Actuarial Insights and Monitoring (AIM) Branch

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Actuarial Insights and Monitoring (AIM) Branch

Our Purpose The Actuarial Insights and Monitoring (AIM) Branch supports the Scheme Actuary

to provide information, analytical insights and actuarial advice to stakeholders and

decision-makers on Scheme performance and the impact of policy and reforms on

Scheme costs.

What our team works towards Our vision is to deliver clear and accessible reporting to meet statutory

requirements, build trust within the sector, and keep all our stakeholders informed

of Scheme progress and emerging trends. We work in partnership with other parts

of the Agency to provide actuarial insights and advice on Agency priorities and

reforms.

Who are our customers Our customers are the SLT, the Board, governments, participants, and the wider

disability sector who have a role or interest in the National Disability Insurance

Scheme (NDIS) and use our reports to better understand the Scheme.

We also support the Agency, Department of Social Services and central

departments with actuarial insights and analysis to assist the development of

policy and scheme reforms, and the Federal budget process.

How we continue to provide value to our customers We provide value through the provision of transparent, timely and accurate

reporting to internal and external stakeholders to help them understand the

progress of the Scheme. We are tailored to provide actuarial costings, insights and

advice to help the Agency make informed operational, policy and strategic

decisions.

Team accountabilities Executive and public reporting – development and delivery of key reports

including the Monthly Pulse, Quarterly Report to Disability Ministers and Quarterly

Actuarial Monitoring.

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Strategic actuarial analyses – supporting policy development and the Agency’s

interface with other services by producing insights, deep-dive reporting, and

modelling of Scheme cost impacts.

Reform costing – providing actuarial advice on the sustainability impacts of key

Agency priorities and reforms.

Who our team connects with in the Agency - who are our key stakeholders Senior Leadership Team and the Board

Service Design and Improvement

Service Delivery

Integrity Transformation and Fraud Fusion Taskforce

Partners, Providers and Home and Living

Governance, Risk and Legal

Enabling Services

First Nations

Children’s taskforce

Independent Advisory Council

Department of Social Services

Central Government Departments

Other external stakeholders

How our team defines best practice and success Timely delivery of accessible and informative reporting on Scheme experience and

sustainability to multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Contribution to sound policy development and Scheme reform through the

provision of actuarial costings and insights.

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Data & Analytics Branch

Our Purpose Our purpose is to help our customers achieve their business objectives by working

alongside them, applying data and analytics to see, to understand and to take

action to improve the NDIS.

What our team works towards Our vision for Data & Analytics is to be a trusted strategic partner enabling all

divisions of the NDIA to be data driven, to support a data-literate Agency that

harnesses and then leverages data to create a simple and positive experience for

NDIS participants, communities and stakeholders.

Who are our customers Any Division that requires analytical insights to help them make decisions;

including the Board, CEO, ADA and all NDIA divisions. By directly serving these

internal customers, we are serving NDIS participants, providers and staff.

Commonwealth and State/Territory governments.

How we continue to provide value to our customers The Data & Analytics Branch is the Agency’s enterprise data capability, responsible

for the NDIA’s data governance framework.

Our branch also leads the development and management of the Enterprise Data

Warehouse, enterprise reporting platforms (PANDA and CRM-A) and public and

external data sharing, as well as tailored data, reporting and analytics services to

all NDIA Divisions.

Team accountabilities Design, build and support of the Enterprise Data Warehouse, providing integrated

and modelled data to support both centralised, ADA and decentralised reporting

and analysis teams with access to timely, quality, conformed data.

Support all divisions of NDIA in leveraging data as an asset to deliver against their

strategic objectives, document, design and deliver a roadmap of data assets and

products.

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Design, build and maintenance of certified enterprise reporting, including

Participant Service Guarantee (PSG), Performance Management Framework

(PMF), KPI reporting, plus key operational reporting supporting Service Delivery

productivity.

Chair and secretariat for the NDIA Data Management Committee, overseeing the

agency data strategy, data management standards, policies and procedures,

facilitating data owners and data stewards across the NDIA maintain consistent

high quality data standards.

Who our team connects with in the Agency - who are our key stakeholders Our customers (any division).

Business Data Owners (BDOs).

Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

Actuarial.

Legal Services.

States & Territories, Commonwealth agencies.

How our team defines best practice and success Facilitation of the Data Management Committee(DMC) to oversee data

management standards, policies and procedures across the agency.

Delivery of high quality, prioritised data and analytics outputs according to

business requirements.

Reliable management and operation of core data and reporting platforms.

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Economics and Pricing (EAP) Branch

Our Purpose The Economics and Pricing Branch sets appropriate price limits and pricing

arrangements to support the NDIS market while ensuring participants wellbeing

and value for money.

Ultimately, the branch supports the NDIA’s goal of developing a competitive market

with high quality and innovative supports and services by balancing the needs of

participants, providers, and the broader sector.

What our team works towards The EAP branch regulates commercial relationships between providers and

participants. This includes price regulation via formalised pricing arrangements.

The primary mechanism for reviewing and implementing price controls is through

the Annual Pricing Review.

Pricing regulation seeks to maintain a balance between:

• Participants receiving value for money, quality care.

• Improving market supply of providers.

• Recognising the need for financial sustainability.

