STA is accommodation at a different place to your usual home and is typically provided in a centre or group residence. You can access STA funding (in the right circumstances) for up to 14 days at a time, for a total of 28 days per year.
STA can be used to build your independence (e.g. develop new skills) or strengthen your informal supports by offering you and them respite – the opportunity to take a break, with the aim of maintaining your current living arrangements.
In this article we cover:
You can find more information about STA here.
Despite the name, STA isn’t just about the accommodation, it also involves the support you receive while staying there, including personal care, food and activities you and the STA provider agree to. The activities will vary from provider to provider, so it's important to check that out.
Examples of STA could be:
If you believe your disability means you require non-traditional STA (from a provider offering individual support), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will need evidence to support your request before funding can be approved (in writing).
The NDIS may fund STA if it:
The NDIS doesn’t typically fund STA if it:
If STA isn’t stated in your NDIS plan, but you have enough funding available in your Core Supports budget to ensure your approved supports aren’t affected by spending on STA, you may be able to use it. There are standard rates for STA in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Again, the NDIS can fund up to 28 days of STA per calendar year, which can be used flexibly – but you can’t claim more than 14 days in a row. If you want to access more than that, you’ll need approval from the NDIA.
There are lots of specialised STA providers and the services and supports they offer can be very different, so it’s important you take your time to research what’s available and which STA providers meet your support needs.
If you have a plan manager, you can use non-registered STA providers, but often these options don’t deliver the value you’re after because they don’t include supports – meaning you’ll need to pay extra for those. Be sure you take this into account when you’re comparing prices.
The best and easiest way to use your NDIS funding for STA is with a specialist provider that provides all your accommodation, personal care, meals, and activities. However, you can claim these items separately for the period you’re staying in STA (so, you can source them from more than one provider) if they’re within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Accommodation for support workers can also be covered under STA, but you can't claim accommodation for your informal supports.
STA is not intended for holidays and accessing it with NDIS funding means it must relate to your disability. If you believe the support will help you to achieve your goals, it’s a good idea to have some supporting information that backs that up, just in case you need to show the NDIA why you spent your funds that way.
We’re here to help
If you’re not sure what’s funded under STA, or if you can access it, just ask us. You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
Updated 31 October 2024
