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The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent agency whose role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

To access the NDIS, you need to meet both the eligibility and disability requirements. The eligibility requirements are:

1. You are aged between 9 and 65. Children aged younger than 9 and their families can be supported through the early childhood approach.
2. You live in Australia, are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or hold a permanent visa or special category visa (SCV). New Zealanders living in Australia are only eligible for the NDIS if they are an Australian resident or SCV holder.
3. You meet the disability requirements or early intervention requirements or both. Eligibility is focused on how a disability affects your ability to actively participate in work and society.

To meet the disability requirements, the NDIS needs evidence of all of the following:

• Your disability is caused by an impairment
• The impairment is likely to be permanent (likely to be lifelong)
• Your permanent impairment substantially reduces your functional capacity to undertake one of or more of the following activities: moving around, communicating, socialising, learning or undertaking self-care or self-management tasks
• Your permanent impairment affects your ability to work, study or take part in social life
• You’ll likely require an NDIS Support under the NDIS for your whole life.

You may be eligible for the NDIS if you are aged between 7 and 65. Once you turn 65 you can choose to remain with the NDIS or transition to the aged care system.

The early childhood approach is designed to support children under 6 with developmental delay or children under 9 with disability and their families. If you are concerned about your child’s development or have a child aged younger than 9 with disability, you can contact an early childhood partner. No referral or diagnosis is necessary.

The early childhood partner can provide connection to early supports and other services in the community. They can also help you apply for the NDIS if needed.

No. The value of your assets are not taken into account when determining eligibility. NDIS funding does not impact income support such as the Disability Support Pension or Carer Allowance.

Funding under the NDIS is individualised, based on goals and outcomes. From 3 October 2024, the NDIS will only fund supports related to the impairments that led to your acceptance onto the scheme. This means you can only spend money in your NDIS plan on supports that relate to the impairment identified during your initial access request. Your plan is developed at a planning meeting and can be reviewed as your goals change.

On its own, ADHD is not usually covered by the NDIS because it can be hard to meet the NDIS eligibility criteria.