How independent assessments will help make the NDIS fair

Listen

No. The introduction of independent assessments will not change your review rights or your avenues for review. Independent assessments will mean better decision making for participants. With longer plans for participants with stable support needs, improved planning, and greater plan flexibility, you will be able to make the most of your NDIS plan, and work towards achieving your goals.

No. Although funded by the NDIA, the assessments are conducted separate to the Agency. They will be conducted by assessors from a range of health professions, like occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, clinical and registered psychologists, rehabilitation counsellors and social workers.

Assessors provide the assessment report to the NDIA; they do not make decisions about a person’s access to the NDIS, or a participant’s plan budget.

Participants can request a review or appeal decisions made by the NDIA, if they feel a decision made about them is wrong.

We ran the two pilots to test the assessment process and the tools, to make sure the way independent assessments are applied is in line with the NDIS Act, and the Productivity Commission’s 2011 advice.

We’ve also chosen a suite of independent assessment tools (the toolkit) to make sure the independent assessments produce consistent and reliable results between different assessors, and different types of participants.

We’ve also released our Independent Assessment Framework. The Framework explains why we’re introducing independent assessments, and how independent assessments will provide new and existing participants with consistent and reliable evidence of their functional capacity.

You can request a copy of your independent assessment from your planner or Local Area Coordinator.

The independent assessment tools are disability neutral. We’ll be using independent assessments to understand a person’s functional capacity, and how they undertake the activities of everyday life.

This means you don’t need a formal diagnosis to complete the independent assessment and a formal diagnosis is not part of the independent assessment.