STA FAQ’s
Short-term Accommodation/Respite (STA) – FAQ’s
Q. What is Short Term Accommodation (STA)?
A. STA allows a Participant of the NDIS to be supported by someone else whilst providing their carer with short term breaks from their usually caring responsibilities. An STA is inclusive of accommodation, meals, negotiated activities, community access and daily living supports. Roar Agency’s service allows you to create your own STA experience using your own Support Worker.
Q. How does Roar Agency’s STA Work?
A. Short Term Accommodation gives you the opportunity to get accommodation, food, activities with no out of pocket, all billed back to your NDIS plan, to help you work towards and achieve your NDIS goals. Short Term Accommodation can give you the opportunity to try new things, develop new skills and connections, help you maintain your current living situation and to give your informal supports a break. As STA revolves around support, Roar Agency gives you the opportunity to organise your own Support Worker for your respite. After you have organise your Support Worker you choose your accommodation, activity and food options – allowing you choice and control! Roar Agency then bills this back to your NDIS plan under 1 line item. We have a template online on our booking enquiry which breaks down your accommodation, food, activity and support worker budget for your STA. Once you fill out the booking enquiry via our website one of our STA consultants will then get in contact with you to organise your STA and answer any questions you may have. We pay for everything and send you an itinerary along with any tickets 48 hours prior to your STA starting.
Q. How does an STA work my NDIS plans?
A. You can use Roar Agency’s STA service if you are self, or plan managed. You will need the appropriate funding in your Core budget. STA can be a stated item within a plan however as Core is flexible you can utilise your funding towards this if it works towards your goals.
Q. Do I need to pay for my accommodation up front?
A. We can assist you in finding an accommodation or you can choose your own.
We can only reserve an accommodation that aligns with our cancellation policy (free cancellation within 48 hours).
If you would like to stay at an accommodation that does not align with this policy,
you will need to book your desired accommodation and we will take over the payment of the booking 2 days prior to your STA commencing or transfer any money that paid out of your own pocket back into your bank account.
Q. How do I book my accommodation?
A. There are multiple ways that your accommodation can be booked. Your consultant can discuss these options with you.
Q. I don’t want to stay in the same room as my support worker. Can I purchase two rooms?
(This applies when you need overnight support, or your support worker lives too far away from the respite location to travel every day)
A. Ensuring that you and your support worker have separate rooms is important for both of you. Please remember that as per the NDIA guidelines no one else should be profiting from your plan. It is for this reason that we will only approve 2-3 bedroom apartments.
Q. How far in advance can I book my accommodation?
A. You can book your accommodation as far in advance as you choose. Please ensure that you check the cancellation policy of the venue prior to making the booking. Roar Agency’s cancellation policy states that we will only take over payment of the booking 2 days prior to your STA commencing.
Q. Is there a minimum number of days I need to book?
A. Roar Agency accepts a minimum of 2 days respite per booking (1 night).
Q. How many days of accommodation can I book at one time?
A. As per the NDIA guidelines you can use your funding on 1-14 days of respite in a row. If you have exceptional circumstances, please contact us so our consultant can discuss this with you.
Q. My NDIS funding is NDIA managed. Am I able to use your service?
A. As we are not currently a registered provider, we can only provide this service to self and plan managed Participants.
Q. Do I have to bring a support worker?
A. Yes, as per the NDIA guidelines for an STA to be deemed reasonable and necessary you will need to have a support worker for you. This will allow yourself and your informal supports to get the most out of your STA stay. Children require 24/7 support during an STA. Adults (18 years and older) require a minimum of 4 hours support and a Support Worker to be on call for the remaining hours.
Q. What are Roar Agency’s fees?
A. Roar Agency’s fee’s is just $396.00 per day. This daily fee is added to your final invoice.
Q. STA Breakdown;
A. The table below outlines the breakdown of charges per day that can be allocated to each STA item. We can be slightly flexible with this chart.
