Disability and aged care come with a lot of jargon. This glossary explains the NDIS and Support at Home terms you are most likely to meet in plans, letters and conversations with providers. Terms from both programs are listed together; where a term belongs to one program, the definition says so.
How to use this glossary
If a word you need is missing, call us and ask. For more detail on the big topics, see our guides to NDIS plan management options and Support at Home classifications and budgets.
Glossary of terms
- Access request
- A request to become an NDIS participant. It usually includes information about the person’s disability and how it affects their life.
- Advocate
- Someone who speaks and acts with, or for, a person to protect their rights. In aged care, older people have the right to an advocate of their choice.
- Aged care assessment
- An assessment, arranged through My Aged Care, that works out which aged care services an older person is approved for. For Support at Home it also sets their classification.
- Associated provider
- An organisation that delivers funded aged care services on behalf of a registered provider, like a subcontractor. The registered provider keeps the legal responsibility.
- Assistive technology (AT)
- Equipment or devices that help people do things more easily or safely, such as mobility aids or communication devices.
- AT-HM scheme
- The Support at Home Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme. It provides upfront funding, separate from the ongoing budget, for equipment and home changes.
- Capacity building supports
- An NDIS support budget for building skills and independence, such as support coordination, employment support or learning to manage a plan.
- Care management
- In Support at Home, help to plan, arrange and review your care. For ongoing services, 10% of the quarterly budget goes to care management.
- Care plan
- A document describing a person’s care needs and how they will be met. In aged care it may also be called a support plan.
- Carer
- Someone who provides unpaid care or support to a person with disability or an older person, such as a family member or friend.
- Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
- The entry-level aged care program for older people who need a little help at home, such as domestic assistance, transport or meals. It has been extended to 30 June 2029.
- Child representative
- In the NDIS, a person with parental responsibility for a child under 18 who makes decisions on the child’s behalf.
- Choice and control
- An NDIS participant’s right to make their own decisions about their supports, including who provides them and how their plan is managed.
- Classification
- In Support at Home, the funding level an older person is assigned after assessment. There are 8 ongoing classifications, each with a quarterly budget.
- Clinical supports
- Support at Home services such as nursing and physiotherapy. They are fully funded, with no participant contribution.
- Community and mainstream supports
- Services available to everyone that the NDIS does not fund, such as health, education, transport and local community groups.
- Contribution
- The part of a Support at Home service’s price that the older person pays. The amount depends on the service type and their income and assets.
- Core supports
- An NDIS support budget for everyday activities and community participation, such as personal care, household tasks and consumables.
- Early intervention
- Support given as early as possible to reduce the impact of disability or developmental delay and build skills and independence.
- Eligibility criteria
- The rules for joining the NDIS: being under 65 when applying, being an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and meeting the disability or early intervention requirements.
- End-of-Life Pathway
- A Support at Home short-term pathway giving extra funding for in-home care to people with 3 months or less to live.
- Everyday living
- Support at Home services such as cleaning, gardening, shopping and meal preparation. They attract the highest contributions.
- Fee estimator
- The official Support at Home tool on the My Aged Care website that estimates what an older person might contribute towards services.
- Financial hardship assistance
- Aged care help for people who genuinely cannot afford their contributions, also called a fee reduction supplement.
- Goals
- The things an NDIS participant wants to work towards, such as independence, work, study or making friends. Supports in the plan relate to these goals.
- High intensity daily personal activities
- Complex, health-related daily supports, such as catheter or ventilator management, that need specifically trained workers and registered providers.
- Home Care Package (HCP)
- The former in-home aged care program, replaced by Support at Home on 1 November 2025. Former package holders moved to transitioned classifications.
- Income and assets assessment
- A Services Australia assessment of an older person’s finances, used to work out their Support at Home contribution rate.
- Independence services
- Support at Home services such as transport and respite. They attract a moderate contribution. From 1 October 2026, personal care is fully funded.
- Informal support
- Unpaid help from family, friends and neighbours.
- Internal review
- A review by the NDIA of one of its decisions, if a person does not agree with it.
- My Aged Care
- The Australian Government’s starting point for aged care, including the website, phone line (1800 200 422) and assessments.
- NDIA
- The National Disability Insurance Agency, the government agency that runs the NDIS and makes decisions about access and plans.
- NDIA-managed funding
- An NDIS plan management option where the NDIA pays providers and keeps records. Participants can only use registered providers.
- NDIS Code of Conduct
- Rules every NDIS provider and worker must follow, registered or not, covering respect, privacy, safe and competent support and integrity.
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- The independent agency that registers NDIS providers, oversees quality and safety, and handles complaints about NDIS supports.
- NDIS Practice Standards
- The quality standards registered NDIS providers must meet, arranged in core, supplementary and verification modules.
- NDIS provider register
- The NDIS Commission’s public list of registered providers, showing whether each registration is current, suspended or revoked.
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
- A check of whether a person is cleared to work with people with disability. Registered providers need it for workers in risk-assessed roles.
- Nominee
- A person appointed to act or receive mail for an NDIS participant. A correspondence nominee can receive mail and make enquiries for them.
- Plan-managed funding
- An NDIS plan management option where a registered plan manager pays providers and keeps records. Participants can use registered or unregistered providers.
- Quarterly budget
- In Support at Home, the funding available for each three-month period, based on the person’s classification. Some unspent funds can be carried over.
- Recurring supports
- An NDIS support budget. Its only category is recurring transport, which helps pay for travel to work, study and activities.
- Registered provider
- In the NDIS, a provider registered with the NDIS Commission. In aged care, a provider registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to deliver funded services.
- Registered supporter
- In aged care, a person who helps an older person make and communicate their own decisions, in line with the older person’s wishes.
- Respite
- A break for carers while someone else supports the person they care for. It can happen at home, in the community or in a respite setting.
- Restorative Care Pathway
- A Support at Home short-term pathway of mainly allied health and nursing, for up to 16 weeks, to help people regain function.
- Self-managed funding
- An NDIS plan management option where the participant or their nominee pays providers and keeps records, with the most choice of providers.
- Service agreement
- A written agreement between a participant and a provider describing the supports, how they are delivered, what they cost and how to change or end them.
- Specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
- Housing built for NDIS participants with very high support needs. SDA is the home, not the support workers.
- Supported independent living (SIL)
- NDIS funding for support workers to help or supervise a participant 24 hours a day at home. From 1 July 2026, SIL providers must be registered.
- Short term respite
- The NDIS’s new name for short-term accommodation: support that gives participants time apart from their usual carers, usually up to 28 days a year.
- Support at Home
- The Australian Government’s in-home aged care program for older people, which started on 1 November 2025.
- Support coordinator
- A person funded in some NDIS plans to help participants find providers, use their plan and build confidence managing supports.
- Support plan
- In aged care, a document setting out an older person’s goals, approved services and agreed actions.