Plan Management (PM)

No you don't. Plan Management is just one way that your plan can be managed. 

The budgets in your NDIS Plan can be managed in 3 different ways or you can choose to have a combination of these:

1. Plan Managed
   A plan manager will pay your invoices on your behalf and providers are not allowed to charge more than the maximum price listed in the NDIS Price Guide. You can use NDIS Registered or Unregistered service providers.
2. NDIA Managed
   The service provider will submit thier invoices directly through the NDIS Portal for payment and they are not allowed to charge more than the maximum price listed in the NDIS Price Guide. You can only use NDIS Registered service providers.
3. Self-Managed
   You will submit your invoices directly through your NDIS Portal and pay your service providers.  These providers can charge more than the maximum price listed in the NDIS Price Guide. You can use both DNIS Registered and Unregistered service providers.

There are no out of pocket costs when you choose to use a Plan Manager. There is a special budget added to your NDIS Plan to cover the plan management fees - this budget is under the Capacity Building section and it is called Improved Life Choices.

The NDIS will allocate two line items to a Plan Manager:

1. Plan Management Set-up Cost
   This is a one off fee for each NDIS Plan so that the Plan Manager can create an account for your in their system and link it to the NDIS Portal.
2. Monthly Processing Fee
   This fee is charged each month after the service has been provided to cover the costs of processing the invoices and providing you with a monthly statement.

Yes, you should. 

It is a requirement of the Plan Managers NDIS Registration that they provide you with a monthly statement at a minimum. You should also be able to ask for an updated statement at any time.

Yes, you can change Plan Management providers at any time. 

You should have a service agreement with the Plan Management provider, you will need to check that to see what notice period you need to provide. You can also request that they end services sooner, which they may be able to accommodate (this may depend on the status of the current invoices in their system). 

They must release the funds at the end of the notice period at the very latest - if they don't, you should notify your NDIS Contact as soon as possible.

Your Plan Manager should be in contact with you to advise you if you are going to run out of funds before the plan is due to expire. 

If you have any concerns about your budgets, you should call your Plan Manager to discuss your options.

If your Plan Manger has not been in contact with you regarding your budgets and your spending, you can contact your NDIS Contact to discuss your options.

This is not recommended but the choice is up to you. The only providers that need a full copy of your plan, is your Plan Manager and your Support Coordinator - all other providers only need to know what your goals are.

This is not a mandatory requirement, but a good Plan Management provider will ask for copies so that they can assist you better with managing your budgets and making sure that you aren't going to overspend and run out of funds before the plan expires.