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Disability Support Services

Flexible funding

What our flexible funding includes, how it is managed and support and guidance available.

Flexible funding means you have more choice and control over how you use your funding, and also some responsibilities. 

Flexible funding includes:

Choice in Community Living funding has different spending rules.

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Responsibilities for managing flexible funding 

You have some responsibilities when managing your flexible funding.  These help you make sure  your flexible funding is used appropriately and supports your needs for the whole funding period.  

  1. Your spending must: 
  • match the purposes in your funding plan  
  • relate to your disability and the support you need 
  • help you (or your carers) manage the impact of your disability. For carers, this means using Carer Support for respite or supports that help them take a break or sustain their caring role. 

2. You also need to: 

  • stay within your budget and make sure it lasts for your full funding period.  
  • keep records, including receipts, invoices, and employment records if you hire support workers.  
  • check whether another government agency could provide something in time before using your flexible funding for it. Your host, NASC or Enabling Good Lives site can help you check this.  

3. You cannot use your funding for drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling or illegal activities.  

4. You also need to check whether you can make some types of purchases before you spend your funding: this is called prior approval.  

Prior approval  

Some purchases need prior approval before you use your flexible funding. 

  • Equipment 
  • Complementary therapies
  • Overseas travel 
  • Buying the same or a similar item again before it would normally need replacing 
  • One-off purchases of items over a set limit: 
    • For people who get Carer Support the limit is $1,500. 

Getting prior approval

Who you need to ask depends on how you manage your funding. It may be: 

  • your host (if you have one).  
  • your NASC or Enabling Good Lives (EGL) site (if you do not have a host – for example, if you get Carer Support.)  

Your host, NASC or EGL site will let you know what information they need from you and what to do. 

How prior approval decisions are made 

Equipment 

Equipment means tools, devices and products that support your functioning, independence, safety, or participation in daily life. Equipment can be approved as safe and suitable for you if either: 

  • your host, NASC, provider of EGL site assesses it as low risk for your individual situation and needs, or  
  • a registered health professional confirms it is safe, appropriate, and any risks are managed. 

Complementary therapies 

A complementary therapy is a therapy that may be used alongside, or instead of, mainstream health or disability supports. 

Activities that people commonly do for wellbeing or community connection are not considered complementary therapies and do not need prior approval. This includes things like going to the gym, yoga, or community activities such as riding for the disabled or line dancing. 

Complementary therapies can be approved if they: 

  • clearly link to a purpose in your plan, and  
  • are safe and appropriate for you.  

This may involve: 

  • advice from a registered health professional  
  • evidence that the therapy is likely to be effective  
  • a plan for how it will be monitored  
  • a backup plan if it does not work.  

If there is not enough evidence, you may need to try the therapy first to show it is effective, before using your funding can be approved. 

Overseas travel 

Flexible funding can be used for overseas travel in some situations. 

Approval will consider whether: 

  • the costs are extra costs related to your disability  
  • the travel supports a purpose in your plan  
  • it will not affect your ability to meet your needs for the rest of your funding period  
  • you can arrange the supports you need while overseas. 

Buying the same or a similar item again before it would normally need replacing 

If you want to replace an item before it would normally need replacing, this will be reviewed. 

This is to check: 

  • whether a replacement is needed  
  • whether the item is still the right option for you  
  • whether a different type of support might work better. 

Your funding plan 

Your funding plan guides how you use your flexible funding.  

This may be an Individual Service Plan, Enabling Good Lives Funding Plan, Support Agreement, or My DSS Funding Plan. 

Over time, everyone who gets flexible funding will move to a new My DSS Funding Plan, making the purposes of your funding clearer. This will happen at your next reassessment with your NASC or Enabling Good Lives site. 

In the meantime, if you are not sure about the purposes of your funding set out in your plan, talk to your host, NASC or Enabling Good Lives site.  

Hosted flexible funding 

Hosted flexible funding is when a person manages their own disability support funding with guidance from a host – for example, an Individualised Funding Host or a Flexible Disability Support provider.  

Hosted flexible funding covers:  

  • Individualised Funding (IF Personal Care, IF Household Management, IF Respite)  
  • Enhanced Individualised Funding 
  • Hosted Enabling Good Lives Personal Budgets. 

More information about hosted flexible funding can be found on our Hosted flexible funding page.

More information  

Questions or complaints 

Contact your host at any time if you have questions about: 

  • using your flexible funding or making a claim 
  • your responsibilities like record keeping 
  • budgeting. 

Contact your NASC or Enabling Good Lives site if: 

  • your disability support needs have changed 
  • you want to change the purposes in your funding plan. 

If you are unhappy with a decision about your support, first talk with your NASC, EGL site, or host to see if you can resolve the issue. You can find out how to make a complaint on our webpage: Complaints about disability support services. 

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