The NDIS is designed to help Australians with permanent disability. And as a person living with disability, you may have added insurance costs. Think things like wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and even your life insurance. Does the NDIS cover insurance costs, or contribute towards them in any way at all?
As Australia’s first disability insurance specialists, this is something Blue Badge specialists are often asked. Specifically, many people want to know whether the NDIS will contribute towards insurance for disability converted cars.
You’ll be glad to know, the short answer is yes!
What and how will does the NDIS contribute to insurance?
The NDIS website provides the following guidelines on how they will contribute towards the costs of both disability converted cars and associated insurance costs:
“The NDIA may also fund supports that are related or incidental to vehicle modifications, for example:
- driver assessments for the purpose of obtaining an endorsed license;
- driving lessons where a participant requires lessons to establish skills to use the modified vehicle, or additional lessons where a participant’s disability results in them taking longer to learn to drive;
- additional insurance costs, where an additional insurance premium is payable as a result of the modifications. Note, the NDIA will only fund the increased amount of the premium, not the total cost of the policy;
- the cost of engineering certification and other checks required for initial registration; and
- the cost of removal of modifications and reinstallation on a new vehicle when doing so is practicable and represents value for money.”
So, the good news? If you need funding for a disability converted car, the process is quite well funded. And once you have your car, the NDIS will contribute to insurance costs. You’re probably wondering if disability converted vehicle insurance is more expensive. With regular insurance providers, it can be. With Blue Badge, it isn’t. Because we understand the world of disability converted cars and wheelchair accessible vehicles!
Outside of cars, will they help you insure other things?
Will the NDIS contribute to wheelchair insurance or other mobility equipment?
Unfortunately, there is currently no clear process for insuring your wheelchair using NDIS funding. The same goes for mobility scooters and other crucial equipment.
The problem is usually finding a line item for the NDIS to fund insurance premiums. NDIA-managed plans only allow NDIA-registered providers and the line items in the NDIS Support Catalogue. There are no line items for ’mainstream’ supports.
Having said this, several Blue Badge Insurance customers have succeeded in getting their wheelchair insurance costs funded. So, we encourage you to ask. The worst that can happen is they say no! You will likely have a better chance of being able to pay for your insurance through the NDIS budget if you are self-managed, which is more flexible in many ways.
Other NDIS help
Navigating the NDIS can be tricky. Whether you want the NDIS to contribute to insurance or find out whether they’ll help you fund a wheelchair, the process is full of questions. We’ve put together a series of useful articles to help you access the NDIS and get as much support as possible.
- Will the NDIS fund my wheelchair?
- Steps to access the NDIS
- Why no first time access to the NDIS after 65?
- What happens at an NDIS review?
- NDIS support coordinator: how they can help you
- Requesting an early NDIS plan review
- Setting NDIS goals for the first time
- Which NDIS plan management option?
NDIS and insurance for your mobility equipment
At Blue Badge Insurance, we understand how important your mobility is to you. That’s why we insure what’s important: disability converted cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters. As well as Blue Badge Pet Insurance and cover for Assistance Dogs.
Your car insurance policy provides a range of tailored benefits that we know will come in handy if you have a disability, including:
- Discounted premiums for disability parking permit holders, by up to 25%^.
- New for old replacement option for disability conversions°.
- Cover for your family, friends, carers or support workers who drive your car.
- Ability to choose to insure your car for agreed or market value.
- Up to $5,000 cover for assistive technology (wheelchair, walkers, mobility scooter etc.) while in your car.
- Up to $150 rental car benefit for up to 28 days following theft.
- Up to $1,000 cover for carers/support worker’s tools of trade.
- Your choice of repairer.
To help you get the maximum value from your funding, we will happily separate the cost associated with insuring your disability conversions from that of the base vehicle in our quotes, invoices and Certificate of Insurance so that you have the necessary paperwork to clearly illustrate the additional insurance costs payable as a result of the modifications. So you can easily claim funds from the NDIS on insurance premiums.
