HOW TO COMPLETE THE NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE AGENCY ACCESS REQUEST FORM

                

Photo credit: AXIS Dance Company, Malonga Casquelourd Centre for Arts

Why do we need to complete and submit an Access Request Form? 

The NDIA Access Request Form (ARF) is the form that you will be required to complete for your client so that they can apply for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The ARF provides the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) with the information that they need to work out whether a person can become an NDIS participant.           

The ARF asks for evidence about the disability, including: 

 

• What it is; 

• How long it will last; and 

• What support is required now or in the future. 

 

You will need to establish that your client has a disability through the evidence and information that you provide to the NDIA in the ARF. 

 

Step 1 – Accessing Information 

 

Prior to contacting the client there is information that you should access prior to making contact, which will require a Freedom of Information (FOI) request being made. Requests for medical documents can take a few weeks so it’s best to make these requests as soon as possible.

 

Step 2 – Contacting the client

 

• Introduce yourself and explain your role;

 

• Ask the client if now is a good time to talk. If not, organise another time. 

 

• Ask if the client knows what the NDIS is and whether they require assistance accessing the scheme.

 

• Discuss confidentiality; and

 

• Query whether the client requires any help to participate in the NDIS or whether they require a support person.

• Hint – some clients may be suspicious about the reason for your call or not understand who you are or how you received their number. In order to alleviate stress, be patient with the client and explain your role and the process to them in plain English to establish trust. Some clients may feel anxious or nervous about speaking to a stranger. It is important that you are patient with the client, leave room for questions, do not rush the conversation and make an effort to ensure that the client understands what you are saying and that they feel heard. 

Step 3 – Collecting Good Evidence 

 

Providing good evidence of your client’s disability will support the NDIA to make a decision that is in favour of your client. The NDIA says that good evidence includes:  

 

• Evidence provided by the client’s primary clinician; 

 

• Evidence which discusses their day to day functioning; 

 

• Evidence which confirm the client’s disability, the impact of that disability in different areas of the client’s life; and

 

• Describes previous treatments and outcomes and any future treatments and options and expected outcomes of those treatments

 

• Note – If a client has multiple disabilities, you are not required to provide evidence that you satisfy each criteria for each condition (in order to obtain supports for multiple disabilities). If a client is accepted to have one disability, they must be taken as a whole, meaning that all impairments should be considered by the NDIS when making a plan.   

 

• Hint - See NDIS the website, ‘providing evidence of your disability’ and preferred evidence type for a list of what the NDIA is looking for. 

 

Treating professionals who can provide evidence of your client’s disability

 

• Hint – the treating health professional who provides evidence in relation to your client’s disability should: 

o  Be the most appropriate person to provide evidence of the client’s primary disability; and 

o  Have treated the client for at least six months. 

It is important to ensure that your client asks their treating team for evidence of their disability. Examples of common treating health professionals include: 

 

• General Practitioners: 

 

• Paediatrician;

 

• Orthopaedic surgeon; 

 

• Occupational Therapist; 

 

• Speech Pathologist;

 

• Neurologist;

 

• Psychologist;

 

• Psychiatrist;

 

• Physiotherapist;

Hint – you can check what evidence your client requires from their treating health professional by searching their disability under the NDIS ‘Types of Disability Evidence’ by clicking here. Note, this link should be used as a suggestion only, as lawyers have also been successful in providing evidence from health professionals that are not listed under the applicable disability mentioned in the above mentioned list. 

Sources of evidence  

 

In terms of providing evidence there will be a couple of sources of evidence that will be relevant, including: 

 

1. Clinical evidence 

 

• This can be provided through existing reports, letters and other documents by the person’s treating team; or 

 

• Through Part F of the Access Request Form (there’s space for the clinician to complete); or 

 

• Through the NDIA evidence forms – there are specific forms the NDIA has made for the provision of evidence (there is a general form in relation to an access form, ‘Access Request – Supporting Evidence Form’ and ‘evidence of psychosocial disability form’ (mental illness). 

 

• Hint: the NDIA will give more weight to clinical evidence over personal evidence.

 

2. Personal evidence 

 

• This is from the person with the disability themselves or from people close to them. For example:

o  The client could provide letters and other information from themselves, their family members, friends or carers etc. 

Step 4 – Tips for Completing the Access Request Form

 

Note – you must follow the headings on the NDIS Access Request Form (ARF) in conjunction with Step 3 when reading these instructions.  

 

Part A: Your Details (the person wishing to become an NDIS participant) - [Page 2 of 9 of the NDIS ARF]

·     In this section you must provide proof of age, residence (including citizenship or visa status) and disability, (or your need for early intervention supports) with this ARF.

o  Examples of identification documents may include, birth certificates, drivers licence, or a passport etc.

·  Hint–if the client has had previous involvement with Centrelink, they can provide their Centrelink Customer Reference (CRN) number instead of providing all of this evidence. Page three of the ARF provides a place where the client can provide their CRN. 

Part B: Your Privacy and Consent to Collect and Share your Information [Page 3 of 9] 

 

• This section is essentially asking whether the client consents to providing information that the NDIA may require in order to assess whether they are eligible to access the NDIS, but also relates to whether they consent to sharing information if they become an NDIS participant.

o   Note – if clients choose not to consent, you should explain to them that service providers such as hospitals and health professionals will be unable to give information about the client to the NDIA. This information may be required at the access or planning stage as it may lead to the NDIS access request being delayed.  

