NDIS Meal Preparation and Delivery Guidelines Released 1 Jul 20
With the release of the new price guide on 1 July 2020, the NDIS have provided some clear guidelines around funding meal preparation and delivery.
This service now requires you to obtain a quote from your chosen provider and submit for approval by the NDIS. Once approved, the support becomes a stated item in your plan.
Stated items are fixed cost items, that can only be increased with the approval of the NDIS.
Meal preparation and delivery services are designed to assist participants who are unable to prepare food on their own and are not receiving other supports that would meet the same need. (NDIS Price Guide 2020-21)
The food cost itself is not covered by the NDIS, only the preparation and delivery component.
Most organisations can clearly separate the food cost from the preparation and delivery cost. Some require payment in full upfront and we reimburse a percentage of the cost (as stated by the providers) from NDIS funding to you. Other providers can separate their invoices and issue one to you for the food component for payment by you directly and one to us for the preparation and delivery to claim via the NDIS.
If you’re currently using your NDIS funding for meal preparation and delivery, please don’t panic. I just want to encourage you to touch base with your support coordinator, LAC or the NDIS directly and chat about how to incorporate these services into your plan. They will probably give you approval to use the services now and wait for your plan review to add the stated line item.
Just this week, we received approval for one of our clients to continue using their NDIS funding for meal prep and delivery, while waiting for their plan review date to come around.
The changes do not mean we’ll hold up payments for the meal prep and delivery services you’re currently receiving, however I do encourage you to move towards having these services approved for your next plan period.
If you’re still super confused about the changes and would like to discuss your options, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’re here to help in any way we can!
Jude xx
