To keep you informed about the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) new PACE computer system and how it will impact you, we’ve developed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
If you’re a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant or provider, be sure to bookmark this page for quick reference and check back in regularly to stay up to date.
We’ll continue to update these FAQs as we learn more from the NDIA.
Last updated 3 April 2024
PACE is the NDIA’s new computer system.
It will eventually replace the Agency’s existing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
The NDIA is introducing PACE to improve how it delivers the NDIS, so participants and providers are better supported every step of the way.
The NDIA commenced a staggered rollout of PACE across Australia at the end of October 2023.
At this stage, the Agency expects the rollout to occur across an 18-month period.
New participants are likely to be rolled onto PACE first, with existing participants in the Scheme migrating onto the PACE system as they start a new NDIS plan.
Existing participants won’t be rolled onto PACE until they have a new plan and they’ll find that out during their plan reassessment.
New participants will be notified that they’re on PACE during their planning meeting.
Providers will know because:
PACE has several new features designed to improve the participant and provider experience. Key changes arising from PACE are listed below:
For further information about each of these changes, see the other FAQs on this page.
The introduction of PACE isn’t going to change:
In PACE, the Core, Capital, and Capacity Building support types will be joined by a new one called Recurring. Six new support categories (in bold below) will be added, and some existing support category names will be changed (in italics below).
The table below shows the PACE support types and categories.
Funding in PACE plans will be built at the support category level and there will be no line items.
Participants will still have stated and flexible supports, but these will be at the support category level, so participants will have more flexibility over how they use their funding.
PACE does not change the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Participant-endorsed providers – also known as ‘my providers’ – are the providers a participant regularly works with and records as part of their NDIS plan.
By recording a ‘my provider’, participants let the NDIA know that a provider can receive payments for claims in their NDIS plan.
Participants with a plan on PACE (or their nominees) need to record their ‘my providers’ when they have:
A plan manager needs to be recorded as a ‘my provider’ to be paid, but participants don't need to record providers for their plan managed supports if they don't want to.
Self -managed participants don’t need to record ‘my providers’ for their plan.
The NDIA will release funds in instalments. As an example, this could mean NDIS participants with a three-year plan have their funds released in tranches every 12 months, while others may have funding released each quarter.
The NDIA has built a new participant portal (‘my NDIS’) and updated its app to work with PACE.
The ‘my NDIS’ participant portal is for participants with NDIS plans developed in PACE.
Participants who don’t have a plan in PACE will continue to use the current NDIS ‘myplace’ portal.
Participants will be able to register for the ‘my NDIS’ participant portal when their NDIS plan is approved in PACE. The portal is a more accessible and user-friendly way for participants to:
Participants with a plan built in PACE can access the ‘my NDIS’ participant portal through myGov.
If a participant already has a myGov account for other government services – such as Medicare, the Australian Taxation Office or Centrelink – they can use it for the ‘my NDIS’ participant portal. If they don’t have an existing myGov account, they’ll need to create one to access the ‘my NDIS’ participant portal.
The NDIA will check in with participants during their plan period to see how they’re going. During the check-in, the NDIA will ask if the supports in the participant’s plan are meeting their needs, and if the participant is experiencing any issues with using their plan.
The NDIA may check in:
During a check in, a participant’s Early Childhood Partner (ECP), Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner will ask:
Check ins can take place face-to-face or by phone. If they want to, participants can have a family member, supporter, or someone who helps them with their plan join them for the check-in.
Having a check in doesn’t mean a plan needs to change.
Service bookings are used to set aside funding for an NDIS registered provider to pay for a support or service they’ll deliver.
For participants who’ve transitioned to PACE, there will no longer be a requirement to create service bookings, because the NDIA will know which providers participants have chosen to work with (participant-endorsed providers).
Providers linked with existing service bookings will automatically become participant-endorsed providers once PACE is rolled out.
Service agreements are still recommended for all supports.
As participants and their plans move onto PACE, providers won’t be able to use the single line item claim function in the ‘myplace’ provider portal.
Claims for PACE participants will need to occur through a bulk upload, which is aimed at reducing transactional requirements for providers. A single line can be submitted in a bulk upload.
All claims will need to be made using the Bulk Payment Request template and submitted in the ‘myplace’ portal – with the same service and support details that are currently used.
Providers should consider adjusting their business practices to submit all single claims via the bulk upload process.
If providers use the Bulk Payment Request template, they don’t need to know if a participant has an NDIS plan in PACE, because all claims will be made through the ‘myplace’ provider portal.
PACE will make it easier for providers to access a participant’s plan if they have the appropriate consent. Under PACE:
The ‘my NDIS’ provider portal is the NDIA’s new business system for providers. It is separate from the ‘myplace’ provider portal.
All providers who access the ‘myplace’ provider portal will also be able to access the ‘my NDIS’ provider portal, but only those working with participants with a PACE plan will need to use it.
Support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches who aren’t registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission will need to create a Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account and register their details with the Agency to gain access to the ‘my NDIS’ provider portal.
Before providers can see participant information in the ‘my NDIS’ provider portal, participants will be asked for their consent.
With participant consent, providers will be able to access reports with:
When a participant has an NDIS plan developed in PACE, plan managers, support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches with participant consent will be able to see the participant’s historical goals and budgets.
If a participant has support coordination and/or psychosocial recovery coaching services in their plan, the NDIA will be able to help them by checking with the providers they choose to see if they’re available. This’ll be called a request for service.
