What if I’m not happy with my new NDIS plan

Man living with down syndrome writing on document reviews his NDIS plan

A new plan has arrived and you are not happy with it. There can be many reasons not to be satisfied with a plan. Maybe there are gaps in the types of support you were hoping to see in the plan? Perhaps there is equipment you requested or modifications you need that have not been funded? Whatever your circumstance, decisions have been made by an NDIS delegate/representative and you disagree with those decisions. 

Can you appeal an NDIS decision?

Yes, any planning decision made by an NDIS representative can be appealed. You are asking the NDIS to review the internal decisions that have been made. 

A word of caution: Before you do anything, really consider the plan that you have. Could you live with it? Could you rejig things a bit so that it does actually work? Think about whether things might change significantly during the life of the plan…if so, you could accept the current plan and then seek a plan reassessment later on?

It may be that you do all this thinking and still decide to go ahead and request a plan review, as the plan in its current form is just not adequate. There is no guarantee that a review will result in a perfect plan, but if it’s not adequate anyway, it is worth trying.

How to prepare for this type of review

Firstly, if you can, speak to the person who conducted the meeting and explain to them your concerns about the new plan. Ask for an explanation as to why a particular support or service that was present in the previous plan is not in the new plan, if this was your expectation. Mistakes are made and it may be that some important piece of information has been missed. Some mistakes are easily corrected and some aren’t, so it will be up to you and the person you are dealing with to decide whether this might be a quick fix resulting in a plan variation or a more formal review process is required. 

If you do decide to request a review of a decision, go back over any material that you provided to the LAC or Planner. Does the plan reflect the reports/quotes or recommendations made in those reports? Check that they were received and considered? Do you need to provide additional information to the LAC or Planner to provide further evidence for the supports/services you believe are essential?

Can a light touch review help with your NDIS plan?

A light-touch review is an informal name given to a process for participants who want to make a small change, or switch the financial management of their plan. 

It’s designed to avoid extended delays you might face in requesting a full review. If you have an agency-managed plan and you are interested in switching to plan or self-management, then requesting a light touch review might be the best option for you. You can contact the NDIA directly to see whether this is possible.

How to request a review of a decision

Each time a decision is made by the NDIA, you will also receive information on how to request for a review. You can either submit a written request to the CEO of the NDIA, talk to someone at the NDIS, call the NDIS hotline or send an email. Explore this article to read in detail how to request a review of an NDIS decision.

In your communication, explain what decision you are seeking to have reviewed and provide information about why you believe the decision that has been made is not correct or reasonable.

You can also download and complete the Application for a review of a decision form from the NDIS website, but it’s not absolutely necessary.