Service Proposal Form
This is your opportunity to tell the NDIS about how you want to live and whom you want to support you. It also gives the NDIS a breakdown of the proposed cost of your ILO
Related Information:
Completing the Service Proposal Form
Once you have worked through the Exploration and Design process, and have a creative plan for the supports you need for home, you are then ready to submit an ILO Service Proposal to the NDIS to seek funding for those supports you want to be covered by NDIS funding.
It is incredibly important that you are involved in the development of your Service Proposal, it should be all about you and your choices for how you want to live. You can also seek help from your family, friends, allies, NACBO, Support Coordinator, or ILO Service Provider – if you wish.
NACBO have developed a comprehensive ‘Hint Sheet’ to help you work through the ‘Service Proposal’ to make sure you don’t miss any important information.
When you are happy that the Service Proposal reflects your ILO supports for the next 12 months, it needs to be sent to the NDIS by emailing . to be assessed by an internal NDIS Home and Living Team. The team will use the information in this form to decide whether they will fund your proposed ILO supports. Make sure you attach any evidence as discussed earlier that might support your need for this ILO (there is a handy checklist at the end of the ‘Service Proposal Hint Sheet’)
There is no specified time frame for the NDIS to make a decision on your ‘Service Proposal’. Some people get a response within a few weeks, for others, it can take months. If you want to check on the progress, you can contact the NDIS by calling 1800 800 110, accessing online webchat, emailing or going into your local NDIS or LAC Partner office. We have found face-to-face going into the local office the most effective, however, this may not always be physically possible.
An ILO is usually funded at the following levels:
(The NDIS will give you an indicative level when they approve your Exploration and Design funding)
ILO Funding Levels
The NDIS will give you an indicative level when they approve your Exploration and Design funding.
Level 1 – up to $105,000 per year
Examples of Support
Physical assistance with personal care and prompting with household tasks.
Help to manage emotions and behaviours.
This level is likened to someone who needs a support worker for at least 6 hours of daily active support at home and a sleepover every night.
Monitoring and Adjustment
Requires monitoring and limited redesign due to a stable arrangement.
Level 2 – up to $150,000 per year
Examples of Support
Physical assistance with personal care and prompting or supervision with household tasks
Requires help to manage episodic behaviours of concern, including strategies and supports to address them. This is typically the maximum level for Host arrangements.
Monitoring and Adjustment
Requires monitoring and potential for the redesign of the living arrangement over the plan period.
Level 3 – up to $230,000 per year
Examples of Support
Support usually includes physical assistance, personal care and direct supervision of household tasks. This could include help to manage significant behaviours of concern, a significant physical disability or disability related health supports (i.e. unable to independently manage Diabetes)
Monitoring and Adjustment
Requires significant monitoring with high potential for re-design as the arrangement requires high levels of flexibility between the primary and supplementary supports.
Describing Your Supports
When outlining your supports in your Service Proposal, you will need to describe and provide a cost for Primary Supports (the main support in place at home), Supplementary Supports (a combination of supports that ‘fill the gaps’ when your Primary Support is unavailable or to give them a break).
Primary Supports examples include:
- Host, housemate or Support Worker who supports you
- Personal care
- Cooking and cleaning
- Assistance to get ready for your work or activities
Supplementary Supports can be paid or unpaid. Examples include:
- A second host to share your supports
- On-call arrangements
- Support form a mentor
- Volunteers
- Paid “drop-in” support
- A good neighbour
- Structured support from family or friends
- Extra support to cover the transitional period
You may want to build in additional costs to cover a transitional period, in your ILO costing, to allow for increased supports at the beginning knowing that they will taper off as the year progresses and you develop confidence and capacity in your new home.
You also need to include an estimated cost for Monitoring and Adjustment funding required to keep your ILO going, including changing your supports when your circumstances or preferences change.
These costs include regular check-ins with you to see if your ILO is meeting your needs and working well, checking in with your supports to ensure it’s working well from their perspective too. You can choose an independent person or your Circle of Support or Microboard, or use your provider or an independent provider to do this monitoring, or a combination that you think works best. Monitoring and Adjustment funding ensures your needs remain at the centre of your ILO.
Monitoring and Adjustment funding can also be used to pay someone to oversee the ILO arrangement (this could even be a team leader in your support worker team) who manages rostering, short-term replacements when someone is unwell or takes a holiday, and coordinating the recruitment of new support workers.
This role can also be about pulling all the supports together making sure the household runs smoothly – that the house is maintained in cleanliness and good state of repair, and that the person with disability is maintaining regular medical appointments (GP, Skin Checks, Dentist, Podiatrist etc).
Many people with disability have a supportive group of people structured as a Circle of Support or Microboard to assist in making big decisions. These people can be helpful for supporting you to think about how your ILO is working and providing feedback.
In describing your ILO supports, it is important to ensure you relate them directly to your disability.
You should also attach and include any external evidence (from specialists and support providers) even if you have given it to the NDIS previously.
We recommend the following, if available:
OT Housing Assessment
Outlines your in-home support needs using recognised assessment models and makes recommendations about the level and type of support that best meets your needs. It is best to request this report from an OT who is familiar with NDIS Housing models and can be a one-off arrangement with a suitably qualified and skilled OT. You should have a clear idea about the sort of housing supports you think will work for you before you seek out an OT Housing Assessment. The OT is your partner and will talk you through the support model and why you think it will be the best fit. They may also have some suggestions on how to adjust it to better meet your needs.
OT Functional Assessment
If you have had an OT Functional Assessment within the previous 2 years, this can be attached to your Service Proposal. Ensure that the assessment aligns with the supports you want in your ILO and that it is still current based on your needs. You may wish to get an updated report if yours is older or not reflective of your current needs.
Allied Health Reports
You may have reports from other Allied Health specialists that provide evidence of your support needs. Physiotherapy (mobility), Speech Therapy, Psychologist, Specialist Behaviour Support.
Support Coordination Report
If you have a Support Coordinator, their report should describe the Exploration and Design process you have undertaken, to show that you have considered multiple options. It should include recommendations in line with your ILO Service Proposal.
Carer Impact Statement/ Carer Checklist
Carer Impact Statement/ Carer Checklist – provides context to the NDIS about what support has previously been provided by informal supports and the sustainability of this.
Examples of helpful evidence, if available:
So what happens if the NDIS don’t agree to fund your proposed ILO?
Have a good look at what they have agreed to fund. Is there a way to work within this level and adjust some of your supports to make it work? Use the weekly schedule you developed to see if this is an option.
You can request a ‘Participant Information Access Request’ from the NDIS. This will provide you with copies of any information the NDIS used to develop your current plan, including the planner notes. From this, you will be able to see if they made any errors or missed information when making their decision. You can use this to gather more information or evidence to support your needs.
You may decide to request a review of the NDIS’ decision, this needs to be done within 3 months of the start date of your plan. If you select this option, it means you do not agree with the NDIS’ original decision, you want them to reconsider it.
If you decide to try to make the agreed funding work, and later discover it isn’t working and needs changing, you can request a reassessment of your plan at any stage. You can introduce new evidence to support your funding request.
Need Support With ILO?
NACBO have dedicated staff available across Australia who can assist you through the various stages of this process.
Click ‘Get Support’ to find your nearest contact.