Media Release by Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC

More support for people with disability and COVID-19 vaccinations

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC today announced an expansion of financial payments available to providers supporting NDIS participants to attend COVID-19 vaccination appointments.

The initiative, which commenced in May for supported independent living (SIL) providers, has now been extended to include additional providers, to ensure that more NDIS participants are supported to receive their vaccinations. 

This allows eligible providers to directly claim an additional payment to cover costs of supporting NDIS participants to attend vaccination appointments.

“We continue to see vaccination rates increasing among the disability community. However, we want to ensure that all eligible NDIS participants are supported to overcome any barriers they may face and to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine if they choose, to protect the safety of participants, carers, families and the wider community.

“The expansion of this payment will allow for that additional personal support,” Minister Reynolds said.

Eligible Providers will now be able to claim up to a fixed price of $150 when they support an NDIS participant to attend offsite COVID-19 vaccination appointments.

The expansion of this initiative is in addition to previous vaccination measures for people with disability in line with our National Plan – so we can make lockdowns, border closures and restrictions a thing of the past.

  • From 8 June 2021, all NDIS participants aged over 16 years and carers aged 16 years and over of NDIS participants of any age, became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine 
  • From 25 August, all NDIS participants aged 12-15 years became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine
  • In addition to Commonwealth in-reach vaccination services to residential disability accommodation sites, we established dedicated disability vaccination hubs with NDIS providers in the majority of states and territories for participants, workers and carers.
  • These are in addition to more than 8,200 sites, including general practices (GPs), pharmacists, ACCHOs, Commonwealth vaccination clinics and 600 state and territory operated vaccination clinics.

We continue to see progress in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in the disability community, including (as at 30 August 2021:

  • 70% of NDIS participants in shared residential settings have received at least one dose of the vaccination, with 56.6% receiving two doses.
    This is an increase of more than 12,800 since early June.
  • 50.6% of all NDIS participants over 16 years have received at least one dose of the vaccination, with 32.1% receiving two doses.
    This is an increase of more than 100,000 since early June.
  • 62.5% of NDIS screened workers have received at least one dose of the vaccination, with 43% receiving two doses.
    This is an increase of more than 75,000 since early July, and an increase of 13,000 over the last 4 days alone.

More information on the expanded NDIS provider payment is available at For providers – coronavirus (COVID-19) | NDIS.

NDIS participants can find a vaccination site using the Department of Health’s eligibility checker.