Characteristics of National Disability Insurance Scheme Plan Payments for People With Cerebral Palsy Described Using Publicly Available Data

Introduction: The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding to Australians with permanent and significant disabilities to enable ‘an ordinary life’. However, we know little about the characteristics of NDIS funding in people with cerebral palsy (CP).

Materials and Methods: This project explored the NDIS plan payments and support category by people with CP using publicly accessible NDIS data. A descriptive analysis was undertaken using observational statistics and variable comparisons to explore lifespan plan characteristics (core supports, capacity building and capital supports proportions) and payments between different age groupings and geographical regions.

Results: 17,575 people with CP as a primary diagnosis were NDIS participants in March 2023, with plan payments of, on average, $138,000/year. Plan payments increased with age. Most funding was allocated to core supports (average $103,000 Pa) compared to capacity building (average $40,000 Pa) and capital supports (average $11,000 Pa). From 2021 to 2023, plan payments increased beyond the consumer price index. There were large differences in NDIS plan payments across metropolitan and regional locations, likely influenced by a range of personal and service availability factors unable to be identified using the publicly available data.

Discussion: NDIS plan payments were larger in older people with CP. There was also low investment in the capacity building areas of employment and lifelong learning, despite this being a focus of the scheme. Unexplained differences in plan payments across regions require further research.