Read how to highlight which Menu items are ineligible for HCP and NDIS funding.
What is in this resource
Some menu items are not eligible for government funding via the NDIS or Home Care Package programs.
This resource explains how to define these ineligible items clearly on your Menu to avoid confusion for your HCP and NDIS customers.
How to manage Menus items that are ineligible
1. Go to Food > Recipes > Edit Recipe
2. Scroll to Sizes and Pricing
3. See checkbox titled Exclude item from HCP / NDIS funding allowing you to determine whether this item is eligible for split payments (funded partially by the government) via HCP & NDIS.
The items that are checked at the Recipe level will display a badge on the customer facing menu that says Not HCP funded or Not NDIS funded (see the image below) and will only be displayed to HCP & NDIS customers.
HCP & NDIS customers will still be able to add these items to their order, however the cost of the item will be 100% allocated to the customers' share of the order. This will be clearly shown at checkout and on invoices.
What types of items are excluded from funding?
The types of items that are excluded from HCP & NDIS funding are typically items that would be in the category of grocery items such as Jams, Spreads, and Bread. They will also include alcoholic and other beverages.
Some Care Providers (HCPs) and Plan Managers (NDIS) adopt different approaches to the eligibility criteria and are worth checking with if in doubt. For instance some may elect that only single serve meals are eligible, whereas others are happy to include larger meals that can be shared.
To help determine what you allocate as funded or illegible for funding, funded meals aim to care for nutrition needs for NDIS participants and HCP recipients and includes help to:
- do the grocery shopping (not including the food purchased)
- prepare food (including special diets for health, religious, cultural or other reasons)
- arrange delivery of pre-prepared food (excluding the cost of the raw ingredients)
So you can see how veggie boxes, meal kits and pantry items would not be eligible. How much is covered depends on the Home Care Package plan arrangements and how NDIS funds are worked out. Most clients make a small co-payment to cover the cost of the food ingredients only – this is usually 30% of the total cost of the meal, hence why the invoices on your Cookaborough account are split one part for the customer (30%), the other for the HCP or NDIS fund (the remaining 70%) which covers the food preparation, packaging and delivery. If the funds are Provider-managed the client pays 30% upfront, with the remaining amount invoiced directly to the Provider, and if self-managed the client pays 100% upfront and the Care Provider or Plan Manager is invoiced to cover 70%.
More on funded meals
Both the HCP & NDIS government funded programs are experiencing changes in how they work. The full extent of changes is not yet known. As things evolve, we will continue to adapt the platform to enable food businesses to meet the requirements of both programs.
For more details on servicing these customers please see this related blog.
About Cookaborough and HCP & NDIS customers
Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for local food businesses to service their community members who are utilising these programs and want access to high-quality local meals.
We have heard many unfortunate stories of customers with sub-standard meal options to choose from despite having excellent food businesses in their community. We have seen the impact of quality meals and the strong community connection that can grow through sourcing locally.
For Home Care Packages specifically, a crucial aspect that the government considered when designing the HCP program is the role that high-quality, nutritious meals play in the well-being of Senior Australians. Recent Royal Commissions into the aged care sector echoed these sentiments and highlighted the often poor quality of meals participants receive.
The HCP program allows participants to source their own meal solutions and make the most of the program's financial incentives improving the quality and variety of meals available.
There is a misconception that only selected accredited food businesses can provide these services, which is not the case. In fact, any food business can participate in the program, providing they meet specific regulatory requirements, which all businesses servicing the sector using Cookaborough will comply with.
The opportunity for your food business
The HCP and NDIS programs are growing significantly, and meals are playing a key role within the programs. There are currently over 300,000 participants in the HCP, and this is growing at least 10% each year.
Due to the personalised nature of the relationship and the funding they receive, these customers are more likely to order multiple meals and repeatedly place orders each week. As they are also only outlying 30% of the actual cost of the meals, they are generally not as price sensitive as others can be.
For many food businesses using the Cookaborough platform, the HCP and NDIS programs represent a significant and rewarding part of their business, due to not only the additional revenue but from feeling like they are helping improve the quality of life for people in their community.
Ready to get started? Fill in the form below, and our team will be in touch to help you begin to make the most of these meaningful opportunities presented by NDIS and HCP initiatives.
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