Minor Home Modification Assessment for NDIS Participants

Small changes to a home can make a large difference to daily life. A threshold ramp at the back door, a grab rail beside the shower or a lever tap in the kitchen can be the difference between managing a task yourself and needing someone else to help. Minor home modifications are the non-structural changes that make a home safer and easier to use. Under the NDIS, minor home modifications are generally lower-cost, simpler modifications. They do not involve moving walls, changing the building’s structure or altering plumbing and drainage in a major way. Anything beyond that scope falls under complex home modifications, which follow a different process and require additional documentation. What Counts as a Minor Home Modification Common examples include grab rails in bathrooms and toilets, external handrails along steps and pathways, threshold ramps at doorways, non-slip flooring treatments in wet areas, lever-style tap handles, improved lighting in hallways and stairwells, handheld shower fittings, and accessible door hardware. The right combination depends entirely on your home and how you move through it. Two people with the same diagnosis often need very different changes, because their homes are different. This is why the assessment happens in your home rather than in a clinic. Why an Occupational Therapy Assessment Is Needed The NDIS asks for evidence that a modification is reasonable and necessary before it will fund the work. That evidence comes from an occupational therapist who has seen your home, watched how you move through it, and can explain in clinical terms why a particular change is required. A general recommendation that someone needs a grab rail is not enough. The report needs to identify where the rail goes, why that position matters, what functional limitation it addresses and what risk it reduces. Our AHPRA-registered occupational therapists write reports at that level of detail. What Happens During the Visit Your occupational therapist works through the home room by room. They look at entry points, pathways and steps, then move through the bathroom, toilet, kitchen, bedroom and living areas. They will ask you to show them how you currently manage tasks, because watching often reveals things a conversation misses. The visit usually takes 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the size of the home and the complexity of your needs. You are welcome to have a family member, carer or support coordinator present. What You Receive After the visit you receive a written report that documents the barriers identified, the modifications recommended, the clinical reasoning behind each one and itemised costings. The report is structured so a plan manager or NDIA planner can see clearly why each item is being requested. Meeting the criteria does not guarantee funding. The NDIA assesses each request on its merits and makes the final decision. Minor Modifications and Aged Care Home modifications are not only an NDIS matter. Older people living at home often benefit from the same changes, funded through aged care funding such as Support at Home, or paid for privately. Falls are a leading cause of injury-related hospital stays for older Australians, and many of those falls happen in the bathroom. An occupational therapy assessment identifies the specific hazards in your home and recommends practical changes that reduce that risk. Where We Travel Astrad Allied Health provides mobile home modification assessments across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. We travel to you, because a home modification assessment can only be done properly in the home it applies to. Contact our team to discuss your situation, confirm your funding options and arrange a visit.