NDIS updates
Rejected for a Higher Level of Support? Building the Case for an ART Review
When the NDIA says current support hours are enough, the review turns on whether the evidence reflects the person's real, whole-of-week support needs.
Key points
- When the NDIA says current support hours are enough, the review turns on whether the evidence reflects the person's real, whole-of-week support needs.
The gap between funded hours and real life
Participants commonly seek review after the NDIA funds fewer support hours than requested, declines Supported Independent Living, or rejects a move to a higher intensity support model. The decision usually rests on a judgement that existing supports are adequate — and overturning it means demonstrating, with evidence, that they are not.
That demonstration is harder than it sounds. Families and support workers absorb enormous amounts of uncounted support, and informal care is often invisible in the original planning evidence.
Where independent OT evidence fits
A targeted functional assessment maps the person's whole week: what happens overnight, what happens when a support worker is not present, what informal carers are actually doing, and what risks sit in the gaps. Standardised assessment, a roster of care analysis and carer interviews turn 'we are coping, just' into documented, measurable need.
For SIL matters specifically, the evidence must also show why the person's needs cannot be met in a lower-intensity arrangement — which is exactly the question a support needs assessment is built to answer.
Starting an ART matter
I review the decision, current plan and all existing evidence first, then recommend the lightest documentation that genuinely answers the Tribunal's questions — sometimes a letter of support, sometimes a full support needs assessment. Assessments are completed in person across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan, Scenic Rim and Northern Rivers, during regional visits to Adelaide, the Riverland and Mackay, or by Telehealth Australia-wide where suitable. See our NDIS ART review assessments page for the full process.
References and further reading
Information checked against the official sources above on 22 June 2026.
This article provides general information only. NDIS rules and individual circumstances can change; check current official guidance or seek advice about your situation.
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