What is the Financial Intermediary?

The state-wideFinancial Intermediary(FI) Service is one of the funding administration arrangements available to people with a disability to manage their Individual Support Package (ISP). In July 2010,DHS contracted MOIRA Incorporated (MOIRA) to provide a state-wide FI service which includes holding ISP funds and paying invoices at the direction of people with a disability and/or their nominated representatives.

What do we need to consider if a person using the MOIRA FI Service wants to purchase services from my organisation?

As a disability service provider, you must provide services to people using theMOIRA FI Service as you would any other person using your service. This means complying with the Disability Act 2006, the terms of your registration as a disability service provider, and/or your funding agreement with DHS.

Under the MOIRA FI Service, disability service providers have a direct relationship with the service users and/or their nominated representatives. It is your responsibility to discuss with service users how best their needs can be met; the invoicing arrangements and the importance of promptly authorising and forwarding invoices to the MOIRAFI Service.

Do our invoices need to be in a special format?

The contract between DHS and MOIRA sets high standards for the recording and payment of invoices, this includes tight processing times. TheMOIRA FI Serviceaims to pay authorised invoices promptly however this will depend on the invoices received containing adequate information. To assist service providers, DHS has worked with the MOIRA FI Service to develop a sample invoice. Service providers may either use this sample or ensure that their current invoices meet all of the prescribed requirements.

What needs to happen for invoices to be paid on time?

To ensure that the MOIRA FI Service works efficiently and that are you are paid promptly, a number of key steps need to be completed.

1. Youmust maintain detailed and accurate financial records and provide service users with detailed invoices for each service provided.

2. Service users will check invoices for accuracy before authorising and forwarding them to the MOIRA FI Service.

3. Once an authorised invoice is received by the MOIRA FI Service,it will be checked against the service users’ available funds. MOIRA will record the details of the expenditure and forward payment to you.

How will we know if a person decides to stop using our service?

As with any service arrangement, if a person plans to stop purchasing services from you, they are required to give you adequate notice. Service providers should ensure that upon commencing an arrangement with a service user, they clarify any ongoing arrangements regarding service delivery, including arrangements for giving notice, and the payment of outstanding invoices with the service user, and the cancellation of the MOIRA FI Service.

What can my organisation do if a MOIRA FI Service user isn’t meeting their responsibilities?

MOIRA FI Service users are required to meet their accountability requirements including sending invoices to MOIRA for prompt payment. It will be your responsibility as a service provider to contact the service user directlyregarding outstanding invoices. In the event that a MOIRA FI Service user is not meeting their responsibilities and after reasonable attempts have been made to address concerns, service providers should contact their local Disability Services regional office.

How are complaints from service users resolved?

If you are a registered disability service provider under the terms of the Disability Act 2006, you are required to have in place a process for dealing with all complaints from service users. This means seeking local resolution wherever possible, or providing information to the person about what to do if a resolution cannot be reached. The funding administration arrangement that a person chooses has no effect on the rights of the service user to access any of these complaints resolutions mechanisms.

If you are not a registered disability service provider, service users can complain to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

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