Under the NDIS scheme, people with disabilities in Australia can get meals delivered by approved food service providers. NDIS meals have enabled access to healthy food for disabled people so that they can lead a healthy and happy life. The specialty of these meals is the menu that is designed by following specific nutritional guidelines to meet each individual’s dietary needs.
You can get prepared meals delivered at your doorstep using your NDIS funding if you prove your eligibility for the subsidised meals. However, you should have a clear understanding of the scheme, eligibility for food delivery services and the benefits of doorstep meal delivery. Below are the details.
How Can You Get Funding for Meal Preparation?
Many people with disabilities are bound to rely on food delivery services for the long term without exhausting their core funding. In such situations, it is best to make a plan with the meal provider beforehand and get a quote to learn about the details of the number of meals delivered to you over the course of the plan and the total cost.
You also need to provide supporting evidence to the NDIS to explain the reasons for not being able to prepare the meals yourself, which will help you get funding for meal preparation and delivery services.
What Costs Will Be Covered by the NDIS?
You can use your NDIS funding to cover the costs of meal preparation and delivery if your disability hinders you from shopping for ingredients and cooking a meal. However, your situation will be assessed by the NDIS to decide whether the funding is reasonable and justified.
NDIS does not cover the cost of ingredients as they are classified as ‘everyday expenses’. Moreover, the service providers used a standard formula to calculate the expense of the NDIS meals instead of listing the exact costs of ingredients. It helps break down the costs of food preparation, delivery and ingredients. So, the general idea is that you pay 70 per cent of the meal’s price using the NDIS funds, and the remaining amount goes out of your own pocket, also known as co-payment.
What Are the Benefits of NDIS Meal Delivery?
The delivery of NDIS meals offers several benefits, which are listed below:
- The service provider has a menu that meets the health goal of each individual. The dishes are prepared with fresh and healthy ingredients. You can browse the menu and select a meal plan to ensure it meets your health goals.
- Several individuals registered with the meal plan need to stay at home due to their disabilities. Hence, getting ingredients for meal preparation is not possible. The NDIS meal providing services provides fresh meals at the doorstep at any time of the day.
- A good meal provider will take care of both taste and nutrition. Further, you can customise your meals to fulfil your daily nutrition intake. The meal provider also considers your special nutritional requirements and prepares meals that suit your needs.
- You don’t have to rely on frozen foods for your meals as you can get the meals delivered at the time of your convenience.
- According to the meal plan scheme of NDIS, registered individuals get the flexibility of delivery dates to enjoy delicious meals throughout the week. Hence, you can share your schedules with the service providers to get timely delivery of meals on time.
If you have proved your eligibility to the NDIS, you can have access to healthy and tasty meals according to your preferences that meet your nutritional requirements adequately.
