The National Disability Insurance Scheme is built with the aim to assist disabled Australians with financial support and other services that allow them to function independently. This will allow them to pursue their dreams and become more active in their community or social circle, and give them access to NDIS cleaning services and other NDIS-focused programs.

The three main requirements

The eligibility criteria is as follows:

• Must be above 7 years of age but younger than 65 years old
• Resides in Australia as an Australian citizen, PR, or on a Protected Special Category Visa
• The disability must be permanent and fall under either physical, intellectual, cognitive, neurological, visual, hearing or psychosocial impairment that reduces functional capacity in their daily life

Children under 7 years of age with a developmental delay or disability, should be referred to an NDIS early childhood partner for assessment. Patients over 65 years old with a disability can refer to the My Aged Care program instead of NDIS.

Taking the first steps

Patients can apply to the National Disability Insurance Scheme by:

1. Calling 1800 800 110 for a verbal access request or filling out an Access Request Form available on the NDIS website
2. Gather evidence of impairment and supporting documents
3. For Access Requests made over the phone, the form and supporting documents can be submitted to GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601, or dropped into your nearest NDIS office
4. For Access Requests made online, the form and supporting documents can be emailed to NAT@ndis.gov.au