The NDIS funds “reasonable and necessary” supports that relate to a person’s disability. But what does “reasonable and necessary” mean? Reasonable is something that is fair and necessary is something that you need because of your disability.

In order for a support to be considered reasonable and necessary it:

• must be related your disability
• must not include day-to-day living costs not related to your disability support needs
• should represent value for money
• must be likely to be effective and work for the participant
• should take into account support given to you by other government services, your family, carers, networks and the community

If you’re not sure whether a support that you’re asking for will meet the reasonable and necessary criteria, a good questions to ask yourself is “would a person without a disability be expected to pay for this?” If the answer is “yes” then it might be considered a mainstream cost and not a support that will be funded under the NDIS.

Here are some examples:

• The NDIS will not buy you a car but you may be able to get funded for modifications to a car so that you can drive
• The NDIS will not pay for a ticket to the theatre or a concert but they may fund a Support Worker to go with you so that you can go
• The NDIS will not pay for your holiday but may provide the additional support you need to go on holiday

How does the NDIA work out what is “reasonable and necessary”?

The NDIA decides what is reasonable and necessary based on the National Disability Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act) and the NDIS operational guidelines.

Need more help?

Our team of Support Coordinators help NDIS participants throughout Brisbane and surrounding areas to get the most out of the NDIS.  If you are in Brisbane or greater Brisbane and need help with your NDIS plan, get in touch today. To get further information on InFocus Support Coordination,  simply call 1800 928 437 or email enquiries@infocusdisability.org.au