Your NDIS plan review meeting is approaching, and you’re staring at twelve months of reports, invoices, and notes scattered across your kitchen table. The worry sets in: Have you achieved enough? Will your funding increase, decrease, or stay the same? Are you properly prepared to advocate for the support you truly need?
For many NDIS participants across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and regional areas, the plan review process feels overwhelming. Unlike your initial planning meeting, where possibilities seemed endless, reviews require tangible evidence of how funding has been used, what’s working, what isn’t, and why changes are necessary. The difference between a well-prepared review and a rushed one can mean thousands of dollars in funding and significantly impact your independence, therapy access, and quality of life.
Understanding when and how to prepare for your NDIS plan review isn’t just about ticking administrative boxes—it’s about ensuring your plan continues to reflect your current needs, goals, and circumstances. Whether you’re preparing for your first review or your fifth, the fundamentals remain constant: documentation, evidence, and clear communication about your disability-related support requirements.
When Should You Request an NDIS Plan Review?
Your NDIS plan includes a scheduled review date, typically occurring when your plan is nearing its end. Most plans run for 12 months, though some may be shorter (6 months) or longer (24 months or more) depending on your circumstances. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) generally contacts participants 8-12 weeks before their plan end date to commence the review process.
However, you don’t need to wait for your scheduled review if your circumstances change significantly. You have the right to request an unscheduled review at any time if:
- Your disability support needs have substantially increased or decreased due to changes in your condition, health, or personal circumstances. This might include hospital admissions, new diagnoses, deterioration in functional capacity, or improvements that change your support requirements.
- Your current funding is insufficient to meet your reasonable and necessary support needs, leaving gaps in essential services like therapy, personal care, or assistive technology.
- You’ve experienced major life changes affecting your living situation, employment status, family circumstances, or caring arrangements that impact the supports you require.
- Significant errors exist in your current plan, such as incorrect funding allocations, missing support categories, or administrative mistakes that prevent you from accessing appropriate services.
The timing of your review request matters. Submitting a review request too early in your plan period—particularly within the first few months—may be declined unless you can demonstrate substantial changes. The NDIA expects participants to use their current plan before requesting increases, making documentation of funding utilisation crucial.
What Documentation Should You Gather Before Your NDIS Plan Review?
Preparation separates successful reviews from disappointing ones. Comprehensive documentation provides the evidence base for your funding requests, demonstrating both how you’ve used existing supports and why additional or modified funding is necessary.
Reports from Allied Health Professionals
Current reports from your occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, or other allied health professionals form the cornerstone of your review evidence. These reports should be recent (ideally within the past 3-6 months) and specifically address:
- Your current functional capacity across relevant domains
- Progress toward existing NDIS goals
- Remaining barriers to independence or participation
- Recommended supports, therapies, or equipment for the coming plan period
- Justification for recommended support hours and intensity
Quality therapy reports clearly link your disability-related needs to specific NDIS funding categories and demonstrate how proposed supports are reasonable and necessary. Reports from professionals who have worked with you consistently throughout your current plan period carry more weight than one-off assessments.
Medical Evidence and Health Professional Letters
While your NDIS plan focuses on functional impact rather than diagnosis, current medical evidence supports your case for ongoing or increased funding. Gather recent letters from general practitioners, medical specialists, or hospital discharge summaries that document:
- Changes in your condition or health status
- New diagnoses affecting your functional capacity
- Medication changes impacting your support needs
- Recommendations for specific therapies or interventions
Service Usage and Budget Tracking
Your plan management statement or NDIS portal provides detailed records of how you’ve used your funding. Review your expenditure across all budget categories, noting:
- Supports fully utilised or underspent
- Reasons for any significant underspend (provider shortages, service gaps, delayed assessments)
- New support needs that emerged during your plan period
- Services that proved more or less beneficial than anticipated
This information demonstrates accountability and helps justify future funding allocations. If you’ve underspent in certain categories, prepare explanations—provider unavailability, waitlists, and service gaps are valid reasons that differ from simply not needing the support.