The EAP branch also facilitates the development of evidence-based policy making

using economic frameworks and analysis.

The branch also is responsible for seeking to improve price setting, such as

facilitating outcomes-based pricing, which empowers providers to demonstrate the

value they add through transparent and outcomes-focussed goals.

Who are our customers Our customers are participants and providers who provide services and supports

to participants.

How we continue to provide value to our customers We review and improve price controls (the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits)

on an ongoing basis, balancing the sustainability of the provider market with value

for money for participants (primarily through the Annual Pricing Review). We also

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implement indexation of plans and changes to price limits to the Product and

Support Catalogue.

We inject economic lens through our work and advice. This includes undertaking

analysis of particular markets and supports when making pricing

recommendations, modelling inflation as part of the Annual Financial Sustainability

Review, workforce modelling, provider analysis, and SDA reporting.

We also explain and clarify the pricing structures, responding to queries and

issues raised by other teams, the Ministerial office, or elsewhere. This includes

providing guidance on how pricing documentation should be used and interpreted

in real world contexts.

Team accountabilities The EAP branch is responsible for conducting the Annual Pricing Review and

implementing the changes approved by the NDIA Board following the Review.

The branch is accountable for updating the pricing documents (NDIS Pricing

Arrangements and Price Limits, NDIS Support Catalogue, Bereavement

Addendum, Home and Living Demonstration Projects Addendum, COVID

Addendum), and any applicable system changes, in line with changes that impact

the NDIS market. The branch is also responsible for providing clear information

and guidance about these documents and their interpretation in response to

queries.

In addition, the branch works towards the development of appropriate economic

frameworks, econometric techniques and analysis of market data and indicators.

This includes leading the economic modelling work to unpack the impacts of a

growing Scheme projections.

Who our team connects with in the Agency - who are our key stakeholders Our key stakeholders within the Agency are:  the NDIS Board, which we provide pricing recommendations to through the

office of the CEO.

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 the rest of the Analytics, Data and Actuarial (ADA) Division, to whom we

assist with the scheme projections by finessing assumptions in the Annual

Financial Sustainability Review (AFSR).  the Provider and Market Coordination Division, which flags market concerns

and provider requests, and assists providers to understand changes to the

Pricing Arrangements.  the Participant Advocacy Branch to understand participant views on pricing

and the impacts that pricing policy changes can have on participants.  the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), which helps identify and

implement where new services are required in pricing policy.  Home and Living Branch, to ensure policy is accurately reflected in

documentation produced by the EAP in the Pricing Arrangements for

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and SDA quarterly report.  the Communications team, which communicates key pricing and policy

changes to the market.  other internal policy areas, when it comes to implementing new policy or

making changes to the existing policies.

How our team defines best practice and success Our branch defines best practice as making pricing and policy recommendations

that is informed by data and economic analysis. EAP ensures that these are

communicated clearly and understood by participants and providers.

Best practice for EAP also includes prompt implementation of changes to the

pricing documents (such as following the Annual Pricing Review) to support the

market and ensure continuity of supports for participants.

Ultimately, our branch addresses immediate market needs through the Annual

Pricing Review to ensure continuity of supports for participants.

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Scheme Effectiveness and Forecasting Branch

Our Purpose The Scheme Effectiveness and Forecasting Branch critically analyses and reports

on the NDIS in terms of the profiles of participants, outcomes being achieved,

funding for supports and expenditure on supports used. It sets assumptions and

estimates future participant budgets, participant numbers and Scheme expenditure

to deliver informed insights for evidence-based decision-making by stakeholders.

What our team works towards Analytics and actuarial modelling which is of the highest technical quality,

communicated effectively to be well understood by broader audiences, and able to

be used for decision-making on key issues relating to the Scheme.

We aim to be trusted advisers on outcomes and effectiveness, information related

to Home and Living supports, Scheme forecasting and risks to financial

sustainability.

Who are our customers and key stakeholders? Internal:  Strategic Leadership Team  NDIA Board  Planners (who use Typical Support Packages as a planning tool)  NDIA Finance  Early Childhood Branch  Compensation branch, and  Teams in the Agency seeking to understand forecasts of the Scheme and

the basis on which they are produced

External:  Department of Social Services  Department of Finance  Treasury  Researchers  Participants and their carers

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 External peer reviewer (Australian Government Actuary)

How we continue to provide value to our customers We provide value by  listening to requests and feedback from our customers and stakeholders to

ensure our deliverables continue to be fit-for-purpose  continually refining and evolving our modelling and deliverables  providing clear, non-technical explanations and advice on our models and

results  developing a better understanding, at a participant level, of how funding is

most effectively used by participants

Team accountabilities  Scheme projections  Annual Financial Sustainability Report  Development of Budget models  Improved TSP algorithms and performance monitoring  Investment Effectiveness Program  Reporting on the NDIS Outcomes Framework  Subject Matter Expert advice to Home and Living teams in the Agency  Participant plan provisioning  Actuarial calculations for determining Compensation Reduction Amounts

How our team defines best practice and success Delivering high quality results, reports and advice in a timely manner.

Deliverables are accepted and used by internal and external stakeholders for

decision making.

Model performance (on TSPs) is acceptable to Agency management and

improving over time.

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