Everything you need to know about PACE and the NDIS system rollout.

Our expert team will keep this page up to date with the latest information on the PACE system and the rollout to NDIS participants.

Everything you need to know about PACE and the NDIS system rollout.

Our expert team will keep this page up to date with the latest information on the PACE system and the rollout to NDIS participants.

What is PACE?

PACE is the new computer system built by the NDIA for the NDIS.

The system is based on Salesforce CRM (customer relationships management) technology used worldwide by thousands of big and small businesses.

The new system will replace the current business system, portal and payment systems. There will also be a new portal, my NDIS provider portal that will eventually replace the current one.

Pathways to Care Operations Manager Sam

Why is PACE being introduced?

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The current system has been in place since 2016 and is no longer fit for purpose.

One of the key reasons for building a new system was to improve the user experience and deliver the best possible support to participants, families and carers. PACE will improve how participants, providers and the NDIA work together. The system will be more flexible, allowing it to adapt to changes that may arise from the NDIS Review and recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission.

PACE will provide clearer information for participants, with improved accessibility features and reduce the time providers spend on administrative tasks, meaning more time supporting participants. For NDIA staff, PACE will streamline all currently used systems and provide them with better record-keeping, among other features, resulting in better support for participants.

Where has PACE been tested?

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Tasmania was the test site for PACE with testing starting in November 2022.

Throughout the test in Tasmania a strong focus was placed on engagement and consultation with providers and participants. This was done through working groups, education sessions, and one on one engagements.

Testing the way, the system worked in real-time allowed for changes and improvements to be made before the system was rolled out for the rest of country.

PACE Roll-out - When is PACE launching?

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Launch/Transition Plan

Prior to commencing using the new system:

If an activity is started in the current system, the NDIS will complete these activities in the current system

Once the new system is in use:

The NDIS will work with new participants to develop their first plan in the new system
For participants who have a plan expiring between Nov 2023 and Feb 2024:

  • If a participant's plan is meeting their needs, the NDIS may continue the current plan in the existing system
  • If a participant needs a different plan, the NDIS will develop their plan in the new system

From end of Feb 2024, all expiring NDIS plans will progressively transition to the new system.
The roll out is expected to take up to 18 months. If your plan is being set up in PACE you will be told during your planning meeting.

What are My Providers?

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“My Providers” Explained

With PACE there will be a move away from service bookings and instead you will confirm with the NDIS who the providers you are working with, these will be recorded on your plan and will be called “my providers”

You can update or change your “my providers” at any time by talking to your my NDIS contact or calling the NDIS National Contact Centre on 1800 800 110.

When you record a provider on your plan, you are letting the NDIA know they can make claims against your NDIS plan when they deliver a support to you, and we do not have to check with you before we pay them.

You will need to record my providers for your NDIS plan when:

  • Some or all of your plan has Agency-managed funding.
  • You have specialist disability accommodation, home and living supports and/or behaviour supports in your plan.
  • You have a plan manager. Your plan manager needs to be recorded as a “my provider” as well as your plan manager.

If you want to record Pathways to Care as your plan manager, and a “my provider”, we can be found under our trading name “PATHWAYS TO CARE PTY LTD”, and our organization ID #405 000 6460

Recording your Plan Manager as a 'my provider'

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Participants need to record their plan manager as a “my provider” because they are helping you manage your budget and pay for supports.

Your plan manager currently acts as your financial intermediary (pays your NDIS invoices on your behalf), when you are set up in PACE because your plan managed and they are a my provider you won't need to make any of your other providers “my providers”. Your plan manager will be able to continue paying your providers as they currently do with no disruption.

Participants who want to engage with a plan manager after moving to the PACE system will need to have them recorded as a “my provider”. This can be done in your planning meeting by telling your NDIA planner, early Childhood Partner, or your Local Area Coordination, who will then be able to search for the provider in the system and set them up as this.

