Today we're diving into a topic that doesn't get much coverage but it's incredibly important for NDIS providers and their admin teams - how long does a participant's NDIS plan remain active for claiming after they pass away?
First we want to acknowledge that when a participant passes away it's a really difficult time especially for their family but also for the providers and support staff who worked closely with them.
So while there are administrative steps that need to be taken, it's important to approach this process with sensitivity and care.
You don’t want to be the insensitive person asking “but how will I get paid?” so I created this video and the below article to give you a clear, step-by-step guide for what to do when a participant dies.
Let’s make these difficult moments a little easier to manage - together.
First Things First: What You Need to Know When You’re Informed of a Participant’s Death
Now if you've been in the NDIS space for a while you know that clear, written guidelines can sometimes be hard to come by. I've searched high and low for a definitive answer on this and have pieced it together from info from a few different places and because of this, everyone seems to have different opinions.
Some say claims need to be made within a matter of days but let's be real that is not always practical. So, I went straight to the NDIS pricing arrangements and also found a bereavement addendum to find out what's actually allowed.
So, let's break it down.
The NDIS bereavement addendum lists specific support items that providers can claim after a participant has passed.
Right now, there are three claimable categories:
A bereavement payment for registered plan managers
They can claim $104.45 per 30 days, for up to 90 days after a participant passes away. If they are required to process outstanding invoices and finalise the participants financial arrangements, those claims need to be submitted within 90 days of the participant's death and invoices for services provided after that participant's passing have to be manually reviewed by the NDIS payments team.Support coordination
Support coordination also has a bereavement payment. They can claim for services provided again within 90 days after a participant's passing if they're finalising participant matters. These claims, again, can only be made if the if the coordinator was already working with the participant before their passing and activities like home cleaning, funeral arrangements, and hirer equipment retrieval are not claimable.Supported Independent Living (SIL)
Another one is supported independent living or SIL. If a participant in SIL passes away, providers can claim up to 28 days or 4 weeks of payments to help manage the transition.
Obviously all claims must also follow all the compliance and regulations as well.
So, what does this mean for you as an NDIS provider or admin?
If you're one of the three providers I just me mentioned, and still finalising support after somebody's death then you definitely need to lodge your invoice via the payment inquiry section in the provider portal and within 90 days.
Check out that bereavement addendum for the full details here.
For all other providers who have unpaid invoices from support delivered before the death, if the participant was agency managed get your claims in as soon as you can. I've definitely seen the ability to submit normal payment requests stop pretty quickly after somebody passes, but this doesn't mean that you can't get paid. You just need to submit it through that payment inquiry function in the portal and it's it will still go through.
If the participant was plan managed you still just submit your invoice to the plan manager as soon as you can and just be prepared for some delays because they'll need to manually process claims too.
Act Quickly and Sensitively
So, at the end of the day this is one of those areas in NDIS admin where there's not a lot of clear information and so people get a little stressed out.
The best approach is to act quickly and sensitively where you can to avoid delays but there's no need to panic and no need to add stress to family and staff that are already dealing with a lot.
If you're unsure, contact the NDIS payments team directly.
If you found this video helpful don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube, and please share with your team or colleagues.
And I'll keep bringing you practical insights to simplify, outsource, and grow your NDIS business.
Need Help Managing Admin Around NDIS Participant Deaths?
We can connect you with experienced NDIS Virtual Assistants who understand the emotional and compliance-related challenges of situations like this.
Let’s make admin and process management simple and stress-free so you can focus on what you do best: supporting your participants.
Over to you
If you have any tips, tricks, thoughts, or resources you’d like to share, please do so in the comments below – I’d love to hear them!
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