For example, if your accommodation is costing less than $425 per night, you could move the extra money to your activity or food budget.
If the accommodation is costing more than $425 per night, you may receive less activities.
This can be discussed with us directly.
Weekday | Saturday | Sunday | Public Holiday | |
Accommodation (per night) | $425 | $425 | $425 | $425 |
Meal Allowance (per day) | $160 | $160 | $160 | $160 |
Activities (per day) | $160 | $160 | $160 | $160 |
Roar Agency Fee (per day) | $396 | $396 | $396 | $396 |
(The following only applies If you are using your own support worker, if you are wanting to use Roar Agency’s support worker – currently only available for STAs on the Gold Coast/Brisbane Area and Sunshine Coast Area- please disregard and discuss with us directly).
Support worker wage:
Weekday: $760/Saturday: $952 /Sunday: $1,544 /Public Holiday: $1,772
Roar Agency will package these together and bull under 1 line item.
Please note Roar Agency’s invoice will not include your Support Workers wage. Your support worker will need to invoice your plan separately for the supports they provide during your STA. As you have choice and control you are entitled to negotiate the wage payable with your Support Worker. Please note that the above line is the maximum that a Support Worker can invoice against your plan when providing supports during your STA.
Q. When will my support worker get paid?
A. As per NDIA guidelines, providers can only be paid for a service once it is completed. If you are using your own Support Worker, please forward their invoice to your STA consultant and we will organise payment once we have received payment for your STA.
Q. Can I use Air BnB or Stayz for my accommodation?
A. Yes, if you would like to use an accommodation provider that charges upfront payment you can make the payment personally and provide Roar Agency with a receipt. Roar Agency will reimburse you 2 days prior to your STA start date. Please keep in mind that this does carry the risk that if you need to cancel outside of our cancellation policy Roar Agency will not reimburse you.
Q. I have already paid for my accommodation and would like to use your service. Can I receive my reimbursement?
A. If you have a valid receipt and have booked according to our guide above, then we can reimburse the cost of your accommodation 2 days prior to the STA commencing (as per our cancellation policy).
Q. Can I hire a car as part of my STA?
A. Yes, but this will form part of your activity budget. Please speak to our consultant about this prior to making a booking. Also, if you would like to hire a car you will need to put your own credit card down in the event an accident/damage occurs. Roar Agency is not liable for this.
Q. Is transport to and from my STA included?
A. No, transport to and from your STA is not included. You will need to organise this with your support worker.
(We can sometimes make an exception with this if necessary. Please discuss with us directly.)
Q. Can I use my funding to purchase an air fare?
- No, you cannot use your STA funding to purchase an air fare.
Q. Can I use my funding to purchase a train ticket?
A. Yes, a train ticket can be included within your activity budget during your STA.
Q. What if I experience an emergency during my STA?
A. In the unlikely event that you experience an emergency during your STA please call 000. For any questions or concerns about tickets/activities please contact us on 1300 LIMITLESS (1300 5464 853 77)
Q. What activities can I book?
A. Think outside the box. What is something you always wanted to do?
How does that align with your NDIS goals?
We believe that nothing is impossible. We have a lot of people try new things they have never done before to become more independent.
Please note that we can book almost everything upfront unless a non-refundable payment is required when making the booking which is a risk for us. In most cases, we will either pay for the activity 48 hours before you commence your STA or ask you to pay upfront and we will reimburse you 2 days before the start of your STA.
Q. How many tickets to each activity will I receive?
A. You will receive 2 tickets to each activity. One for yourself and the other for your support worker.
Q. When will I receive my itinerary, tickets and gift cards?
A. You will receive your itinerary and any e-tickets 2 days prior to your STA commencing. Any gift cards or physical tickets will be waiting at reception for you to collect upon check in.
Q. What would the breakdown of costs look like?
Please click the link below or ask us directly.