When a planner reviews a support request, they are not making a judgement call based on gut feeling. Every decision has to work through a specific legal test, and understanding how the NDIA decides on a support can make a real difference to how you put a request together in the first place.

This guide walks through that decision-making process step by step, showing what has to be true for a support to be approved as reasonable and necessary NDIS funding. It is written from the decision-maker’s side of the process, rather than the participant’s, since seeing it that way often makes the whole system easier to work with.

Where the Test Actually Comes From

Every reasonable and necessary NDIS decision is grounded in NDIS section 34 criteria, set out in the NDIS Act itself. This is not internal policy that changes from planner to planner; it is the legislated basis against which every decision must be measured.

Because the criteria are legislated, a planner cannot approve support simply because it seems helpful or reasonable in a general sense. Every part of the test must be satisfied before funding can be included in a plan, which is why understanding the process matters more than hoping a request sounds convincing.

Step One: Does It Pass the Disability-Related Support Test?

The starting point for almost every decision is the disability-related support test. Before anything else is considered, the NDIA asks whether the need for this support genuinely arises from the participant’s disability, rather than from a general life circumstance everyone faces regardless of disability.

This is often where requests fail earliest. A support might be useful, even valuable, but if it is not clearly connected to the functional impact of a person’s disability, it will not clear this first hurdle, no matter how strong the rest of the request is. Being explicit about this connection, rather than assuming it is obvious, makes a real difference.

Step Two: Does It Connect to Goals and Participation?

Once the disability connection is established, the NDIA looks at whether the support will genuinely help the participant pursue the goals in their plan, and support their social or economic participation. This is why the goals section of a plan matters so much, since it becomes the reference point against which every future request is measured.

A request that is well-argued but disconnected from a participant’s stated goals can struggle here, even where the underlying need is genuine. Keeping goals current and specific makes this step considerably smoother, and it is worth revisiting your stated goals before submitting anything new, not just when a plan is being renewed.

Step Three: Value for Money and Effectiveness

Value for money NDIS supports are assessed by comparing the cost of a support against its expected benefit, and against reasonable alternatives that could achieve a similar outcome. This is not simply about choosing the cheapest option available, and it is one of the areas where a reasonable and necessary NDIS decision most often comes down to how clearly a comparison is presented.

Alongside cost, the NDIA also considers whether the support is likely to actually be effective and beneficial, generally by looking at current good practice and evidence. A support that is inexpensive but unlikely to work is no more likely to be approved than one that is effective but poor value.

Step Four: What Families and Communities Already Provide

Before approving funding, the NDIA also weighs up what family, carers, and the broader community could reasonably be expected to provide informally. This does not mean families are expected to cover every need themselves, but existing informal support is factored into the overall picture.

Where circumstances change, such as a family carer’s capacity reducing, this is worth explaining clearly in a request, since it directly affects what the NDIA considers reasonable to expect informally going forward. Documenting this shift, rather than assuming it will be noticed, keeps the assessment accurate.

Step Five: Is the NDIS the Right System?

The final check looks at what the NDIS will not fund because another system is more appropriate. Clinical treatment that sits with the health system, or classroom support that sits with education, generally falls outside the NDIS for this reason, even where a participant has a genuine, disability-related need.

This step keeps the NDIS focused on disability support, rather than duplicating or replacing services other systems are already responsible for delivering. It is often the step families find most frustrating, particularly where another system is genuinely under-resourced, but it remains a firm part of how decisions are made.

What This Means When Writing a Request

Understanding this step-by-step process is genuinely useful when preparing a request, since it shows exactly where a weak argument is likely to fall over. Addressing each step directly, rather than describing support in general terms, gives a planner far less room for doubt.

Our support coordination team regularly helps participants structure requests this way, mapping evidence to each part of the test rather than leaving a planner to work it out themselves.

How Hyre Support Coordination Can Help

At Hyre Support Coordination, we understand this process from the inside out, and we use that understanding to help participants build requests that genuinely address what the NDIA needs to see. This often makes the difference between a smooth approval and months of back-and-forth, especially for requests that touch on more than one part of the test at once.

If you are preparing a new request or want to understand why a previous one was declined, get in touch with our team today.