Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO6261

The Australian Government is inviting applications from NDIS providers, via a demand driven process, to apply for reimbursement to cover payments to staff who deliver close personal support, are unable to attend work due to a COVID-19 infection and have insufficient or no sick leave.

Registered and unregistered NDIS providers, including sole traders, are able to apply. Applications will be considered in the following submission periods:

• submission period 1 is open 11 August to 7 September 2023 for hours lost between 1 April 2023 and 30 June 2023
• submission period 2 is open 3 October 2023 to 6 November 2023 for hours lost between 1 July 2023 and 30 September 2023
• submission period 3 is open 18 December 2023 to 30 January 2024 for hours lost between 1 October 2023 and 31 December 2023.

This grant recognises that people with disability may be at risk of severe COVID-19 and the inherent risks in providing support for people with disability in high risk settings, including disability accommodation settings or in the homes of participants at higher risk.

The employee will be required to complete the Employee Disability Worker COVID-19 Leave Eligibility Declaration form and provide it to the employer, for the department to reimburse the employer up to a defined limit per worker every 3 months.

Providers are encouraged to continue to pay permanent and casual staff for the total hours lost, even where this exceeds the reimbursement amount, where they are unable to attend work due to COVID-19 infection. The payment to the employee must be equal to or more than the reimbursement amount, regardless of whether this amount is greater than the total amount they would have been paid for the period of leave.

Only NDIS providers who operate under a valid ABN can apply for the grant.

NDIS providers as defined in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, registered or not, including individual providers of disability support (sole traders) and who provide the following classes of supports to participants:

• high intensity daily personal activities, involving the delivery of health related supports 
• community nursing care
• daily personal activities and
• assistance with Daily Life Tasks in a Group or Shared Living Arrangement.

Open on GrantConnect - 4.5 months

Payments made to successful applicants - a minimum of 30 days following the end of the submission period.

To apply you must:

• complete the online application form, see Submit Application during one of the submission periods
• provide all the information requested
• address all eligibility criteria
• ensure all information provided in the application form aligns with the ‘Employee Disability Worker COVID-19 Leave Payment Eligibility Declaration’
• retain any documentation that evidences eligibility for the grant
• obtain the completed Employee Disability Worker COVID-19 Leave Payment Eligibility Declaration form prior to application submission and retain for application review or audit purposes. The Eligibility Declaration form requests a range of information related to the employee, the period of sick leave and the COVID-19 diagnosis.

Please note:  

• use Disability Worker COVID-19 Leave Grant - Questions and Answers - version 5.

Submission period 3 is now open for applications (closes 30 January 2024)

Submission period 1 has now closed for applications. 
Submission period 2 has now closed for applications