Progress Evidence and Goal Tracking
Collect evidence showing progress toward your current NDIS goals. This might include:
- Photos or videos demonstrating new skills or improved function
- Activity logs or participation records
- Educational progress reports
- Employment participation evidence
- Community engagement documentation
Both achievements and ongoing challenges are relevant. Successfully meeting goals demonstrates effective funding use, while persistent barriers justify continued or enhanced support.
How Can You Effectively Communicate Your Needs During the Review?
The review conversation itself requires thoughtful preparation and clear communication about your disability support requirements. Whether your review occurs face-to-face, via phone, or through telehealth, the approach remains similar.
Prepare a Written Summary
Create a concise document outlining:
- What worked well in your current plan
- What didn’t work and why
- How your circumstances have changed
- Your goals for the coming plan period
- Specific supports you’re requesting
This summary keeps you focused during the meeting and can be submitted to the NDIA as supporting evidence. Aim for clarity over length—two to three pages covering key points proves more effective than exhaustive documentation.
Frame Requests Around Functional Impact
The NDIS funds supports based on how your disability affects your functional capacity and ability to participate in daily activities, work, education, and community life. When requesting supports, explicitly connect them to functional outcomes:
- Instead of: “I need more occupational therapy”
- Say: “Occupational therapy sessions help me develop strategies to manage daily living tasks independently. I’ve made progress with meal preparation and medication management, but still require support developing routines for home maintenance and financial management to live more independently.”
This approach demonstrates understanding of NDIS funding principles and strengthens your case for reasonable and necessary supports.
Bring a Support Person
Consider bringing a family member, carer, support coordinator, or advocate to your review meeting. A support person can:
- Help you remember important points
- Take notes during the meeting
- Provide additional perspectives on your support needs
- Offer emotional support during what can be a stressful process
Inform the NDIA when booking your review if someone will attend with you.
What Are Realistic Goals for Your Next NDIS Plan Period?
Goals anchor your NDIS plan, connecting funding to measurable outcomes. Effective goals are specific, achievable within the plan period, and clearly linked to your disability support needs.
| Goal Component | Less Effective Example | More Effective Example |
|---|---|---|
| Specificity | “Improve my daily living skills” | “Prepare three different meals independently each week using adaptive equipment and strategies” |
| Measurability | “Get better at socialising” | “Participate in two community activities per month with reducing levels of support over 12 months” |
| Time-bound | “Eventually return to work” | “Complete a six-month supported volunteering placement to build confidence and work skills” |
| Support Connection | “Be more independent” | “Manage personal care routines independently using assistive technology and morning routine supports” |
| Disability Link | “Learn to drive” | “Develop safe pedestrian skills and public transport confidence to increase community access despite mobility limitations” |
The SMART goal framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) applies well to NDIS planning. However, avoid setting goals solely based on what you think the NDIA wants to hear. Authentic goals reflecting your genuine priorities and circumstances prove more sustainable and meaningful.
Consider both short-term and long-term objectives. Your 12-month plan might include stepping-stone goals toward longer-term aspirations, demonstrating progressive skill development and increasing independence where appropriate.
How Should You Follow Up After Your Review Meeting?
The review meeting represents just one step in the broader plan review process. Understanding post-review procedures helps manage expectations and enables appropriate follow-up if needed.
Understanding Processing Timeframes
After your review meeting, the NDIA assesses the information provided and makes funding decisions. Processing times vary considerably, though the agency aims to finalise reviews within 50 days. Complex cases requiring additional information or internal approvals may take longer.
You can track your review status through the myplace participant portal, which updates as your review progresses through different stages: submitted, under review, approved, or active.
Reviewing Your New Plan
Once approved, carefully review your new plan before it becomes active. Check:
- Funding amounts across all budget categories
- Stated supports match your discussed needs
- Goals accurately reflect your priorities
- Plan management arrangements are correct
- Plan duration aligns with your circumstances
If errors exist or funding differs significantly from discussed amounts without clear explanation, contact the NDIA immediately to clarify decisions.
Requesting Internal Review if Necessary
If you disagree with funding decisions in your new plan, you have the right to request an internal review within three months of receiving your plan. Internal reviews involve a different NDIA decision-maker reassessing your plan based on the original evidence plus any additional information you provide.
