NDIA Accountability Project

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Add funding for repairs, maintenance, rental and trial of assistive technology supports

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ndis’ Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

The contents of this document are OFFICIAL.

Add funding for repairs, maintenance, rental and trial of assistive technology supports

This Standard Operating Procedure will help you to add funding for repairs, maintenance, rental and trial of the participant’s assistive technology (AT).

1. Recent updates

Date What’s changed
February 2022 Update to align with Our Guideline – Assistive technology changes for mid cost AT supports.
New procedure to add funding for short term rental for AT up to $15,000. This includes temporary rental if the participant is on holiday or if their AT is not available because of repair. There is no quote required.
September 2020 New SOP format to align with Operational Guidelines refresh. SOPs include process information only. Use Operational Guidelines to help you make decisions and refer to Related procedures or resources.

2. 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 any AT interactions or inbound documents, including in the ATHM tile
  • discussed with the participant their preferred plan management option
  • checked if the participant has a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND). For information about rental and trial of AT for participants with a diagnosis of MND refer to Practice Guide – Motor Neurone Disease. |

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ndis’ Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Checklist

  • checked if the participant’s AT request relates to:
    • a primary request of a participant requested review (s 48 request)
    • a primary request of a review of a Reviewable Decision (s 100 request)
    • 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

  • 3.1 Calculate funding for minor repairs, maintenance, trial and short-term rental
  • 3.2 Add funding for repairs and maintenance
  • 3.3 Add funding for rental of AT supports
  • 3.4 Add funding for trial of AT supports
  • 3.5 Next steps

Procedure

3.1 Calculate funding for minor repairs, maintenance, trial and short-term rental

  1. Calculate the amount of funding the participant needs for minor repairs, maintenance, trial and short-term rental of the participant’s AT supports using:
    • 3.1.1 Calculate funding for minor repairs and maintenance
    • 3.1.2 Calculate funding for short-term rental
    • 3.1.3 Calculate funding for minor trial
3.1.1 Calculate funding for minor repairs and maintenance.
  1. Talk to the participant about the minor repairs and maintenance they may need for their AT equipment. You can use their past experience as a guide for the amount of funding they may need. If you are unsure refer to Fact sheet — Assistive technology — Guide for annual repairs and maintenance funding. You can also discuss with your team leader
  2. Identify all the participant’s AT items.
  3. Calculate the annual cost of any minor repairs and maintenance for all their AT items. Use information from your conversation with the participant or the Fact sheet — Assistive technology — Guide for annual repairs and maintenance funding.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. Adjust this amount to reflect the length of the participant’s plan. For example, if it is a 36 month plan multiply the annual amount for minor repairs and maintenance by 3.
  2. Go to 3.2 Add funding for repairs and maintenance.

Calculate funding for short-term rental

Requests for short-term rental may come from the participant, or from evidence provided by their assistive technology advisor or assessor. Use the evidence they provide to decide the amount of funding needed. If you do not have evidence refer to Fact sheet - Assistive Technology - Guide for minor trial and rental funding. You can also discuss with your team leader.

  1. Calculate the annual cost of any short-term temporary rental for all their AT items. Use information from the assistive technology advisor or assessor and your conversation with the participant. You can also refer to Fact sheet - Assistive Technology - Guide for minor trial and rental funding.
  2. Adjust the amount to reflect the participant’s plan duration, if needed. For example, if the participant will need short term rental each year and the plan is 24 months, multiply the yearly amount for short-term rental by 2.
  3. Check if there are enough flexible funds in the participant’s assistive technology budget for their rental needs. You need to add extra funding for temporary rental if there is not enough for their reasonable and necessary rental needs. For example, they may need short term AT rental when on holiday or when their AT is not available because of repair.
  4. Go to 3.3 Add funding for rental of AT supports.

