What information do we need to decide if we can fund an assistance animal?

the assistance animal is fully trained and qualified. If it’s not yet, tell us when the animal is expected to be fully trained and qualified. This may include telling us when the animal is expected to meet the training milestones and timeframes in your service agreement
what your provider will do if an assistance animal doesn’t finish training or is no longer suitable for you
you have passed a suitability assessment
the assistance animal has been, or will be, provided and trained by an accredited assistance animal provider
the assistance animal has passed the public access test or you have an agreement with your service provider on when the animal must pass this test.

If the assistance animal hasn’t been fully trained, you’ll need to tell us which accredited assistance animal provider will train it.

You need to give us your quote and the information that’s in the assistance animal assessment template (DOCX 65KB) you and the provider will complete. We also strongly recommend that you have a service agreement that includes all this information.

Learn more about How do you get funding for an assistance animal in your plan.

You can read more about the information and evidence we need to look at funding an assistance animal, in our examples.

A suitability assessment is an independent assessment done by an accredited assistance animal provider. They look at whether you’re suitable to get and use an assistance animal. This includes things like:

how the assistance animal will actively help you
how the assistance animal has been, or will be, trained to help with your specific support needs
other supports you have tried
whether you’re ready and able to use an assistance animal
if you can look after an assistance animal and give it the right attention and care
who will be the primary handler for the assistance animal
where the assistance animal will live.

For a dog guide, a guide dog mobility instructor does this assessment. A guide dog mobility instructor must have specialist training and accreditation recognised by the International Guide Dog Federation . They look at whether you’re suitable to get and use a dog guide. This includes things like:

the things you need help with because of your vision loss
different assistive technology that might help you to move around
how you move around and where you need to go.

Find your closest guide dog mobility instructor , accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation.

We’ll only fund an assistance animal that has been, or is being, trained by an accredited assistance animal provider. The provider must be able to show us evidence they’re accredited to train and qualify an assistance animal.

This assistance animal needs to meet your disability related support needs.

An accredited assistance animal provider may be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the Commission). Generally, if a provider isn’t registered with the Commission, they’ll be registered with the relevant state or territory authority for assistance animals.

You can search for registered providers using the Provider Finder tool .

Your state and territory will also have websites for providers who are accredited and registered providers in that state or territory.

All assistance animals must pass a public access test to become qualified. A public access test makes sure the assistance animal can safely go into public places and on public transport.

This test can be different in each state and territory, and it should be done by an unbiased, independent assessor. This means they must not work for your assistance animal’s training organisation. Your accredited assistance animal provider will arrange this for you.

The places the assistance animal should be able to safely go to includes:

shops
cinemas
restaurants
libraries
travel on public transport.

Yes. You need to give us a quote for the cost of getting your assistance animal from your accredited assistance animal provider.

The quote will need to include the cost of each of these items, listed separately, and when they can be expected to happen:

assessments
matching you to the assistance animal to make sure it’s suitable for you
specific training milestones and qualifications for the animal
any equipment the animal needs, including initial harnesses or grooming equipment
training for you and the dog to work together, once the animal is qualified
ongoing costs, such as vet bills or special diets

If the animal isn’t fully trained yet, the quote should include the amount or percentage of funds to be paid for the:

initial payment
milestone or progress payments
final payment.

We strongly recommend these terms and conditions for payments are also part of your service agreement.

We strongly recommend you have a clear service agreement with your provider. A service agreement between you and your provider is like any other agreement under Australian Consumer Law. The service agreement should be clear about what you and your provider have agreed.

Learn more about making service agreements .

It’s important the assistance animal meets your disability support needs. You’ll need to explain to your provider why you need the assistance animal and what it will need to do to support you. The service agreement should have details about:

your requirements of the assistance animal
what a successful outcome looks like
which disability related supports the animal is being trained to actively help you with
how the animal will help you with these tasks.

For example, if you have a vision impairment, the service agreement will describe what the dog guide will be able to do for you. This might be to help you to go out in the community, go to the shops or travel to work by yourself.

Your service agreement should also clearly state who owns the assistance animal. This may change during or after the training process. For example, some providers own the animal for the whole time you have it, even after it’s fully trained and qualified. This means you’re leasing the animal from them. In some cases, you may make an agreement that you own the animal once it’s fully qualified and trained. This means the provider owns the animal during the training.

If your assistance animal harms you or another person, it’s the responsibility of the owner of the animal. It’s not our responsibility. This is why it’s important your service agreement clearly states:

what your provider is responsible for
what you’re responsible for
who owns the animal.

The service agreement should also include details from the costs quote. It will commit the provider to the terms and conditions for the items and payments listed in the quote. It should also commit the provider to supplying you with a fully trained and qualified assistance animal that meets your support needs.

Your service agreement should have details from the quote including:

initial payment once you’re matched with an animal, even if it’s not yet fully trained
milestone or progress payments once matching is complete and the animal has passed various specific tests or milestones, such as completing the Public Access Test (PAT)
final payment – when the animal has completed the personal training with you and is now accredited and qualified to be your assistance animal.

You should agree with your provider what happens if the assistance animal does the training, but it doesn’t pass the tests or milestones. So, it isn’t qualified. Your service agreement should state it’s the provider’s responsibility to find you another fully trained and qualified assistance animal at no additional cost.

You’ll need to give us all the information and evidence listed in the assistance animal assessment template (DOCX 65KB) . You can either use this template or give it to us in a separate document. We still need all this information even if you’ve had an assistance animal before.

Your occupational therapist or psychologist can use the template to make sure we get all the information we need. This may need to be filled out by both the assistance animal provider and an occupational therapist or psychologist. You may also get help from your doctor to gather this information.

We need information and evidence from:

allied health professionals to confirm you need an assistance animal
an accredited assistance animal provider to confirm the assistance animal can be matched to you and is qualified or is being trained
you, for example, if you’ve used an assistance animal before.

For a dog guide, we have a different dog guide assessment template (DOCX 100KB) which you can use to give us the right information.

We need information and evidence from:

a mobility instructor to confirm you need a dog guide, that it can or will be matched to you, and is qualified or is being trained
you, to confirm you need the dog guide and what other supports you have tried.

You don’t have to use one of the assessment templates to give us this information and evidence. You can give it to us in a different format if you prefer. But you need to make sure you include all the information we ask for in the assessment templates. This is so we have the right information to make our decision.

What information do we need to decide if we can fund an assistance animal?

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