Part C: How Would You Like the NDIA to Contact You [Page 4 of 9]

 

• Be sure to explain to the client that whatever they select as being their mode of contact, will be the way that the NDIS will make contact with them. 

 

• You should also advise clients that the NDIA may call them without caller ID being displayed (as many clients choose not to answer private calls). 

 

Part D: Parent, Legal Guardian or Representative Details [Page 4 of 9]

 

• You should ask the client who they would like their contact person to be. You may suggest yourself to be put down given that you are representing the client throughout the NDIS process. Alternatively, a parent or legal guardian may also suffice.  

 

Part E: Information About Your Cares or Family Members [Page 5 of 9]

 

• You should ask the client who they would like to nominate. You may suggest one of the following options: 

o   Family member;

o   Friend; or 

o   Carer;

• Hint– not all clients will have a person or family member that they can nominate. If this is the case, do not pressure the client to find someone that they can list on their form. Instead, leave the section empty as you will be able to recommend supports for planning once the client’s access has been approved. 

o  You may also want to note that if a client does not want to include a carer or family member, they are able to change their mind later and request another person to be involved in the planning meeting to support them. 

Part F: Your Disability, or Need for Early Intervention Supports [Page 5 of 9]

 

• You should advise the client to inform you of all of the disabilities that they have which impact their life and you should list them in this section. 

 

• Hint– it is important that you document all of the client’s disabilities in this section, because if you only mention one disability, the client will only be assessed in relation to the supports that they require for that disability only. 

o  Note– as discussed previously, the NDIA may advise clients that they will only be eligible for supports for disabilities that they have individually met the criteria for, but this is incorrect according to the law. If a client is accepted to have a disability they must be taken as a whole and all impairments should be considered when making a plan.  

Supporting Information about your disability and the impact it has on your mobility, communication, social interaction, learning, self-care/and or ability to self-manage [Page 6 of 9]

 

• If your client is unsure as to whether they have any evidence regarding this, you could advise them to ask their doctor or any other treating health professional that they are in contact with for any previous clinical reports or assessments that they have on file that could support their NDIS application. 

 

Hint -you are essentially looking for information which establishes the client’s disability and how it impacts their life. For example: 

o  Mobility: being able to move around in the home and in the community and other tasks that may require the client using their limbs. Note – it is not just physical aspects that can affect a client’s mobility. Disabilities such as Autism or a mental illness may affect the client’s ability to use transport or mobilise in the community. 

o  Social interaction: such as making and keeping friends, interacting with the community, coping with feelings and emotional regulation.  

o  Communication: which includes verbal and written communication (electronic and manually); 

o  Self-care: the client’s ability to look after themselves; and 

o  Self-management:the client’s ability to manage work, jobs, finances and problem solving. 

Asking a health professional to provide information about the client’s disability [Page 6 of 9]

 

• When reviewing information provided by health professionals, ensure that the information describes the client in terms of how the disability impacts on their mobility and how support is required on the client’s worst day. 

 

• Note - consideration should also be given to the impact of the person’s disability on functioning under internal and external conditions: in hot/cold weather, when tired or ill, on uneven surfaces, etc. 

 

• Hint– the most common reason for an access not met decision is because the evidence does not satisfy that there is a substantial reduction in one or more of the functional domains. Some health professionals may provide very basic/vague information when requested to complete the supporting evidence section. There is no point sending off evidence that won’t meet the threshold. If you find that you have received insufficient/inadequate evidence form a health professional, you should not be afraid to go back to the health professional and explain that the NDIA is very strict about this and request further information. 

 

Does the person require assistance to be mobile because of their disability? [Page 6 of 9]

 

• Mobility assistance might include electronic scooters, walking aids, lift and recliner chairs, grab bars and ramps etc. 

Communication [Page 7 of 9]

 

• Communication assistance may include alphabet boards, communication books, community request cards, or text to dictation software etc.  

 

• Note– information pertaining to a client’s communication needs should describe the client in terms of the impact of their functioning on their worst day. Consideration should be given to the impact of the person’s disability on communication under external and internal conditions such as when they are feeling tired or ill, among strangers, in noisy environments or under stress etc. 

 

Social interactions [Page 7 of 9]

 

• Social interaction assistance might include object calendars, picture shopping lists, activity schedules, behaviour scripts etc. 

 

• Hint– you could ask the client whether whether they require supervision (monitoring verbal control, cueing, coaxing) under stress or unfamiliar situations. 

 

Learning [Page 7 of 9] 

 

• Learning assistance might include budget wheels, menu planner etc. 

 

• Consider cognitive skills such as memory, comprehension, attention and these impact function. 

 

Self-care [Page 8 of 9]

 

• Obtain evidence which describes the client in terms of the impact on functioning and support required on their worst day. 

 

• Collect evidence which considers the impact of the person’s disability on self-care under internal and external conditions such as when they are tired or ill, under stress, without shower chair etc. 

 

• Look for information which describes the impact of the person’s disability on self-care if the person was living on their own. For example, making their own meals, managing medication and medical appointments, without a shower chair etc.