We will usually give you 28 days from the date of our first letter, so you can explain if you think you meet the requirements. This will give you an opportunity to give us any extra information or evidence to help us make the right decision.
If you don’t respond or if it looks like you might not be eligible, we will send you a reminder to gather any relevant information or documents. Then we will decide if you’re still eligible.
If you’re having trouble getting the information we need within the timeframe, let us know . If you think this timeframe is not reasonable because of your particular situation, we may be able to give you more time.
You’ll need to tell us why you need more time, and how much extra time you need. For example, there could be a delay in getting information from your treating professional. If so, we could give you more time so you can get the information and send it to us.
Generally, we’ll only give you one extension of time. This is because the first extension should give you a reasonable opportunity to give us the evidence you want to. You’ll need to talk to us about your circumstances. If you need another extension, you’ll need to explain why you need more time again and how much extra time you need.
Example 1
Pai is 14 years old. We decided she was eligible for the NDIS under the early intervention requirements.
A recent report from her occupational therapist shows us that Pai has significantly improved her skills and achieved her goals over the last few years. The report also told us Pai can now manage her day-to-day tasks independently.
We contact Pai and her family to let them know we have started an eligibility reassessment, and to explain why we’re checking whether she’s still eligible. We also give them the opportunity to give us more information to help us make the right decision.
Pai and her family will have 56 days to give us more information before we decide whether she’s still eligible.
The next day, Pai’s parents call her occupational therapist to book an appointment. The occupational therapist is currently on holiday. The earliest time they can book an appointment and send us a report is 60 days away.
Pai’s family asks if they could have 60 days to give us the report. Pai’s family let us know this was the first appointment they could get, and why they need the report from the occupational therapist and not another professional.
It’s reasonable to give Pai’s family more time. We decide to give Pai’s family 60 days to get the information to us.
Example 2
Nathan is 35 years old. We decided he was eligible for the NDIS under the disability requirements.
A recent report from Nathan’s physiotherapist shows us that his functional capacity has improved. Based on this information, we think Nathan might not be eligible anymore, and start an eligibility reassessment to check whether he’s still eligible. Nathan has 56 days to give us more information before we make a decision.
Nathan doesn’t call his physiotherapist to book an appointment until 20 days after we let him know about the eligibility reassessment. There’s an appointment available in the next few days. But Nathan decides to book an appointment 6 weeks after that, because he’ll be visiting friends near his physiotherapist that day.
Nathan asks if he could have 62 days to give us the report. We don’t think it’s reasonable to give Nathan more time. There was an appointment available within the time we gave him, and Nathan could have tried to book an appointment much sooner.
After 28 days, we send Nathan another letter because it seems like he might not be eligible.
If Nathan doesn’t give us more information by the end of the 56 days, we’ll decide whether he’s still eligible based on the information we have. If we don’t have enough evidence to show us he’s still eligible, we may decide to revoke his status as a participant.
We let Nathan know we can’t give him more time. Nathan decides to make an earlier appointment with his physiotherapist.
What if you don’t give us more information or ask for more time?
If you don’t respond to our letter or ask for more time, we will then make our decision based on the information we have.
If we don’t have enough evidence that you’re eligible, we’ll generally decide to revoke your status as a participant. This means you’ll leave the NDIS.
Example
Jim is 40 years old. We decided he was eligible for the NDIS under the disability requirements. He transitioned from state government disability services under a defined program . We don’t have enough evidence that he’s still eligible for the NDIS.
We start doing an eligibility assessment to check whether Jim is still eligible for the NDIS. We contact Jim to let him know that we started an eligibility reassessment, and explain why we’re checking whether he’s still eligible.
We also give Jim the opportunity to give us more information to show us he’s still eligible. Jim will have 56 days to give us the information before we decide whether he’s still eligible.
After 28 days, we contact Jim to tell him which requirements he might not meet, and ask him to give us more information.
Jim doesn’t ask for more time and doesn’t give us more information within the remaining 28 days. We’ll then need to make a decision based on the information we have. If we don’t have enough evidence to show us he’s still eligible, we may decide to revoke his status as a participant.