The NDIS – The National Disability Insurance Scheme of the Australian federal government funds the specialist disability houses of the people with extreme functional impairment and high support requirements. In order to get the benefit of the SDA (specialist disability accommodation) funding of the NDIS, the people with disabilities and high support requirements need to get the approval from the NDIS by enrolling themselves for its specialist disability accommodation (SDA) scheme.
After getting NDIS approval for the SDA funding, the people with disabilities are free to choose any NDIS approved SDA or specialist disability accommodation of their choice. The NDIS will pay the SDA service providers for their specialist disability accommodation for the eligible people with disabilities. So, the SDA funding scheme of the NDIS not only benefits the people with disabilities and high support requirements but also the investors who have registered their specialist disability accommodation with the NDIS approved SDA service providers. Thus, both the investors and people with disabilities need NDIS approval in order to get the SDA funds from the NDIS to pay for their houses.
NDIS Eligibility Criteria for People with Disabilities
If you want NDIS to pay for a house then you need to meet the following eligibility criteria of NDIS for the SDA funding.
- You must have a permanent disability that considerably affects your ability to participate in the routine activities of life.
- You must be less than the age of sixty-five years when entering the NDIS. The age required for the NDIS benefit is between 7-65 years.
- You must have Australian citizenship or hold a permanent visa or protected category visa.
- You must be living in Australia where the NDIS is available.
Where is the NDIS available in Australia?
The SDA funding of NDIS is available in the entire Australia. However, since this scheme is rolled out on a phased basis, the demand for specialist disability accommodation is focused in Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia.
NDIS Eligibility Criteria for SDA Investors
If you want the NDIS to pay for a house that you have constructed for the people with disabilities then you need to meet the following criteria.
Criteria 1
You need to build the apartments, villas, duplexes or townhouses, stand-alone houses, or group homes for the people with disabilities while considering the following design requirements recommended by the NDIS for SDA fundings.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must be a permanent one.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must provide long-term accommodation for at least one participant of NDIS SDA funds.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must not be already funded as an accommodation by the Commonwealth, State or Territory under any disability related scheme.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must not be excluded from the SDA funding on the home modifications grounds of NDIS.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must not be excluded from the SDA funding for being a parental home by the NDIS.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must meet all the requirements of a new build, existing stock or legacy stock set out in the SDA rules and NIDS price guide.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must have at least one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living/dining area, and entrance/exit.
If your specialist disability accommodation does not meet either or any of the criteria of the NDIS then it will not receive any SDA funding. It means the NDIS will not pay for a house that you have created for the eligible people with disabilities on the grounds of non-compliance with NDIS SDA rules.
Criteria 2
If you want the NDIS to pay for a house that you have built for the eligible people with disabilities then you also need to make sure your specialist disability accommodation meets the following high-support requirements.
- The location and feature of your specialist disability accommodation must cater to the specific high-support requirements of the people with disability.
- Your specialist disability accommodation must be properly modified to improve the physical access and advanced provision for the people with sensory, intellectual, or cognitive impairment.
- Your design of your specialist disability accommodation must provide a high-level of physical access for people with acute physical impairment.
- Your specialist disability accommodation design must be very resilient with minimum maintenance required, later.
- Your specialist disability accommodation design must provide high-level of physical access for the people with acute physical impairment and high support requirements.
Criteria 3
If you want NDIS to pay for a house that you have built for the people with disabilities and high-support requirements then you need to make sure that your specialist disability accommodation has proper home improvements according to the SDA design category laid out by the NDIS. You also need to make sure that your tenants also fulfil the requirements for either Fully-Accessible, Robust or High Physical Support.
The NDIS recommended SDA Design improvements for the specialist disability accommodations are the following:
- Basic Category of SDA Design requires no further improvements in the specialist disability accommodation.
- Improved Liability Category of SDA Design requires luminance contrasts and enhanced wayfinding and/or line of sight in the specialist disability accommodation.
- Fully-Accessible Category of SDA Design requires the external doors and outdoor areas accessible by the wheelchairs. Also, the bathroom, hand basin, kitchen sink, cooktop, oven, laundry of the specialist disability accommodation must be accessible in the seated or standing position with power supply to the doors and windows (means retrofit automation).
- The Robust Category of SDA Design requires the specialist disability accommodation to be very resilient with the usage of materials that can withstand heavy-usage with the minimum risks of injury. For example, the high-impact wall lining, fittings and fixtures and the secure doors, windows and outdoors in addition to the proper soundproofing and laminated glasses.
- The High Physical Support of the SDA Design requires the specialist disability accommodation to ensure that their external doors and outdoors are accessible by the wheelchair. The bathroom vanity and wash basin, the kitchen sink and cooktop and the key appliances must be accessible in seating or standing position. Also, the specialist disability homes must have the structural provision for the ceiling hoists, heating/cooling facilities in addition to the video intercom system and round the clock power supply with at least 2 hours back.
Criteria 4
If you want the NDIS to pay for a house that you have built for the people with disabilities then you need to find the tenants (or the people with disabilities) who are eligible for the SDA funds. Remember: NDIS is not responsible for finding SDA eligible tenants.
The SDA eligible tenants or people with disabilities must seek the help of their NDIS support coordinator or family member or caretaker to help them find and apply for any advertised specialist disability accommodation. However, the NDIA will help the SDA eligible people with disabilities in the following matters:
- The NDIA can fund the support of the SDA eligible people with disabilities if they need support coordinators to help them find a suitable NIDS approved property or SDA.
- The NDIA can connect the SDA eligible people with disabilities to connect directly with the SDA providers.
The investors of the NDIS Property or Specialist Disability Accommodation can find the SDA eligible people with disabilities by advertising vacancies through the following:
- The NDIS SDA provider finder.
- Local networking.
- Organization Website.
- Local support coordinators of people with disabilities.
- NDIS Property Rentals Websites.
- Hiring a third-party real estate agent.
So, it is the responsibility of SDA providers or the NDIS property investors to find the SDA eligible tenants if they want NDIS to pay for their SDA houses for people with disabilities. The NDIS will not pay for a house if it does not have an SDA eligible tenant.
Criteria 5
How will the NDIS pay for the House built for the people with disabilities?
When the people with disabilities or the high support requirements become eligible for the NDIS SDA funding, they are free to choose any specialist disability accommodation of their choice depending on their bespoke high support needs.
The NDIS will pay for the house only if it is registered will the NDIS as an SDA compliant house in any one of the following SDA design categories:
- Fully-Accessible
- Robust
- High Physical Support.
The NDIS will pay the SDA provider only when the SDA eligible tenants (people with disabilities) start living in the NDIS approved specialist disability accommodation.
First, the SDA provider will receive the payments from the NDIS and Department of Social Services. Then, the investors will receive payments from the SDA providers.
That is how the NDIS pays for a house for the people with disabilities.
