The NDIS has introduced new rules for requesting a plan reassessment before your scheduled reassessment date.
Less significant or short-term changes to your support needs are now unlikely to be enough to qualify for a new plan.
You must now show that your disability support needs have changed significantly and that the change is ongoing. You’ll need to provide recent evidence and complete a dedicated plan reassessment form.
Note: This article covers plan reassessments outside of your regular planning schedule. If you’re looking for information about regular plan reassessments, visit Preparing for your scheduled NDIS plan reassessment.
The new rules for unscheduled NDIS plan reassessments.
The NDIS has replaced its previous ‘Changing your plan’ Operational Guideline with two separate guidelines – one for plan reassessments and another for plan variations.
Under the new rules for reassessments, if you need a new plan before your scheduled reassessment date:
- You must use the new NDIS plan reassessment request form
- The request can only come from you, your plan nominee or a child representative
- Your request must explain what has changed and why your current plan no longer meets your needs
- You must provide evidence of a significant and ongoing change to your disability support needs
- Evidence should be no more than four months old when you submit your request and dated after your current plan was approved.
The NDIS has up to 90 days to decide whether to reassess your plan once it receives a valid request containing all the required information and evidence.
Making a request does not mean the NDIS will reassess your plan. It may complete a reassessment, make a smaller change through a plan variation or leave your current plan unchanged.
What is a plan reassessment?
A plan reassessment involves reviewing your disability support needs and creating a new NDIS Plan. If the NDIS agrees to reassess your plan, your current plan will be replaced with a new one, which may include more, fewer or different supports. You may need a plan reassessment if there has been a big change in your situation and your current plan doesn’t meet your needs.
Changes that may qualify for an early plan review.
The NDIS may reassess your plan early if there has been a significant and ongoing change to your functional capacity, or personal circumstances or environment.
The change can be expected. For example, you may be finishing school, starting work, moving out of home or losing regular support from a family member. However, it must significantly affect your ongoing disability support needs.
You’ll need evidence showing how the change affects your support needs and that it is directly related to your disability and eligible impairments. A temporary or short-term change may not qualify.
What does the NDIS mean by significant and ongoing?
To qualify for a plan reassessment, the change must be both significant and ongoing.
- Significant: The change means you need additional or different NDIS supports to meet your disability support needs.
- Ongoing: The change is expected to continue over time.
1. Changes to functional capacity.
You may be eligible for a plan reassessment if a change in your functional capacity has had a significant effect on your ability to complete daily activities in one or more areas of your life.
- Communication: How you speak, write, sign or use gestures to express yourself
- Social interaction: How you make and keep friends, interact with the community or, for a young child, play with other children
- Learning: How you learn, understand and remember new things, and practise and use new skills
- Mobility: How you move around your home and community, or get in and out of bed or a chair
- Self-care: How you manage personal care, hygiene, grooming, eating and drinking and health-related activities
- Self-management: How you organise your life, plan, make decisions and look after yourself.
Example of evidence: A recent functional capacity assessment showing how your functional capacity has changed, how this affects your daily activities and whether the change is expected to improve, decline or stabilise over time.
2. Changes to living arrangements.
The NDIS may consider a change to your living arrangements if the new arrangement is ongoing or expected to last for more than a year.
This may include:
- Moving into or out of hospital, residential care or a justice setting
- A child entering or leaving out of home care.
- Moving to a home that changes your access needs or your need for capital supports or home modifications. For example, you may need a ramp to enter your new home
Example of evidence: A functional capacity assessment that shows which NDIS supports you need and why those needs can’t be met under your current living arrangement.
3. Changes to education or work arrangements.
The NDIS may consider changes to your education or employment arrangements if the supports you need are not included in your current plan and are the responsibility of the NDIS to fund. This may include:
- Starting school or university
- Starting a new job
- Changing jobs.
Example of evidence: A report from your school or employer confirming the new arrangement and the start date, along with information on which NDIS supports you need.
4. Changes to informal supports.
The NDIS may reassess your plan if you receive substantial, regular disability-related support from family, friends, neighbours or your community and that support changes. For example, your informal supports may become less available, be at risk of burnout or no longer be able to support you because of a relationship breakdown or other change in circumstances.
The NDIS will consider whether the change:
- Creates a gap in the disability supports you need
- Is ongoing or likely to continue
- Means your current plan does not have enough funding to meet your disability support needs.
Example of evidence: A medical report, hospital records or a letter from a community health provider showing how the change to your informal supports affects your disability support needs.
Other things the NDIS may consider.
- Whether your needs could be met through a plan variation
- Whether you can use your existing funding more flexibly
- Whether another service, such as the education or health system, is responsible for meeting your needs
- How soon your scheduled plan reassessment is due.
Good to know.
Running out of funding is not enough on its own to qualify for a plan reassessment. You’ll still need evidence that your disability support needs have changed significantly and that the change is ongoing.
How to request an early plan reassessment.
If you need your plan reassessed before the date shown on your plan, you must submit a valid request containing all the required information and evidence.
Your my NDIS contact or support coordinator, if you have one, can help you understand your options. Your support coordinator may also be able to help you gather the required information.
- Complete the new plan reassessment form. The request must come from you, your plan nominee or a child representative.
- Clearly explain what has changed and why your current plan no longer meets your disability support needs.
- Include recent and relevant evidence supporting your request.
Your evidence must be no more than four months old on the date you submit your request. It must also be dated after your current plan was approved.
We're here to help.
If you’re not sure whether your situation qualifies or what evidence you might need, our Crew can talk it through with you. Your support coordinator or my NDIS contact, if you have one, can also help you understand your options and gather what you need.
Call us on 1300 05 78 78 or email [email protected].