How to request Pathways to Care as your plan manager on PACE

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If you have a new plan set up on PACE and are not sure how you list Pathways to Care as a My Provider on your plan, follow the below script when you are speaking to the NDIS on the phone.

Hi,

My name is (your name) I am <NDIS participant/or Plan Nominee> my NDIS number is (your NDIS number).

My NDIS plan has been set up on the new PACE system. Could you please list Pathways to Care, my chosen Plan Manager, on my plan as “My Provider”. They can be found under the trading name “PATHWAYS TO CARE PTY LTD”, and the organisation ID #405 000 6460.

From here the NDIS will process this request, once completed we will be able to start paying your providers.

Moving to a new plan manager

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You can move to a new plan manager at any time.

You will need to call the NDIS to notify them of your change and to set up your new plan manager as your “my provider”.

Currently you can call 1800 800 110 to do this over the phone, with developments in the future for you to be able to do this through your “my NDIS” portal.

Pathways to Care Admin Officer Tash

No more service bookings

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Service bookings are used to set aside funding for an NDIS registered provider for a support they will deliver.

Service bookings are not the same as service agreements. Service agreements are still strongly recommended. Service bookings will not be a feature of PACE, because the NDIA will know who participants want to work with, with providers being labeled as “my providers” on a participants plan.

New Support Categories, updates to names

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Adjustments to support types:

An Additional funding support type will be added to the existing 3, Core, Capacity Building and Capital, with Recurring being the new fourth type.

Addition of categories:

5 additional support categories will be created.

CORE SUPPORT

  • Home and Living (will not be flexible funding) NEW

CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORT

  • Behaviour SupportsNEW

CAPITAL SUPPORT

  • Assistive Technology Repairs & Rental NEW
  • Special Disability Accommodation (SDA) NEW

RECURRINGNEW

  • Transport Recurring NEW

Will there be a new support catalogue?

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No, there won't be a new support catalogue.

All the codes already exist, they have just been relocated to new categories.

New terminology

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Check In

A conversation between a participant and their my NDIS contact.

The NDIS schedule a check-in to ask:

How you are going with your goals.

  • If your plan and funding is working well for you.
  • If your situation has changed.
  • If your NDIS plan is longer than one year, your check-in will usually be once every 12 months.

If your NDIS plan is one year long, your check-in will usually happen about 4 months before your plan reaches its reassessment date.

My NDIS contact

When you contact the NDIS to find out about disability supports, or become an NDIS participant, they provide you with a dedicated contact person. This person is called a my NDIS contact. Your my NDIS contact can be a local area coordinator, an early childhood partner or a person at the NDIA. 

My NDIS participant portal

The NDIA built the my NDIS participant portal to work with the new computer system, PACE.

Participants with plans in the new computer system should use the my NDIS participant portal to:

  • View their budget.
  • See their plan information and personal details.
  • Make and manage claims (for self-managing participants).
  • See all claims against their budget.
  • See messages from the NDIA.

If you have a plan in the new computer system PACE, you can access the my NDIS participant portal through myGov.

My Provider

Are the providers a participant regularly works with and records as part of their NDIS plan. By recording a provider, participants are letting us know that a provider can receive payments for claims on their NDIS plan.

My NDIS Provider Portal

The new my NDIS provider portal is separate to the myplace provider portal. It is for NDIS providers and was build for the new PACE system. Providers can use the my NDIS provider portal to see:

  • Participant and NDIS plan details (with consent).
  • Notifications for activities providers need to complete.
  • Requests for service (support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches only).
  • Whether they have been recorded as a my provider (for NDIA-managed supports, specialist disability accommodation, home and living supports, plan management and/or behaviour supports only).

Plan Reassessment

If your next plan needs to change, or you need more, less or different supports, the NDIS will reassess your plan. When you have a plan reassessment, your plan as a whole will be considered. You'll meet with an NDIS planner to create your new plan. Your old plan will end, and the NDIS will replace your plan with a new one. This means you will receive a new plan with new funding.

