Is Personal Training Covered by NDIS Funding?Absolutely!
We currently serve over 10 clients who utilise NDIS funding to engage with a personal trainer! Allow me to guide you through this process, along with an overview of the NDIS personal trainer price guide.
When we first started working with clients leveraging NDIS support I was shocked with a recurring fact: hardly anyone has personal training funding included in their NDIS plan. It was an unexpected revelation.
However, after extensive collaboration with NDIS professionals, I discovered that having personal training explicitly listed in your NDIS plan is not a prerequisite to access these services. In fact,, only a handful have utilised that specific line item for funding.
So, how does it all come together?
There are four distinct funding items spread across both the NDIS core and capacity building support categories that can be utilised to cover your initial Healthspan Collective. Since we are not a โSPECIAL gymโโand are a local gymโwe facilitate the NDIS participant’s engagement in social and community participation, which is a fundable expense. Explore the graph below for a breakdown of these items, all of which we leverage to assist our clients in accessing NDIS funding for personal training.
| NDIS Support Category Number | NDIS Support Category | NDIS Support Category Name | Example of Support by Healthspan Collective Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Core Supports | Assistance with social, economic and community participation | A Healthspan Collective trainer facilitates a fitness activity in the community to allow participants to socially engage |
| 9 | Capacity Building | Increased social and community participation | A Healthspan Collective trainer engages a participant in regular physical activity, including walking, to increase a participant's fitness levels and confidence so that they can walk to shops independently. |
| 12 | Capacity Building | Improved health and well-being | A Healthspan Collective trainer provides personal training to a participant to improve their health and wellbeing. |
| 15 | Capacity Building | Improved daily living skills | A Healthspan Collective trainer works as an allied health assistant to provide personal training under the recommendation of the participant's allied health therapist and therapy plan, to improve daily living goals. |
THE NDIS PERSONAL TRAINING PRICE GUIDE
Currently, the NDIS personal training price guide stands as a singular line item, nestled within its own capacity building category alongside exercise physiology under the umbrella of improved health and wellbeing (as detailed previously under support category 12). This arrangement may suggest that personal training serves a specific function aimed at achieving specific outcomes for particular goals. However, the reality is that the benefits of personal training are diverse and can contribute to a wide array of goals and individuals.
Outlined below are the specifics:
| Support Category Description |
|---|
| The supports within this category are geared towards assisting participants in enhancing their health and wellbeing. |
| Physical Wellbeing Activities |
|---|
| These support items aim to uphold or enhance physical mobility or wellbeing through personal training or exercise physiology. Physical wellbeing activities promote and foster improved physical capacity and overall health. |
| Professionals |
|---|
| Exercise Physiologist - Accredited exercise physiologists with Exercise and Sports Science Australia. |
| Personal Trainer - Individuals possessing a personal training qualification (Certificate III, IV, or Diploma) in Fitness or an equivalent certification. |
BEYOND ENHANCED HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Within the NDIS core funding category โAssistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation,โ our personal training sessions take place within the local community in a mainstream gym. This actively contributes to community and social participation. Similarly, under the capacity building support of โIncreased Social and Community Participation,โ our sessions directly facilitate greater engagement while providing a beneficial workout.
Regarding the latter two categories, โImproved Health and Well-beingโ and โImproved Daily Living Skills,โ individuals often have broad goals centred around enhancing their well-being and combating the effects of ageing, degenerative conditions, or sedentary lifestyles. Many participants report that our personal training sessions support them in their allied health therapy, as they improve strength, range of motion, and gross motor skills, which are beneficial in many facets of allied health work.
Our goal has always been to connect people to their local communities through gyms and fitness/leisure centres, combining the benefits of exercise with improved social engagement and connection to the local community.
HEALTHSPAN COLLECTIVE NDIS PERSONAL TRAINERS โ A VALUABLE COMPLEMENT TO OTHER NDIS SUPPORT SERVICES AND THERAPIES
If your goal is more health-focused and less social, our personal trainers can collaborate with an NDIS exercise physiologist and work under their recommendations and exercise prescriptions. The NDIS personal training line item costs less than half of exercise physiology, allowing you to maximise your investment, if appropriate.
We want to emphasise that personal training is not intended to replace existing therapies, but rather to complement them. Our experience has shown that it can significantly benefit individuals undergoing occupational therapy and other allied health therapies.
If you or someone you know is ready to speak with an NDIS personal trainer, click here to get in touch๐งก๐ช
To help educate you more we have included a link below to the NDIS Price Arrangements & Price Limits, formerly the NDIS Price Guide. This is updated frequently so stay tuned for the latest version.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING NDIS FUNDING FOR PERSONAL TRAINING
DOES NDIS COVER GYM EQUIPMENT?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) offers funding to Australians with disabilities to enhance their independence and overall well-being. While the NDIS does not directly cover the cost of purchasing gym equipment, it does allocate funding for personal training services, which may involve the utilisation of gym equipment in either a gym or private setting.
For instance, an NDIS participant might opt to utilise their funding to engage in one-on-one personal training sessions at a gym facilitated by Healthspan Collective, which could include access to gym equipment.
DOES THE NDIS FUND GYM MEMBERSHIPS?
The NDIS supports various services and activities aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals living with disabilities. While this may include gym memberships, the eligibility for funding is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Based on our experience, it’s more common for gym memberships not to be covered, unfortunately
You can find an example of the information and a review of a sample case on the NDIS.gov.au website here.
DOES NDIS FUNDING COVER PERSONAL TRAINING?
In short, yes, you can utilise NDIS funding for personal training. However, the specific coverage depends on various factors. As we have discussed there are a multitude of ways to get support, although we recommend consulting directly with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and reaching out to our team to explore how you can access the funding according to your individual plan.