Calculate funding for minor trial

  1. You may receive requests for minor trials from participants to help them and their assistive technology advisors or assessors prepare evidence to request mid and high cost AT supports. Use the evidence they provide to decide the amount of funding they need for the trial. If you do not receive this information refer to Fact sheet - Assistive Technology - Guide for minor trial and rental funding.
  2. Check if there are enough flexible funds in the participant’s assistive technology budget for their AT trial needs. You need to add additional funding for AT trial if there is not enough for their reasonable and necessary trial needs.
  3. Go to 3.3 Add funding for trial of AT supports.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Add funding for repairs and maintenance

Add funding for minor repairs and maintenance (up to $1,500)

You add funding for minor repairs and maintenance supports differently depending on how the participant has chosen to manage their AT supports:

  • For self-managed or plan-managed supports add the total amount of funding as Low Cost AT supports using the Standard Operating Procedure – Assistive Technology - Low Cost.
  • For Agency managed supports continue to step 1.

  1. Calculate the funding for minor repairs and maintenance using information from the evidence provided by the participant or an assistive technology advisor or assessor. If you do not receive this information from the participant refer to the Fact sheet – Assistive technology – Guide for annual repairs and maintenance funding. Make sure you consider the support the participant needs if they have more than one AT item.

  2. In Determine the Support Needs task, select Capital.

  3. Adjust the yearly repairs and maintenance amount for the length of the plan. For example, if it is a 36 month plan, multiply the amount by 3.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. Increase the Assistive Technology budget by the amount of funding needed for minor repairs and maintenance. Do not use the support calculator.

In this example the Capital - Assistive Technology budget is $21,854.00 and you need to add $2650.00 for repairs and maintenance at budget level. You need to increase the funding in the Captial – Assistive Technology budget to $24,504.00.

  1. In the Assistive Technology section add the following to any existing comments in the Comments field.

Funding of $xxxx is for repair(s) and maintenance of [equipment types]. An assessment and quote are not required for this support.

3.2.2 Add funding for major repairs – quote required Add funding for major repairs for high cost wheeled mobility or prosthetic AT items that may require repair.

  1. In the Determine the Support Needs task, select Capital.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. Select the expander in the Price field of Assistive Technology to open the Support Calculator.
  2. Select Add Row (plus sign).

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. In the Product field, use the search term Major to search for and select the relevant major repair item.

  2. In the Assistive Technology section add the following to any existing comments in the Comments field:

For repairs over $1,500 you need to submit a quote to the NDIA.

Add funding for rental of AT supports

3.3.1 Add funding for short term rental

You need to include funding for short term rental for all participants with AT with a value of more than $1,500. This is so they can access temporary rental if their AT is not available because of repair, or to rent AT on a holiday. There is no quote required.

  1. In the Determine the Support Needs task, select Capital.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. Check if there is enough flexible funding in the participant’s Assistive Technology budget for their rental needs. For example if they have funding to buy a shower commode with a price range up to $4,200, and their AT budget has $5,000 they could use up to $800.00 to rent equipment when they are on holiday.
  2. If there is not enough funding for the participants reasonable and necessary rental supports, increase the Assistive Technology budget by the amount of funding needed for short term rental. Do not use the support calculator.

In this example the Capital - Assistive Technology budget is $21,854.00 and you have calculated $300.00 for short-term rental. You add funding to the Captial – Assistive Technology budget and increase the amount to $22,154.00.

In the Assistive Technology add a Comment describing the support. Use the following example as a guide: Funding of $xxxx is for short-term rental of assistive technology equipment.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

3.3.2 Add funding for major rental For all major rentals, you need evidence from an assistive technology advisor or assessor. AT rental costing over $15,000 needs a quote. Add funding for the reasonable and necessary amount.

  1. Select the expander in the Assistive Technology price field to open the support calculator.

  2. Select Add Row (plus sign).

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. In the product field, use the search term Rental to search for and select the rental item related to the AT item. Refer to 4.1 – Rental support items.

  2. Update the Quantity and How Often field as required. Change the Quantity to the amount the participant needs for AT rental. Use the evidence provided to check the amount. At How Often select the option for the amount of support the participant needs during their plan. Do not change the Item Type or tick Quote Required.

