What can Core Supports funding actually be used for?

Ordinary living costs that any person would have regardless of disability are generally not covered — rent, everyday groceries, regular utility bills and general household items usually fall outside what Core Supports pays for, even if a support worker is present while these things happen. This principle exists to keep the scheme focused on disability-related need rather than replicating the cost of everyday life that everyone incurs.

A useful way to think about it: is this cost something the person would have regardless of their disability (generally not funded), or is it the disability-related assistance needed to do something safely and with dignity (generally fundable)? For example, groceries themselves aren't funded, but the worker's time helping to safely shop for and prepare them often is.

This same logic applies across most everyday scenarios — transport fuel or fares themselves are typically a personal cost, but a worker's time providing transport assistance is usually fundable; a gym membership itself is typically personal, but support to attend and safely participate may be fundable depending on the plan. When in doubt, it's the assistance that's fundable, not the underlying item or activity itself.

This distinction trips people up most often around shared costs — for example, a support worker joining a participant on an outing. Generally, the worker's time and any of their own costs directly tied to providing the support can be considered, while the participant's own entry ticket or meal is usually treated as a personal cost. It's always worth confirming a specific scenario with your plan manager before assuming either way.

Some situations genuinely sit in a grey area, and it's worth acknowledging that rather than pretending every scenario has an obvious answer. For example, a support worker's time helping someone attend a community event is generally fundable, but the specific way costs are split can vary depending on the activity and the individual plan's wording. Rather than guessing, it's always worth confirming an unusual or borderline scenario with your plan manager or the NDIA before assuming it will or won't be covered.

Providers who work regularly within Core Supports tend to have a reasonable sense of what's typically approved, simply from experience — but this is general guidance, not a guarantee, and the final decision always sits with your plan manager or the NDIA.

Valencea's services — daily living, personal care, domestic assistance, community participation and transport — are generally funded through Core Supports for eligible plan-managed and self-managed participants in Western Sydney. If you're unsure whether a specific support fits your budget, call 0494 733 201, Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm, and we can talk it through — though your plan manager or the NDIA has the final say on what's approved.