Key points:
- From 1 January 2025, all new people on the NDIS will receive an impairment notice from the NDIA
- Existing participants will receive an impairment notice during plan reviews or when transitioning to a new plan
- An impairment notice confirms you have a permanent disability or significant impairment that meets the disability and/or early intervention requirements
- There are six NDIS impairment categories.
Since 1 January 2025.
Starting 1 January 2025, new people on the NDIS will receive an impairment notice from the NDIA. This document confirms a permanent disability or significant impairment and outlines the impairment/s that meet disability and/or early intervention requirements for access to the NDIS.
If you’re already an NDIS participant, you’ll receive your impairment notice when transitioning to a new plan or during your next review. Don’t worry if you don’t receive one immediately in January.
What’s included in the impairment notice?
Your impairment notice will detail:
- Whether you meet the disability or early intervention pathways
- The impairment categories you meet.
Supports purchased using NDIS funds must align with the impairments listed on your notice and meet the updated definition of NDIS supports.
Why this change?
The shift from diagnosis-based assessments to impairment-based notices acknowledges that two people with the same diagnosis may have very different needs.
Impairment categories.
Impairment notices focus on eligible impairments instead of diagnoses. The six categories are:
- Intellectual
- Cognitive
- Neurological
- Sensory
- Physical
- Psychosocial.
Your notice may include one or more of these categories. For example, you might have both physical and intellectual impairments and require distinct supports for each.
Impairments and your NDIS Plan.
The impairments listed on your notice will directly influence funding decisions, and the NDIS will refer to your impairment notice when determining funding for supports.
Varying an impairment notice.
If you think your impairment notice is incorrect, you can request a variation, such as adding or removing impairments.
Participant Information access.
For existing participants, the timelines for impairment notices aren’t clear yet. If you’re reassessing or varying your plan, you’ll need to show how your supports align with recognised impairments – even if you haven’t received your notice yet.
If you would like information about your access to the NDIS, you can submit a Participant Information Access request to the NDIA. You can access:
- Your Access Request Form (ARF)
- Evidence of Disability (EOD)
- Supporting Evidence Form (SEF)
- Access Decision and the reasons for it.
While this isn’t a formal impairment notice, it can help you understand what the NDIA used to grant access. It’s a handy first step while waiting for the official notice to arrive.
What’s next?
As we learn more about how impairment notices may be implemented, we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest developments.
Here to help.
At Leap in!, our team is here to support you through these updates and provide clear, timely information as further details become available. Check out our NDIS Changes page for all the latest updates on the NDIS reforms.