  3. Select Done to return to Determine the Supports Needs.

  4. In the Comments section add the following: Funding of $xxxx is for rental of [equipment types].

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

3.4 Add funding for trial of AT supports 3.4.1 Add funding for minor trial

  1. In the Determine the Support Needs task, select Capital.

  2. Check if there is enough flexible funding in the participant’s Assistive Technology budget for their trial needs

  3. If there is not enough funding for their reasonable and necessary trial needs, increase the Assistive Technology budget by the amount of funding needed for minor trial for the duration of the plan. Do not use the support calculator.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. In the Comments section add the following: Funding of $xxxx is for minor trial of assistive technology equipment.

Add funding for longer trials

For all trials, other than short term trials, you need evidence from assistive technology advisors or assessors. For AT items costing more than $15,000 refer to the quote to add funding for the reasonable and necessary amount.

  1. Select the expander icon in the Assistive Technology price field to open the support calculator.
Determine the Support Needs
Support Type > Support Category
Support Category
Assistive Technology
Home Modifications

Participant Goals

Goal Category | Goal Type | Goal | |-| | No goals selected |

  1. Select Add Row (plus sign).
Support Calculator
Product
Wheelchair Powered - Com

Item Type | Stated |

Quote Required | Quote Received |

  1. In the product field, use the search term Rental to search for and select rental item related to the AT item.

Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  1. Update the Quantity and How Often field as required. Change the Quantity to the amount the participant needs for AT trial. Use the evidence provided to check the amount. At How Often select the option for the amount of support the participant needs during their plan. Do not change the Item Type or tick Quote Required.

  2. Select Done to return to Determine the Supports Needs.

  3. In the Comments section add the following: Funding of $xxxx is for trial of [equipment types] as recommended by an assistive technology to determine suitability.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Next Steps

  1. Check you have included all other reasonable and necessary supports when completing the Determine the Funded Supports task. Refer to relevant planning resources when completing the remaining steps to develop the participant’s plan.

Appendix

Rental support items

  • AT Rental - Assistive Products for Respiration Support: 05_040312115_0103_1_2
  • AT Rental - Prosthetic and Orthotic: 05_060000115_0135_1_2
  • AT Rental - Products for Personal Care and Safety: 05_090000155_0103_1_2
  • AT Rental - Personal Mobility and Transfer: 05_120000115_0105_1_2
  • AT Rental - Vehicle modified for Access: 05_121227125_0108_1_2
  • AT Rental - Assistive Products for Household Tasks: 05_150000115_0123_1_2
  • AT Rental - Vision support or alternate access: 05_220300115_0113_1_2
  • AT Rental - Hearing Devices and Accessories: 05_220600112_0122_1_2
  • AT Rental - Communication and Computer access: 05_300000115_0112_1_2
  • AT Rental - Modified equipment for accessible recreation: 05_300000115_0112_1_2
  • Our Guidelines - Assistive technology
  • Fact sheet – Assistive technology – Guide for annual repairs and maintenance funding
  • Fact sheet – Assistive technology – Guide for minor trial and rental funding
  • Standard Operating Procedure – Assistive Technology – Mid Cost
  • Standard Operating Procedure – Assistive Technology – High Cost including replacement
  • Standard Operating Procedure – Assistive Technology - High Cost - No quote provided
  • Standard Operating Procedure – Initiate and Record Quotes

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

  • Standard Operating Procedure – Consider and Action Quotes
  • Planning resources Intranet page

Feedback

If you have any feedback about this Standard Operating Procedure, please complete our Feedback form.

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Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

Version control

Version Amended by Brief Description of Change Status Date
2.0 BIB217 Class 3 approval.
Standard Operating Procedure moved to the new SOP format to be used with the Assistive technology operational guidelines. APPROVED 2020-10-07
3.0 CW0032 Class 1 approved.
Updated links to assistive technology guidance. APPROVED 2020-12-07
4.0 CW0032 AGV957 LS0042 Class 2 approval
Update to align with Our Guideline —
Assistive technology changes for mid cost AT supports. APPROVED 2022-02-25