Ability2Connect Pty Ltd

16/05/2025

🧾 NEW NDIS Funding periods - STARTS MONDAY – What you need to know (please share - sorry it's so long!)
Starting THIS Monday, 19 May 2025, if you get a new or reassessed NDIS plan, your funding will be released in smaller chunks (funding periods) over time, instead of the full amount upfront.
Here’s what that means:
🗓️ What are funding periods?
Funding periods break the availability of your plan funding into parts – for most supports, funds will be released in chunks every 3 months (quarterly). But they add up as you go – if you don’t use them all up, those unused funds are still available for the whole rest of the plan.
For some supports, like Home & Living supports, the funds will usually only be released monthly. And others like assistive technology and home mods etc, will be released as a whole item.
📅 When do they start?
Funding periods begin from your plan start date, not the first day of the month.
So if your plan starts on 15 June, that when the first period starts.
💰 What happens to leftover funds?
Any unspent funds roll into and are available in your next funding period.
But funds left over at the end of your whole plan do not carry over into a whole new plan.
📲 Who can see my funding periods in PACE?
You will be able to see all of this in your NDIS portal.
If you are Plan Managed, or you have a “My approved Support Coordinator” in the NDIS portal, they will also be able to see all of these breakdowns, but other providers won’t be able to see all that.
📤 How do I claim?
You (or your providers) will only be able to claim supports within the correct funding period. So if your support or service crosses over two funding periods, it needs two claims – one for each period. (This is what the NDIS have told us, but I’m not 100% sure this is correct) UPDATE: I'm now pretty confident this is incorrect info and that invoices can cross over funding periods! Phew! (19/5/25)
❌ What if I go over the available budget (the current funding period including any rolled over funds)?
The whole claim will be rejected. You can’t dip into future funding periods (but you can use those unused rolled over funds that are added into the current funding period)
🔁 Can I move money between periods?
No – you can’t just shift funds between periods. You can ask for a plan variation to change the length of funding periods, but if you need more actual funding, you will need to ask for a plan reassessment.
🔓 Is my plan still flexible?
Core supports stay flexible (depending on how they're managed).
Capacity Building supports are flexible unless stated otherwise in your plan.
🧒 What about kids or Early Childhood?
Same rules apply – funding periods affect all new plans, including Early Childhood.
👀 Already have a plan?
If your plan was approved before 19 May, these changes do not apply to you yet.

So…
✅ New plans = staged funding for everyone
✅ Leftover funds roll into next period (but not between plans)
✅ You can’t claim more than what’s available
✅ Ask for reassessment if needed
✅ You and your PM/SC can see it in PACE – others can’t

✅ What do you need to do?
🗣️ 1. Speak up at your planning meeting
If you need more of your funding upfront (e.g. for equipment prescription, Behaviour Support or Support Coordination where you often need more at the start), tell the planner at your meeting (and back up the request in writing!).
Your planner can allocate more funding in earlier periods if it's clearly needed and evidenced, and they agree (and you can request an S100 review if you don’t agree with their decision).
📋 2. Check your service agreements
Make sure your service agreements match your funding periods. If you are self or plan managed, you might find yourself owing money out of pocket if your service agreement doesn’t line up with these new requirements.
📞 3. Ask for help early if things change
If you hit a crisis or your needs change, contact NDIA or request a plan reassessment – don’t wait until the funding runs out.
🎤 4. Think about coming along to one of our live workshops to ask questions - we won't be able to answer everything, but we will give you as much as we can! https://www.thegrowingspace.com.au/events/

Pic desc: The image shows a screenshot from the NDIS provider portal (we haven’t seen the participant end yet!). The top half show details about the "Home and Living" funding component in a new plan that uses monthly funding periods.
• Support category: Home and Living
• Management type: Plan-managed
• Total amount: $144,000.00
• Funding period: 12 (circled in green), indicating the funding is split across 12 periods.
🔹 The bottom half:
• A pop-up window titled "Home and Living funding period schedule"
• A note at the top says:
“Any unspent funding will roll over to the next funding period.”
• There are 12 funding periods, each for 1 month, with $12,000 allocated per month.

06/02/2025

As A2C is run by an individual with a disability, I thought it would be great to share some hacks and tips with the community that I have found useful, and I will try and do a post like this at least once a month. Some of these releases are for SA only or Australia-wide.

Are you tired of waiting to use the bathroom or lack of a bathroom or can't even take your disabled child for a swing in the park? then what you need is a master key. As someone with a physical disability like myself who relies on support workers to take me to the bathroom, we have found that we are left waiting and 9 times of 10 it for someone who's not disabled or school kids just using it as a hangout.

But how do I get one and what does it unlock, I hear you ask? If you have a companion card in SA (and I think Vic too) you are now eligible for a free Master Locksmith Access Key (MLAK), this came into effect at the start of 2025

What is a MLAK?

The Master Locksmiths Access Key (MLAK) system is an MLAA initiative that allows people with disability access to dedicated public facilities 24/7, including facilities in National Parks and many Council municipalities, elevators at railway stations, the new Changing Places facilities throughout Australia, disabled toilets that are locked, and even the Liberty Swin (Adpated info from https://masterlocksmiths.com.au/mlak/)

How do I get one?
To request an MLAK, go to https://masterlocksmiths.com.au/mlak/ and click either SA or Vic Companion Card Holders, enter your details including your companion card number and it will be sent to you. People with a disability can purchase an MLAK key that will open all doors, toilets, playground equipment and other facilities fitted with a lock that uses the special MLAK cylinder.

Image description: a sliver key with the word MLAK written on it

18/12/2024

Ability2Connect is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are away from Friday 20th December and will respond to any enquiries when we return on Monday 6th January 2025. We look forward to continuing to support people with disabilities in 2025 from our lived experience! Watch this space.

16/05/2024

SHARE THIS POST WITH SOMEONE WHO NEEDS IT!

Feeling concerned about yourself or a loved one struggling with physical or verbal challenges?

Meet Liam Goldfinch of Ability 2 Connect—he’s nailing it!
Cerebral Palsy hasn't slowed him down one bit.

Liam lives independently, manages his own plan, trains his own support workers, and enjoys a fantastic social life full of community engagement, friends, and fun. He's also the current chair of Boccia SA, and despite his challenges, travels independently around Australia to referee games at the State level.

Liam has just released three new "Client Uplift" packages to help those navigating physical and communication challenges to
> open the blinds,
> get out of their bedrooms,
> get away from their flatscreens, and
> get out into the vibrant world!

Click the link below to connect with Liam and fast-track your journey towards a more exciting and engaging life!

CLICK NOW: https://bit.ly/ability2connect

Discover your inner strength and achieve your dreams by joining the team behind the counter in a live Cafe environment.

06/05/2024

After weeks of rebranding the company, we can finally reveal our new logo! We do have something exciting coming in the coming weeks