Under the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), Supported Independent Living (SIL) assists the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in their pursuit for an independent lifestyle. More than helping people with disability to live independently, the SIL supports them become active members of the community, providing them opportunities for a fulfilling and meaningful life. This becomes possible through SIL Funding.

That said, SIL Funding is designed to help NDIS participants who are living in their own homes or in a Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) home and have major support needs. The funding is specifically used for all the support services that an individual requires, such as personal care, household chores, public transport assistance when going to medical appointments, etc., daily activities and tasks, and facilitating family, work or study, and community interactions. SIL Funding does not cover rent and day-to-day expenses such as groceries, bills and activities, etc.

How Does SIL Funding Work

Funding for SIL is allocated by the NDIA based on a set of guidelines that the agency deem reasonable and necessary supports in providing the services needed and/or specified by the NDIS participants.

Based on NDIS’ website¹, to be considered reasonable and necessary, a support or service:

• Must be related to a participant’s disability
• Must not include day-to-day living costs not related to your disability support needs, such as groceries
• Should represent value for money
• Must be likely to be effective and work for the participant, and
• Should include the support received from other government services, the family, caregivers, networks, and the community.

The NDIS has three levels of SIL funding. They are:

1. Lower needs: where the participant requires regular supervision of living arrangements
2. Standard needs: where the participant requires 24-hour active assistance with most daily tasks, and
3. Higher needs: where the participant requires continual and more complex active assistance.

SIL Funding Eligibility

As for the NDIS participants, to be eligible for SIL funding, you should have an active NDIS plan that includes SIL funding or DSOA (Disability Support for Older Australians) funding. That said, the requirements you need for SIL funding are as follows:

• Evidence that you’re unable to live without 24/7 supports.
• Functional Assessment Reports (FARs) coming from allied health professionals
• Identification of Housing Solutions report coming from support coordinators.

Amount of SIL Funding

There’s no standard as to what amount one will receive from NDIS. It can’t be standardised as the funding depends on a lot of factors such as the type of housing the NDIS participant will choose. There are many options to how the participant wants to live, from living alone to sharing apartments, or some kind of supported housing.

There will also be an independent assessment of the amount of SIL funding you need from the NDIS once you get your home and support plan approved by the agency. As such is the case, it’s important to coordinate and consult with your doctors, your family and personal carers, and other health care providers.

As always, our team at Ability Assist is here to support as you navigate accessing SIL funding. Our NDIS team provides 24 hour SIL supports throughout Melbourne, working with people with disability to achieve their goals. Our mission is to promote independence, encourage skills development, and enhance quality of life. Give our team a call on (03) 9306 1770 and learn more about how we can support with SIL.

Reference:

1 https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/supports-funded-ndis/reasonable-and-necessary-supports