How do I use the portal?

Your first plan has arrived, but no instructions on how to access or use the online portal. Your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) should call with an activation code, and explain the online portal. If you don’t receive a phone call within 48 hours of receiving the plan, call your LAC. You will also need a mygov account, so you can get started creating one of those while you wait.

What exactly is myplace?

Myplace is a portal on the mygov website that allows a participant, nominee, or child representative to access all their NDIS information. All these different websites and programs can get confusing! What you need to know is mygov links to all government services, including Medicare, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Centrelink, Child Support, and much more. It is like the box where the government keeps all the different portals for each individual service. This is why you need a mygov account to link to your myplace account and have it work.

Myplace is where you make payment requests (previously known as claims), and create and manage service bookings if you are self-managing. If you are agency managed, or you have elected a plan manager, the myplace portal is still useful to view your contact details (and ensure they are correct and up-to-date), to view messages from NDIS, view referrals made for you, upload required documents, locate service providers, and view upcoming events.

I can’t get myplace to work!

If you have been having trouble accessing the online portal, request a new activation code. This seems to have worked for many people, but make sure you use it as soon as you receive it. Activation codes only last a week. To use the new code: sign into mygov, click on the services button, click the red “unlink” button next to NDIS. A screen should then pop up asking for the new activation code.

If you are still receiving error messages, it might be because your bank details have not been recorded. Apparently, all participants have to have their bank details recorded, even if they are agency managed. If you haven’t put your bank details in through the portal, ask your LAC for a Bank Detail form and where to email it.

One last thing to try is a different browser, for example Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

If none of these are working, then you are left with only one option: to harass NDIS until someone is able to fix it. First contact your LAC and ask for IT support. If that does not solve the issue, then they will probably suggest a plan review, as that should resolve all the issues.

I can only link one child!

Often, if you have multiple children accessing NDIS, it can get a little messy. If you have trouble linking  your mygov account to two or more NDIS accounts. The best thing to do is to first link one child. Once that is working successfully, unlink that child and link the next child. Then unlink that child and link the first child, then link the second child.

I can get into the portal, but then…

If your online portal is working, but you are having issues when you go to “provider finder” – ensure you do not have a “pop-up blocker” installed. A window should pop up asking you to set your location. If this does not work, send NDIS an email via their portal feedback form. Meanwhile try using some of the new search engines for service providers out there now like espyconnect, and carenavigator.

NDIS resources

If your LAC hasn’t already directed you here, this is the NDIS participant portal user guide. I recommend the handy step-by-step guide for the first time you try to link your mygov account to NDIS. Last but not least, a virtual assistant has only just been released, and “her” name is Nadia…and she looks a little like Cate Blanchett…more on that soon!