NDIS.

Yes. You can do it on your own or ask a family member, close friend, partner or trusted support person like a support worker to attend.

No. Unspent funds do not roll over to your new plan. When your NDIS Plan ends, any remaining funds are returned to the NDIA. That’s why it’s important to use your funding effectively to achieve your goals and keep track of spending throughout your plan. If your plan reaches its end date and your new plan hasn’t been finalised yet, your current plan will be automatically extended for up to 12 months with the same supports.

To join the NDIS, you’ll need to meet both eligibility and access requirements. If you have a disability, you can find out more about supports by contacting the NDIS on 1800 800 110 or connecting with an NDIS partner. If you contact the NDIS, they will connect you with an NDIS partner. If you are over 9 you will connect with a local area coordinator. For children younger than 9, you will be connected to an early childhood partner. The NDIS partner can help you determine your eligibility and complete an access request to become an NDIS participant. Alternatively, you can complete an access request yourself by downloading the NDIS Access Request form and following the instructions. You’ll need to provide information about your disability and supporting evidence so the NDIA can determine if you’re eligible. An access request is the process for joining the NDIS, including completing the Access Request form and providing detailed information like proof of eligibility and evidence of how your disability reduces your functional capacity in areas like communication, mobility, self-care, or social interaction. Once your access request is submitted, the NDIA reviews it and lets you know whether you’ve been accepted into the NDIS.

Yes, there is an age limit for the NDIS. To be eligible to join the NDIS, you need to be under 65. After 65, you can choose to remain with NDIS or transition to the aged care system.

On its own, ADHD is not usually covered by the NDIS. That’s because it can be hard to meet the NDIS eligibility criteria for permanent and significant disability based on ADHD alone. An adult or child with ADHD who is responding well to treatment such as medication is unlikely to be eligible for the NDIS. ADHD often exists alongside primary disability types such as autism, intellectual disability, learning disability or global developmental delay. These primary disabilities are usually referred to as the main condition, with ADHD considered a co-occurring condition. Someone with one of these primary conditions may be more likely to meet the NDIS eligibility requirements. Learn more in our article ADHD and NDIS eligiblity.

To access the NDIS, you need to meet the eligibility and disability requirements:

1. Age: Under 65 (children under 9 are supported through the early childhood approach)
2. Residency: Live in Australia with appropriate residency/visa status
3. Meet disability or early requirements. The NDIS states that you must be able to meet each of the following criteria to be eligible for the NDIS:
   • You have a disability that is caused by an impairment
   • The impairment is likely to be permanent
   • The permanent impairment substantially reduces your functional capacity (see below) to undertake one or more of the following activities: moving around, communicating, socialising, learning or undertaking self care or self management tasks.

All supports paid for with NDIS funds must meet all the reasonable and necessary criteria:

1. Be related to your disability
2. Help you pursue the goals in your plan
3. Support your social and economic participation
4. Be value for money
5. Be likely to be effective and beneficial
6. Complement informal and mainstream supports
7. Be an NDIS support for you.

View our guide: Everything you need to know about the NDIS reasonable and necessary criteria.

Reasonable and necessary is the criteria the NDIS uses to decide which supports and services will be funded in your NDIS Plan. The NDIS may fund a range of supports across areas like:

• Education
• Employment
• Social participation
• Independence
• Living arrangements
• Health and wellbeing.

To be considered reasonable and necessary, supports must be clearly linked to your disability and help you:

• Work towards your goals
• Increase your independence
• Take part in work, study or social activities.

As you near the end of your current NDIS Plan, the NDIS will contact you, usually by phone. This ‘check in’ is to see how you are going with your plan and if your needs have changed. After that, one of three things may happen: 1. Plan rollover. Your plan continues for another period (usually 12 months) with no changes to funding or goals. Unspent funds are carried over. This may happen if the NDIS hasn’t finalised your new plan before the current one ends. 2. New plan with the same supports: This may suit you if your situation is stable and your current supports are working well to help you pursue your goals. It’s generally used when there are no major life changes expected in the next year. 3. Plan reassessment. A formal review of your NDIS Plan and supports. It’s likely if:

• The impact of your disability on your life has changed
• You’re entering a new life stage, such as school or work
• Your living arrangements or caring supports have changed
• Support needs have changed for a child under nine.

If you turn 65 after you join the NDIS, you can choose to stay with the NDIS or leave the NDIS and receive supports through the Commonwealth Aged Care System. If you decide to obtain supports through the aged care system, you must notify the NDIS in writing that you no longer wish to be on the NDIS.

You can request a review of your plan within three months of receiving it. This is called an ‘internal review’. Through this process, the NDIS can review some aspects of your plan including what NDIS supports are included, how those supports are described, how your funding is managed, how long your plan goes for and funding periods applied to your plan. Your review will be handled by an NDIA staff member who wasn’t involved in the original decisions about your plan. They will reconsider all relevant facts, law and policy, and can take new information into account. How to request an internal review:

• Call the NDIS on 1800 800 110
• Write to the CEO, NDIA, GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601
• Email [email protected]
• Visit an NDIS office
• Complete the Request for a review of a decision form.

A goal is something you want to achieve or aim for. In the NDIS, goals are like roadmaps that help guide you towards what you want to achieve. Each NDIS goal is a statement of intention that provides a clear direction and purpose, helping you stay focused. These goals give the NDIS information about what’s important to you and what you want to do in life. For an NDIS Plan to be approved, it must include at least one goal. For inspiration, visit the Goal Tracker section of the Leap in! app.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is the agency whose role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIA is a government agency responsible for making the NDIS happen, while the NDIS is the scheme or program that provides support for eligible people with disability.

The NDIS early childhood approach is a nationally consistent approach for children with developmental delay or disability and their families. It aims to give children the best possible start in life.

The Early Childhood Approach supports children under 6 with developmental delay or children under 9 with disability and their families. Early Childhood Partners (ECPs) help connect to mainstream (non-NDIS) supports, NDIS supports or a combination of both

Children don’t need a diagnosis to get support. Children who don’t fully meet the definition of developmental delay but have developmental concerns can also receive support.

If you have concerns about your child’s development, contact your doctor, maternal and child health nurse, or other health professional. Your healthcare professional may connect you with an NDIS early childhood partner.

PACE started rolling out across the country on 30 October 2023. Anyone who is beginning the plan reassessment process after that date is likely to be moved to PACE. Your NDIS contact Local Area Coordinator or Early Childhood Partner) or NDIS Planner will contact you and explain what happens next. They’ll ask you how your plan is going, how you’ve used your funding and anything that’s changed. You will only need to attend a plan meeting if your new plan will be different to your current plan.

Your NDIS Plan meeting or reassessment will be with your MyNDIS contact, usually a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) from an NDIS partner organisation or an Early Childhood Partner. You can choose to have a plan meeting or reassessment over the phone, in person or by video call, whatever option works best for you. You can attend the meeting on your own or ask a family member, close friend, partner or trusted support person, like a support worker, to attend. See our Plan Meeting Checklist for more information.

At your planning meeting, your NDIS contact will tell you if your plan is under the PACE system. Each time you contact the NDIS, the operator will remind you which computer system your plan is under.