Does NDIS Pay For Bathroom Renovations?

Are you looking to undertake your home bathroom renovation through the NDIS home modification scheme?

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If you are suffering from any kind of disability then there needs to be more care and reliability in your home environment. If your home, especially the bathroom, is not up to scratch, it may make your life difficult. It may force you to think about some difficult options like selling your home and building a new one or going for a rental home option.

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There is another option which is a lot easier, and one that you might enjoy. You can accomplish renovation of your home with the help of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). If you make some renovations or home bathroom modifications with their help, you are guaranteed that it will make your work a lot simpler.

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Also, it will leave a positive impact on your life by improving your living conditions. Here, we have listed a couple of ideas to help you know how home modification or bathroom modification makes your life a lot easier with the cooperation of the NDIS.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australian government scheme that provides financial support to people suffering from any type of disability. Its mission is to provide financial support packages to eligible people. It provides its services to people with significant or permanent disabilities, under the age of 65 years.

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Its main aim is to provide all necessary home and health support to people with disabilities for better access to community services. They also assist the people to change their lives under their assessment guidelines.

Eligibility Criteria For National Disability Insurance Scheme

The NDIS offers support for home modification to people who:

• Have signed an agreement with the homeowner allowing home modification.
• Are at most 64 years of age.
• Are not eligible for any other government-funded scheme.
• Need modification to improve the safety of their homes.
• Have a physical disability that impacts their ability to manage their daily activities.

NDIS Home Modifications

NDIS provides financial support for home modifications under their assessment guidelines. NDIS releases funds for home modifications for specific cases like change in the structural layout and to increase the safety of the home.

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NDIS funds home or bathroom modification only if a person with a disability is unable to access a particular room in the home. It may require some added fixtures or full redesign to improve accessibility.

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The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) also provides additional support related to home modifications, which includes:

• Extra funds where the NDIA recommends use of certified builders, building assessors, project managers, and qualified builders.
• Besides normal repairs, extra funds will be provided for maintenance of specialised fittings and installation of assistive technologies.
• Costs payable to the council for renovation approvals.

Things for which NDIS will not pay:

• Additions in buildings such as new rooms, stories, lifts, or inclinators to give access to multiple levels of a home.
• Modifications from single homes to group homes and other specialist accommodation, or public use buildings.
• Removal of modifications when the beneficiary no longer requires them, except in cases where there is a prior agreement documented in rental policy.
• Modification that does not comply with the specification of work and is not relevant to the Australian standards.
• Ongoing repairs for non-specialised structures, fittings, or fixtures for example repainting a modified bathroom or plumbing maintenance.
• Any kind of insurance premiums which require to be paid after home modification in order to insure a property.
• Any modification of damage to the home discovered when the process of home modification started.
• Installation of a swimming pool and spas.
• Property purchased after granting access to the NDIS.
• Any modification which is above standard grade including fixtures, fittings, and materials.

NDIS Home Bathroom Renovation

Bathrooms are the most important places that need to be modified to become more accessible. Activities such as getting out of a tub or any other thing may result in a slip or loss of balance for a disabled person. Apply for NDIS financial support if you need assistance in the following areas:

• Installation of mobility aids: The addition of mobility aids like handrails helps an individual to move easily for specific positions.
• Movable power points and light switches: Movable power points and light switches are reliable additions in the bathroom for people with disabilities.
• Widening doorways: Widening an existing doorway is another helpful modification for a disabled individual.
• Installation of slip-resistant surfaces: Bathroom surfaces normally become slippery when they are wet, so it’s necessary to install a slip-resistant surface.
• Installation of non-slip mats and grab rails: Non-slip mats and grab rails are another necessary installation for disability bathrooms.
• Removal of shower screens: Another thing that definitely makes the bathroom more reliable for disabled people is the removal of shower screens.
• Installation of easy use taps: Installation of easy use taps is another must-have modification. They are just as important as moveable taps.
• Space under the sink: Space under the sink is a necessary modification that allows ease of access for disabled individuals.
• Safety rails: Safety rail is an important installation for the safety of disabled individuals.
• Walk-in tubs: Walk-in tubs and roll-in showers installation is a reliable modification in the bathroom for the ease of access.
• Bathtub lifts: The addition of a bathtub lift in the bathroom is another reliable addition for disabled individuals. They allow users to get in and out of a tub with ease.
• Shower doors that are barrier-free: Barrier-free shower doors are completely at the level of the floor allowing easy access for persons on wheelchairs.
• Easy transfer toilets: Easy transfer toilets are chairs that easily transfer over the toilet seat allowing, giving a disabled person an easy time when responding to the call of nature.
• Wall-mounted sinks: Wall-mounted sinks are another reliable modification that may be required to ease a disabled individual’s life.

NDIS Service Provider

The NDIS service provider is a registered partner of NDIS whose job is to offer complete home modification assessment on behalf of NDIS. This service provider can be private home renovation companies that work as NDIS registered providers.

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The service providers provide a complete report of their assessment to the NDIS. The report is meant to prove that a renovation or modification is necessary. This operation is done by an Occupational Therapist (OT). An Occupational Therapist visits your home and notes your complete routine activities. They then recommend the required modification after discussing their assessment with you. An Occupational Therapist works for different categories of home modifications companies.

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The modifications can be categorised as follows:

• Simple modification: A simple modification includes low-cost renovations such as mounted shower chairs and grab rails.
• Minor modification: A minor modification is a non-structural renovation. However, it requires experienced professionals and assistive technology. An example of minor modification is non-structural door widening.
• Complex modification: Structural changes are considered complex modifications as they require a bigger budget. Sometimes, they involve changes on a large scale in the home such as in the kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom.

So, an NDIS service provider presents a complete report of the changes required from doorway widths to the ground surface.

Assessing Modification Requirements

If you require your bathroom modified, the first thing to do is have a home assessment done by the NDIS service provider. This is done by an occupational therapist to find out what modifications you need. Either you require simple, minor, or complex modification. Your specific modification may include handheld showers, handrails, grab rails, threshold ramps, and level shower access.

Assessing Assistive Technology Requirements

Assistive technology is physical support that helps a disabled person to do something easily. Installation of assistive technology may be part of your NDIS plan, but only if it has been proven that it will help make your living condition better. Your assistive technology assessor determines solution that best suits you. For instance, if it has been found that you need a power wheelchair, it will be provided.

Role Of Builders And Builders’ Consultation

In the National Disability Scheme, once the occupation therapist completes their assessment, the builder’s consultation begins. The builder and occupational therapist meet on site where the report will be discussed in detail and a builder’s proposal is prepared.

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After the builder proposal is received, the occupational therapist will then compile the final report containing both the occupational therapist assessment report and the builder’s proposal. This report is compiled as a submission pack to be used as an NDIS plan.

NDIS Plan

Once the final submission pack is approved, it is called the NDIS plan. After getting the approval for the bathroom renovation and modification from the NDIS, the plan can now be used for practical implementation. To get the project done, assess and work only with a home modification professional company that is registered with the NDIS as an NDIS provider.

Choose The Company For Home Modification

After you get approval from NDIS for home modification, you need to select a company that will complete this home modification work for you. The best way to find a reliable company suitable for your work is going through the following points:

• How long has the company existed in the business?
• What is their experience in disability home bathroom modification?
• Do they have access to occupational therapists to provide assessment for home bathroom modifications?

At Elev8, we provide you with professional NDIS home bathroom modification services according to your requirements.