Plan Reassessment date

The date your plan is due to be re looked at.

Plan Variation

Plan variations are amendments to an existing plan.

  • A plan variation will not result in changed start or end dates (new plans will have a new start date)
  • Any variations will apply to the entire plan period, including the period between the plan start date and the variation date.
  • A plan variation is not to result in a reduction of plan budget.

Instalments

The new PACE system will have the ability to release funding in instalments. For example, if you have a 3-year plan, you would receive a 1/3 of the total budget at the start then 12 months in you would receive another instalments to cover your second year, and then 12 months later the rest of the budget would be released to cover your 3rd year.

At this stage instalments of funding aren't going to be used but the system does have this capability if it is needed in the future.

New participant portal 'my NDIS'

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The NDIA has built a new portal and updated the app for participants to work with the new computer system.

This new portal is only for participants that have a plan in PACE, if you do not have a plan in PACE you should continue to use the myplace participant portal.

The my NDIS participant portal is a more accessible and user-friendly way to:

  • view your budget
  • see your plan information and personal details
  • make and manage claims (for self-managing participants)
  • see all claims against your budget
  • see messages and correspondence from the NDIA

New portal, My NDIS Provider Portal

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A new portal has been created for providers to interact with the NDIA.

This portal will allow providers to view their participant's plans and budgeting information (with your consent), requests for service and submit reports (Support Coordinators and Recovery Coaches). The portal with provide the below to providers:

  • Plan visibility is linked to the type of supports provided
  • Plan visibility can be automatic or by consent
  • Participants can adjust consent at any time

It will provide the below to Plan Managers:

  • Notification when they have a new relationship with a participant
  • If a participant is offboarding
  • The start date or end date of an existing relationship
  • When a participant has a new plan approved, a plan extension, or a plan reassessment
  • When a participant has an existing plan managed support category budget changed (increased, decreased or removed)
  • If there has been a plan variation
  • When a participant has a new plan managed support category added

New templates for providers

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The NDIS has developed new reporting templates for support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches.

These have been developed to help standardise provider reports and capture consistent information to help NDIA planners and NDIS partners prepare for check-ins and plan reassessments with participants.

The reports have been designed with feedback from users, and are not expected to take up more time than reports currently do. Providers should complete the reporting template through discussions with the participant and the people who support them, making sure participants are aware of the details included.

The new reporting templates will make it easier for these providers to:

  • Share relevant and consistent information with the NDIA.
  • Meet the reporting requirements outlined in the request for service.

The templates ask providers for information about:

  • The participant's support needs and situation.
  • The supports the participant is receiving.
  • The participant's progress in implementing their plan to pursue their goals.

Participant Check-Ins

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NDIS Participants will have a scheduled check-in at least every 12 months

NDIA may check-in with participants on an unscheduled or discretionary basis also.

This may occur when there is: underutilisation, or over utilisation of participants plan funding.

  • NDIS plans will be longer, up to 3 years, except for children younger than 9.
  • Check-ins will generally happen once every 12 months.
  • You don't have to wait for a check-in to ask for changes to your plan.

Your check-in can take place face-to-face or by phone. You can bring a family member, supporter, or someone who helps you with your plan to your check-in, if you want to. Having a check-in doesn't mean your plan needs to change but allows you to ask questions and ensure you are on the right track.

Young girl with her mom

What isn't changing with PACE?

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Not everything will change with PACE, lots of things will stay the same:

  • The NDIS Act
  • The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission responsibilities
  • The way you engage with your providers and how they provide support to you.
  • The way your providers make claims
  • NDIS pricing arrangements and price limits

New NDIS Website to help with the changes

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The NDIA has built a new website to help participants, nominees and providers with the new changes.

The new website address is https://improvements.ndis.gov.au

  • This website is constantly being updated and improved as new information is released
  • You can provide feedback through the website
Laptop with ndis website