To better support participants during the extended coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the NDIS have made a temporary change to funding arrangements for personal protective equipment (PPE).

The NDIS are implementing temporary changes to funding of PPE for personal care where coronavirus (COVID-19) is active your community, and the use of PPE is consistent with current health advice. 

You can now recover the costs to purchase PPE items using your NDIS funds, if you;

• receive an average of at least one hour a day of face-to-face daily living supports, and
• live in Victoria or New South Wales.

If you need PPE items like face masks, face shields and gloves, and the use of these items is directly related to your face-to-face daily living supports, you can use your core supports budget to purchase these items from a registered provider. If you are self-managed, you can choose where you purchase PPE and record and claim your purchases as per the usual process.

Previously only participants who use PPE as a regular part of their support arrangements were able to access PPE through their NDIS funds.

We encourage you to keep an adequate supply of the essential products, but do not stockpile more than you need.

If you need to purchase face coverings or masks for use outside the home, this is still an everyday expense, and you cannot use your NDIS funds to pay for them. Hand sanitiser continues to be a personal expense.

Participants are expected to manage PPE purchases from their existing core supports budget. As part of our initial coronavirus (COVID-19) response we made changes to the myplace portal so all participants, no matter how their plan is managed, could use their core supports budget flexibly to purchase the services and supports they need. 

The NDIS will continue to monitor the temporary way PPE is funded and adjust according to the situation.