The NDIS scheme gives people with disabilities easy access to healthy and tasty food. Ndis meals are prepared and delivered by businesses to champion change and make the lives of disabled people in Australia healthier and happier. If you, too, want to use the NDIS funding to ensure that meals are delivered right to your door, you need to understand how NDIS funds meal preparation and how you can include it in your plan. Here are the details.
Meal delivery planning and plan review
The planning of meal delivery to your homes is preceded by identifying the support you are getting. The NDIS has a planning workbook to help you with the preplanning. You can get quotes from the plan providers for the meal plan support you want to use. The quote will help you understand the number of meals delivered to you throughout the plan and the total price.
When the plan has been finalised and submitted, you have to wait for approval. So, it is best to have supporting evidence to help NDIS see why delivery of meals is necessary and reasonable. You can obtain a letter from your therapist explaining the reasons for not being able to prepare meals yourself.
After the approval, a local representative of the NDIS may contact you to determine the course of action for the plan. If you are not happy with the plan, you can ask the NDIS to review it again within three months. You can state the kind of support you want in your revised plan, and such a change of plan can be done once a year.
Home-delivered meals
NDIS covers the costs of home-delivered meals if you are not able to shop for ingredients or prepare the meal owing to your disability. You can use your NDIS funding to pay for the meals prepared and delivered to your home. However, the NDIS will assess your situation to decide if it is necessary to provide the funding.
You can also use the services of a company that specialises in cooking snacks, meals, and desserts and delivers them to you. The meals may be ready to eat or frozen based on your preferences. While looking for the service provider, make a list of things, research online, make sure if the company needs to meet any special requirements like avoiding gluten-free or pureed meals, and ask for a menu.
Coverage of costs
The NDIS covers the costs of meal preparation and its delivery. It does not include the costs of ingredients as it is classified as everyday expenses. However, to pay for the meal preparation and delivery using NDIS funds, you must specifically mention it in your plan. The NDIS will provide money for a definite number of meals from specific providers to be delivered throughout the plan.
The providers of Ndis meals use a standard formula for their meals instead of the exact prices of ingredients in a dish. It breaks down the costs of preparation and delivery and ingredients. While this varies between providers, 70 percent of the price is usually paid using NDIS funds, and 30 percent will be your own expenditure. It is often termed as copayment or copay by many providers.
Based on the above-stated points, you must have got clarity on availing of prepared meals, the costs involved, and the process of payment.