If a participant is choosing a support coordinator or psychosocial recovery coach for the first time - or if they want to change the provider they have, or keep working with the same provider - they’ll be able to tell the NDIA at their planning meeting, plan implementation meeting or plan check in, or by calling the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
The NDIA will use PACE to send a request for service to the providers the participant chooses. They’ll send the request even if the participant wants to keep working with the same provider on a new plan.
Providers will have four days to accept a request for service or let the NDIA know they aren’t available. After four days, the request for service will be sent to the next provider the participant has nominated.
Support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches will be required to accept a request for service in order to be paid.
Unregistered support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches will need to use the new ‘my NDIS’ provider portal to receive requests for service when the participants they work with have plans developed in the PACE computer system.
Once a provider accepts a request for service, they’ll be known as a participant-endorsed provider
The NDIA is introducing new reporting templates for support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches to help standardise provider reports and capture consistent information. This is intended to help NDIA planners and NDIS partners to prepare for check ins and plan reassessments with participants.
The new reporting templates are expected to take about the same amount of time to complete as reporting currently does.
There are two sets of reporting templates, one for support coordinators, and one for psychosocial recovery coaches. The new reporting templates will make it easier for providers to:
The templates will require information about:
Providers should complete the reporting template through discussion with the participant and the people who support them, making sure participants are aware of the detail included.
Support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches will be asked to submit reports across the life of a participant’s plan, generally at a set period. The timing of progress reports may change, depending on the participant’s circumstances and when their next plan reassessment is due.
Support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches should regularly log in to their ‘my NDIS’ provider portal to track due dates for reports, which can be submitted as attachments in the portal.
Under PACE, general providers, support coordinators, psychosocial recovery coaches, and plan managers recorded as ‘my providers’ will automatically see a participant’s contact details and the details of their nominee/s (if they have them).
Plan managers recorded as ‘my providers’ will be able to see if a participant has any self managed or Agency managed supports, and if funds are available.
New notifications from the ‘my NDIS’ provider portal will let providers know when they have a task to complete or when participant budget information has been updated.
Depending on the types of service and the consents in place, providers will be notified when:
The new ‘my NDIS’ provider portal will also provide clearer error messages.
If a provider submits a claim and it’s below the price guide limits, they’ll receive an error message. Similarly, they’ll receive an error message if they submit a claim above the limits.
Currently, if a participant changes their plan manager mid-plan, the existing plan manager and new plan manager have a 30-day overlapping period during which both can make claims.
Under PACE, the NDIA has removed the 30-day period for claiming overlap and claims can only be submitted by the participant's current plan manager.
Under PACE, fund management types for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and Behaviour Support have been expanded to include self managed and plan managed options. To take advantage of this change, the service provider’s ABN must be included in claims for self managed and plan managed SDA and Behaviour Support.
With PACE, there will be changes to plan meetings, the introduction of optional implementation meetings, and participant check ins.
Once a participant’s plan has been developed, they’ll be invited to a plan meeting with the NDIA planner who approved their plan. The meeting will discuss the plan and budget that has been developed, based on information such as the participant’s previous plan and the information and evidence they have provided.
Once a plan is approved, the participant’s NDIS partner will contact them to offer an implementation meeting to help them get started. Under PACE, some participants’ plans may be longer – up to three years.
If a participant’s plan is longer than a year, each year of their plan will have the same budget, and funding will be released in instalments. The NDIA will schedule a check in with participants each year to find out how they’re going with their plan.
This NDIA resource explains each step of the journey existing participants will experience when their NDIS plan moves to PACE.
The view inside My Plan Manager’s client portal and mobile app will be different for clients who’ve migrated to PACE (and their support coordinators).
Support coordinators with more than one mutual client of My Plan Manager may see different views (current and PACE), depending on whether the client whose budget they’re viewing has been rolled onto the PACE system.
Plan managed participants who are rolled onto PACE won’t need to endorse their plan manager.
However, participants who want to start working with a plan manager after migrating to PACE will need to endorse their chosen plan manager, so their choice is recorded on their plan.
To do that, during their planning meeting or as part of their plan reassessment, they’ll need to tell their NDIA planner, ECP or LAC which plan manager they wish to use.
Plan managers must be recorded on plan managed participants’ plans. Once a plan manager is recorded, the PACE system will automatically recognise them as a participant-endorsed provider.
Participants who elect to change from one plan manager to another will need to call 1800 800 110 to notify the NDIA of their decision.
Once a new plan manager is recorded on a participant’s plan, they’ll be able to start claiming.
Outgoing plan managers will have 30 days to finalise claims.
Participants can learn more about PACE and what it means for them on the NDIS website. The PACE page of the website includes a range of tools and resources.
Valuable PACE information is also available in this webinar recording – ‘Navigating NDIS plan changes and PACE: everything you need to know’ – hosted by Kinora, an online community created by My Plan Manager.
Providers can find PACE tools and resources from the NDIA here. They’re arranged alphabetically and updated regularly.
The Agency is encouraging providers to attend an information session to learn more about PACE and the new ‘my NDIS’ provider portal. Find and register to attend a PACE information session here.
The NDIA has also released a provider learning environment to support providers to understand how to use the new ‘my NDIS’ provider portal. The learning environment includes walk-through tutorials with easy-to-follow steps to help providers learn new and changed processes.
Valuable PACE information is also available in this webinar recording – ‘Future-proof your NDIS business and PACE update’ – hosted by Kinora, an online community created by My Plan Manager.
