The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) aims to empower and support individuals with disabilities across Australia through NDIS funding. It provides essential funding and services to help people with disabilities achieve their goals, improve their independence, and enhance their overall quality of life.

Am I Eligible For the NDIS?

To become an NDIS participant, you must meet certain eligibility criteria.

The 6-Point NDIS Checklist

Are you under 65 years old, an Australian Citizen and reside in Australia?

The first step in determining NDIS eligibility is ensuring that you are an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or hold a Protected Special Category Visa. Moreover, you must be below 65 years of age at the time of application. If you do not meet these basic requirements, you are unlikely to be eligible for NDIS support.

If you're over 65 years old and are looking for disability services and support for the first time, you should contact My Aged Care.

Do you have a permanent impairment resulting in disability? (This can be a physical, intellectual, cognitive, visual, hearing or psychosocial disability)

To be eligible for the NDIS, you must have a permanent and significant disability. This can be physical, intellectual, cognitive, neurological, visual, hearing or psychosocial. The impairment must be diagnosed by a qualified medical professional or specialist. Temporary impairments or mental health conditions are unlikely to meet the NDIS disability criteria.

Is your ability to perform everyday activities substantially reduced as a result of this impairment?

The NDIS eligibility process assesses how the disability affects your functional capacity across various life areas. The life areas are:

• Mobility and motor skills e.g. moving about your home or throughout your community, getting in and out of bed or chairs.

• Learning e.g. understanding and remembering information and learning new skills.

• Communication e.g. trouble with being understood and understanding others or other kinds of language deficits.

• Self-care e.g. showering and bathing, getting dressed and preparing meals.

• Social interaction e.g. making friends, interacting with the wider community and coping with the emotions that flow from this.

-Self-management e.g. doing daily tasks, problem-solving and managing money.

Does the loss or reduction in function restrict your ability to participate in work or study or to engage with peers or interact with your wider community?

The disability must also have a clear impact on social or economic participation in your life.

Are you likely to require ongoing support from the NDIS?

The NDIS takes a lifetime approach. Therefore, people seeking access to treatment through the NDIS must demonstrate that they have a permanent impairment that they expect to require the scheme’s support for their disability requirements for life. This is another reason that a mental health condition on its own is not usually sufficient to be eligible for the NDIS.

Do you have disability requirements that fall under the remit of the NDIS?

Not all types of support required by a person living with a disability fall under the remit of the NDIS. Supports funded by the NDIS generally include things that relate to an individual's disability requirements and assist with activities of daily living and improve a person's ability to function independently. However, The NDIS does not fund supports that cover costs such as groceries, utilities (electricity, gas, internet), rent or mortgage payments etc. The NDIS also does not cover support provided by other government organisations such as Medicare. Some forms of support such as mental health support can be covered by the NDIS if they relate to your disability.

Evidence and Documentation

To support an NDIS application, relevant evidence and documentation are crucial. This includes medical reports, assessments, and other supporting documents that provide a clear picture of your disability, its impact, medical treatment, and the ongoing support you may requir

e. It is essential to gather comprehensive and up-to-date documentation to strengthen your case for NDIS eligibility.

List A Conditions

If you have a condition that's recognised as a 'List A Condition', you only need to provide evidence of the condition. You do not have to provide further information about its functional impact unless specifically requested. List A medical conditions include things like severe cerebral palsy, paraplegia and permanent blindness.

The Early Childhood Approach

Children under 7 years old with a developmental delay or other disability should contact an NDIS early childhood partner for assessment to discuss early intervention support. They will support the family to apply for the NDIS and address their early intervention requirements.

How can Focus Care Help?

The NDIS is a big initiative - and can feel overwhelming to manage! 

If you’re at all unsure of how to get started, it may help to enlist the help of a Support Coordinator (which is included in your NDIS funding). 

You might like to consider our team here at Focus Care. 

 As a registered NDIS provider, we understand the NDIS. Our support coordinators will work with you, so you do too - helping you access, understand and implement your NDIS plan with ease.

If you’re eligible for an NDIS plan or believe you might be, contact our Support Coordination team for a no-obligation consultation. 

You can also contact us online or by calling 1800 362 871