Document your reasons for disagreement clearly, focusing on how the decision fails to meet your reasonable and necessary support needs related to your disability. Additional evidence from allied health professionals or medical practitioners strengthens internal review requests.
Preparing for Long-term Success: Building Review-Ready Habits
Rather than scrambling before each review, cultivating ongoing documentation habits throughout your plan period makes future reviews significantly easier.
Maintain a simple file or folder—physical or digital—where you regularly store:
- Allied health reports as you receive them
- Medical letters and test results
- Photos or notes documenting progress
- Service provider feedback
- Records of challenges or barriers encountered
Schedule quarterly check-ins with your support coordinator, occupational therapist, or key service providers to assess goal progress and identify emerging needs. These regular touchpoints ensure you’re not trying to recall twelve months of developments during a single review meeting.
Keep a brief journal or notes app entry recording significant events, achievements, or challenges as they occur. Even brief monthly summaries prove invaluable when preparing your review documentation months later.
Track your budget expenditure regularly through the myplace portal or your plan manager’s statements. Early awareness of underspend or overspend allows mid-plan adjustments before review time, demonstrating proactive plan management.
Engage actively with your support team. Regular communication with occupational therapists, physiotherapists, support coordinators, and other providers ensures they understand your evolving needs and can provide targeted reports when review time approaches.
Moving Forward: Your NDIS Plan Review Journey
Reviewing your NDIS plan represents an opportunity to ensure your supports continue matching your needs, goals, and circumstances as they evolve. While the process requires effort and preparation, understanding when and how to prepare transforms reviews from anxiety-inducing obligations into constructive conversations about your support needs.
The most successful reviews share common elements: comprehensive documentation, clear communication about functional impacts, realistic goal-setting, and proactive engagement with the process well before the review date. Whether you’re accessing occupational therapy services in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, or through telehealth across Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, or Tasmania, these fundamental principles remain constant.
Your NDIS plan exists to support your independence, participation, and quality of life. Thorough review preparation ensures your plan continues fulfilling this purpose, adapting to your changing needs and circumstances while maintaining accountability for funding use.
Have questions about preparing for your NDIS plan review? Need support documenting your occupational therapy progress and goals? Contact Astrad Occupational Therapy today.
How far in advance should I start preparing for my NDIS plan review?
Begin preparing at least 8-12 weeks before your scheduled review date. This timeframe allows you to request current reports from allied health professionals, gather documentation, and organize evidence without rushing. However, maintaining ongoing documentation throughout your plan period – rather than intensive last-minute preparation – proves most effective for comprehensive review readiness.
Can I request an NDIS plan review if I’ve underspent my budget?
Yes, you can request a review with underspent funding, though you’ll need to explain the reasons. Valid explanations include provider shortages, waitlists, service unavailability in your area, or the time required to find appropriate providers. Simply not using allocated funding without clear reasons may result in reduced funding in your next plan. Document barriers that prevented you from utilizing your budget effectively.
What happens if the NDIA reduces my funding at plan review?
If your funding decreases and you believe the decision doesn’t reflect your reasonable and necessary support needs, you can request an internal review within three months of receiving your new plan. Gather additional evidence supporting your need for previous funding levels, particularly reports from allied health professionals or medical practitioners demonstrating ongoing disability-related support requirements. You can continue using your previous plan funding while the internal review is processed.
Do I need new reports from all my service providers before my plan review?
While comprehensive documentation strengthens your review, you don’t necessarily need new reports from every provider. Prioritize current reports (within 3-6 months) from professionals providing core supports or recommending new interventions. Letters from providers you see regularly for ongoing therapy should address progress, remaining needs, and recommendations for the coming plan period. One-page updates from established providers often suffice if you’ve previously submitted detailed assessments.
How do I prepare for my first NDIS plan review as a new participant?
Your first review focuses heavily on how well your initial plan met your needs. Document what worked and what didn’t, noting any supports that were over-funded, under-funded, or missing entirely. Gather reports from any new service providers you’ve engaged, including occupational therapists, and clearly articulate lessons learned from your first plan period. First reviews often involve significant adjustments as you and the NDIA better understand your actual support requirements versus initial estimates.
