support Calculator. Make sure the comment section includes information for all AT items if there is more than that one item.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

AT Item Budget Tool

Instructions	Related SOP and Information:
Start typing in the boxes at the left and then press enter to see a list of items matching your search term. Select the description / code that matches the equipment’s quote. Type the wording from step 4 to add the price range of the item to the plan comments.	To view supporting information for this report here.

Item Description	Item Code	Benchmark (for reference)
Bed - Electrically adjusted	05_181210811_0103_1_2	$7,589

Please note that for some AT supports, it is mandatory to obtain TAB advice before a decision is made.

Use this mid cost code in the plan

05_0001_0103_1_2: Mid Cost AT - Personal care and safety

Funding level to be added to budget

$10,000

Please type the following information to the comments sections in the plan (do not copy and paste)

Funding provisioned for Bed - Electrically adjusted With price range from $3,395 | to | $5,855 |

4. Is there more than one mid cost AT item for the participant?

• No, go to section 3.3 Add mid cost AT supports in a participant’s plan.
• Yes, repeat steps 1–3. You can copy all the information (from the AT Item Budget Tool) onto a blank Word document. This will help you see if two of the items are using the same mid cost AT support. You can not enter the same support twice. You will need to add up the total quantity and put that against the support when you enter it in the Support Calculator. There will be a comment relating to the each of the AT items covered with the support item used.

5. Go to section 3.3 Add mid cost AT supports in a participant’s plan.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

6. For low cost and high cost AT, the AT Item Budget Tool will give you the benchmark price (for reference). No information will display in 2, 3 or 4. Follow the relevant Standard Operating Procedure for that level of AT as per the alert.

• For high cost AT: refer to Standard Operating Procedure – High cost support including replacement or Standard Operating Procedure – High cost supports – No quote provided.
• For low cost AT: refer to Standard Operating Procedure – Add low cost assistive technology supports in a plan.

3.3 Add mid cost AT supports in the participant’s plan

1. Select Determine the Funded Supports from the Planning – Staff Tasks.
2. Select Capital.

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Standard Operating Procedure

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only 3. Select the Expander in the Assistive Technology price field to open the support calculator. 4. Check the support items in the Support Calculator. Items generate from the Guided Planning Questions (in TSP generated plans). Select Delete Row and remove mid cost items and items that don’t meet reasonable and necessary criteria. 5. Use the Support Calculator to add the support item using the code from the AT Item Budget Tool. Add support items for each mid cost category the participant needs. For example, if the participant needs a walker and a bed, add the mobility item and the personal care item to their plan.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

6. Complete the following fields:

• Item Type: leave blank. Do not make these items stated.
• Quote required: leave unticked.
• Quantity: The AT Item Budget Tool determines the funds in $5,000 increments. Enter the funds determined by the AT Item Budget Tool in the Quantity field. For example, if the funding level is:
  • $5,000, enter 1
  • $10,000, enter 2
  • $15,000, enter 3.
• How Often: select the option to reflect the amount of support the participant needs during their plan. For example, if the participant needs new orthotics each year, select Per Year. If the participant only needs the item once during their plan, select Once.

7. Record Comments for each support you include using the following template. Comments print on the participant’s plan and are visible in their myPlace portal. Funding for your with a price range from $xxx to $xxxx. You must contact your AT advisor to help you choose and set up the right AT for you.

8. If the funding level determined by the AT Item Budget Tool is not enough for the item based on the evidence you have been given, you will need to add more funding in the participant’s plan. Example: The participant lives in a rural area, needs a new shower commode and is going on a holiday. The new shower commode is $4700 and the AT Item Budget Tool determined $5000. The participant’s evidence shows that delivery and set up is $350. You will need to add $50 extra funding to the Assistive Technology budget to cover all reasonable and necessary costs for the participant. Refer to Standard Operating

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Procedure – Add funding for repairs, maintenance, rental and trial of assistive technology supports to add rental supports.

Note: If the item is lower cost and the determined amount has enough flexible funding for reasonable and necessary additional costs, for example short term rental, you may not need to add separate funding for short term rental.

9. Add comments based on the participant’s plan management type:

• Agency Managed: Your registered NDIS provider can claim the funds for your AT support using their provider portal without further NDIA approval.
• Plan Managed: Your Plan Manager provider can claim the funds for your AT support using their provider portal without further NDIA approval.
• Self-Managed: You can claim your AT support cost using the participant myPlace portal without further NDIA approval.

Determine the Support Needs
Support Type
Assistive Technology

Next steps

Check you include all other reasonable and necessary supports such as:

• repairs and maintenance
• short term rental
• capacity building budget for the AT advisor.

Refer to relevant Planning resources when you complete the remaining steps to develop the participant’s plan.

Related procedures or resources

• Operational Guidelines – Assistive technology
• Practice Guide – Motor Neurone Disease
• Participant Service Guarantee
• Technical Advisory Branch (TAB)

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ndis’ Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

• Factsheet — Understand assistive technology evidence, advice, assessments and quotes
• Standard Operating Procedure — Add low cost assistive technology supports in a plan
• Standard Operating Procedure — Add assistive technology capacity building supports in a plan
• Standard Operating Procedure — Add funding for repairs, maintenance, rental and trial of assistive technology supports
• Standard Operating Procedure — Add high cost assistive technology in a plan and include replacement AT
• Standard Operating Procedure — No quote provided for high cost assistive technology
• Planning resources Intranet page

Feedback

If you have any feedback about this standard operating procedure, please complete our Feedback Form.

Version control

Version	Amended by	Brief Description of Change	Status	Date
7.0	CW0032	Class One APPROVED	APPROVED	2020-11-20
The correct Mid Cost support items will show a price of $5000 in the System.
8.0	CW0032	Class 1 approved. APPROVED	APPROVED	2020-12-09
Updated links to assistive technology guidance.
9.0	CW0032	CLASS 1 APPROVED APPROVED	APPROVED	2021-09-22
Partners access the product catalogue tile from their home screen to find the benchmark price for AT supports.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Version	Amended by	Brief Description of Change	Status	Date
10.0	CW0032	Class 2 approved Clarified plan developers update the Quantity and How Often fields to reflect the amount of mid cost AT the participant needs during their plan.	APPROVED	2021-11-09
11.0	GO0002 LNL387 SM0075	Class 3 APPROVED New AT budget tool to assist with mid cost calculation of funds to place in the plan build and benchmark price for high cost AT items	APPROVED	2022-02-11
12.0	CW0032	Class 1 APPROVED Update screenshots to reflect mid cost line items in system and amendments from internal preview.	APPROVED	2022-02-24

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