Recently, there has been media coverage surrounding the use of Short-Term Accommodation (STA) and travel within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). With headlines about participants using STA for luxurious holidays, five-star hotels, cruises, or family members joining in, there’s been growing concern and confusion, and the NDIA are making changes. We’re here to clear up the myths and misconceptions around STA, what it’s actually for, what you should consider when considering STA, and what changes we are seeing so far.
What is STA and What is it For?
STA, or Short-Term Accommodation, is an NDIS-funded support that allows participants to stay away from home for a short period. It’s designed for participants to develop skills, build friendships, try new things, and provide both participants and their informal carers with a much-needed break. Whether it’s a few days or up to two weeks, STA funding is intended to support participants by providing:
- Personal care
- Accommodation
- Food
- Activities agreed upon with the provider
But STA isn’t just about respite. It can also be a valuable opportunity for participants to try new things, develop skills, build friendships, and give their usual support network a break. According to NDIS guidelines, STA funding is meant to:
- Address needs directly related to your disability
- Help you pursue your goals
- Facilitate community participation
- Offer value for money
- Complement the support provided by your family or informal networks
In short, STA is there to support you in building your independence and achieving your goals. It can be for up to 28 days during a year, and up to 14 days at a time.
These guidelines may or may not change from 3rd October, or in the coming months.
STA vs. Holiday
Lately, some media outlets and the NDIA have raised concerns about people using STA for what appears to be holidays. Reports of participants staying at five-star hotels, going on cruises, or even bringing along family members have sparked reactions and cast doubt on the legitimate use of STA funding.
So, what’s the reality? While STA may involve travel or staying away from home, it’s important to remember that the primary purpose must always align with NDIS goals. These goals might include gaining independence, building skills, or giving carers a break. STA funding is not intended for purely leisure activities or family vacations.
What’s Happening with STA Funding?
In response to some of the recent concerns, the NDIA has started placing some STA invoices on hold or requesting additional information from participants and providers. This is to ensure that STA funds are being used for their intended purpose. They may ask for details such as:
- Where you stayed
- Whether the support person was with you the entire time
- Whether the accommodation aligns with the purpose of STA
While the NDIA hasn’t released any new guidelines for STA, it’s clear that they are taking steps to ensure that participants are using STA funding in a way that meets the original purpose of the support.
What if I don’t have those goals in my plan, or if I’m just going on a holiday?
Depending on your plan, you may still be able to cover the support cost of your trip, instead of using Short Term Accommodation. This means you claim for the hourly rates of the support you need while you’re away. If it’s alone with a Support Worker, it would be at 1:1 support, or in a group it would be for example 1:3 or 1:4 depending on the group ratios.
If a Support Worker is only with you for a few hours while you’re away, it should be billed accordingly.
What to Consider When Choosing between using STA, or only claiming for the hourly support during a trip
If you’re thinking about using STA/respite, it’s important to make sure that your plans align with NDIS guidelines and your personal goals. Here are a few key things to consider:
- Does it align with the purpose of STA? STA should be about achieving goals like independence, skill-building, or giving your carers a break. Be clear on how your STA plans align with these goals.
- Will you have enough funding for the rest of your plan period? STA should not exhaust your NDIS funds to the point where you don’t have enough left for other essential supports.
- Are you doing it only for the purpose of going on holiday? If so, you may only be able to claim for the support costs.
- There is a risk that an invoice may be held up or declined by the NDIA while they check if it was aligned with the purpose of STA.
What about overseas travel?
According to the NDIS ins- and out list, accommodation and other activities overseas during overseas travel can not be funded by NDIS. You may still be able to fund the support you need to travel at an hourly rate, if the above criteria are met and you are not exhausting funds you need for other essential supports.
What’s changing at Travengers?
Travengers’ services have always been for the purpose of building independence, social connections, confidence, accessing community, and trying new things with like-minded people, while having respite from informal carers and vice versa. It’s aimed to be a stepping stone to further independence.
From 3rd October, you will need to prepay for your full trip with Travengers, and then claim back from the NDIS after the service is complete. We will help support with claim enquiries where they need more information afterwards.
If you have claimed for STA and the invoice is being held up, we can help communicate with them how it was intended for the purpose of STA. We will do our best to simplify and support you with your claiming process.
Travengers can not guarantee whether invoices will be accepted or not by the NDIA.
If they still decline it, we can issue a new invoice for the support cost of the trip only. This might be our usual hourly rate for up to 16 hours per day, and sleepover rate, at 1:3 or 1:4 ratio, for all the days you’re away.
Want to leave NDIS out of it?
Trips can be fully self-funded, and can either be paid in full, or be accessed via a payment plan, with weekly or monthly payments. For example, if you are planning to go on a trip to Italy next year, you can simply pay it down until the date the trip departs.
Disclaimer: The above is based on various information from the NDIA, plan managers, and consultation from a reputable NDIS training organisation, in September 2024. This is the information we have available on 30th September 2024, and may change after this date.
All plans and individual circumstances will be different for all participants. Please enquire with an NDIS planner, LAC or plan manager for additional information about your circumstances.