The presents are wrapped, the cake’s been baked, and there are candles at the ready. Turning 18 is a milestone in everyone’s life – a day that marks the end of childhood and opens the door to the adult years.
But for some, turning 18 brings with it an added layer of complexity, and that means they need a little extra support.
That’s why the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) created the role of a nominee.
If you’re a participant in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and you’re aged 18 or older, you’re in control of your life and you can choose how (and if) you want to engage with the Agency.
From applying to join or remaining in the Scheme, through to the information you provide to the NDIA and the supports you use, those decisions are yours to make.
But if you find it difficult to make decisions – even with support – that’s where nominees come into play.
A nominee is a representative appointed to make decisions or do things on behalf of an NDIS participant. They can be appointed at the request of the participant themselves, or in very rare circumstances, the NDIA can appoint them too.
For under-18s there are child representatives (usually a parent or guardian).
There are two types of nominees in the NDIS – plan nominees and correspondence nominees – and participants can have one or both.
They can also have more than one person acting on their behalf to do different things or to make decisions in different areas.
A plan nominee can act and make decisions on your behalf if it’s not possible for you to do something, or if there’s something you can do, but would prefer not to.
For example, a plan nominee can make decisions about preparing and changing your NDIS plan and managing your funding.
Your plan nominee must listen to your wishes and take actions that support your personal and social wellbeing.
A correspondence nominee can make decisions for you about your business with the NDIA, but they can’t prepare or change your plan, or manage your funding like a plan nominee can.
For example, a correspondence nominee can receive letters and notices from the Agency about you or for you, and they can also communicate with the NDIA on your behalf.
Nominees can be people who you trust, like family or friends. Have someone in mind? Ask yourself if that person:
If you’d like a nominee to support you with the NDIS, there are two ways to nominate or ask for one (or as many as you’d like). You can:
Make sure you have your proposed nominee’s name and contact details handy to share. If you’d like to appoint an organisation or company as your nominee, it’ll need to provide the name of the person who’ll be acting on your behalf.
Situations change, so if you’d like to remove or add a nominee, you can contact the NDIA and let their staff know.
Do you have a question about nominees that we haven’t answered here, or would you like to do some more research? Find out more about having someone represent you by visiting the NDIS website.
