Who is eligible for the NDIS?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is Australia’s national scheme for funding reasonable and necessary supports for children with disability or developmental delay and adults with disability. NDIS support helps people work towards individual goals and gives them choice about the support they need to live the life they want.
If your child has disability, developmental delay or developmental concerns, the NDIS can help you and your child get services and supports in your community. If your child is eligible for the NDIS, the NDIS might also provide funding for supports like therapies or items like wheelchairs or communication devices.
There are 2 main pathways to NDIS support. One is for children younger than 9 years, and the other is for children 9 years and older. On both pathways, an NDIS representative will talk with you about your child’s and family’s needs and your child’s goals. They’ll help you do an NDIS application for your child if this is what your child needs.
What happens when you do an NDIS application for your child
When you do an NDIS application for your child, you’ll get a reply within 21 days. This might be:
- a letter telling you whether your child is eligible for the NDIS
- a letter or phone call asking for more information about your application.
Why a child’s NDIS application might be unsuccessful
If a child’s application is unsuccessful, it might be for one or more of the following reasons:
- Your child’s disability isn’t permanent or likely to be permanent.
- Your child’s disability doesn’t significantly affect their ability to do everyday things like dressing themselves, talking or walking.
- You haven’t provided enough evidence that your child’s condition has a significant effect on everyday life.
- Your child doesn’t meet NDIS residency requirements.
- The supports that your child needs are best funded through mainstream or community services.
Your child might have had support through the NDIS early childhood approach but doesn’t need NDIS support anymore. In this situation, your child might be able to get other supports that aren’t funded by the NDIS. An NDIS representative can give you information about these supports and help you find and use them.
What to do if your child’s NDIS application is unsuccessful
If your child’s NDIS application is unsuccessful and you want to keep trying to apply for your child, there are 2 options you can consider:
- Do another NDIS application for your child.
- Ask for an internal review of the decision about your child’s eligibility.
Doing another NDIS application for your child
You might do another NDIS application for your child in the following circumstances:
- You have new evidence about the effects of your child’s disability or developmental delay on everyday life.
- Your child’s situation changes – for example, your child gets a new diagnosis, their condition changes, or a new therapist has evidence about the effects of your child’s disability.
Requesting an internal review
If you disagree with NDIA’s decision that your child isn’t eligible for the NDIS, you can request a review of the NDIA decision.