Worksheet – Applying for the NDIS

It's important to prepare before you start collecting supporting evidence. You will need to understand how your psychosocial disability impacts your life. This is what the NDIS calls your 'functional capacity'. Your functional capacity must link to the NDIS activity domains.

In this worksheet we will ask you some questions to help you gather your supporting evidence. There are questions to help you prepare for your appointment as well as advocate at your appointment.

You can use this worksheet in different ways. For example, you can enter text in the boxes. If you’d like to express yourself in another way, for example visually – then leave the box blank before printing it.

Speaking up for what you want can be challenging. You can use the IMHA self-advocacy model in combination with this worksheet to help you let people know what it is you want.

Use the print function to print this page or save it as a PDF. There is no option to send this information and it will not be saved by the website.

Please check the box next to any questions you would like to answer and a text box will appear.

Preparing for your appointment

The following questions will help you understand how your psychosocial disability impacts your life. You can take this information to your clinician to help them produce your supporting documentation. 

NDIS activity domain - Mobility 

Do you attend appointments by yourself?
Do you use public transport?
Can you stand and walk for periods of time without difficulty?

NDIS activity domain - Communication

Are you able to express your views and preferences?
Can you follow and respond to a conversation?
Can you communicate by phone or email?

NDIS activity domain - Social interaction

Do you find it easy to make and keep friends?
Do you take part in social or recreational activities?
Do you feel connected to your community?

NDIS activity domain - Self-management 

Do you make your own decisions?
Are you able to manage a budget and problem solve?
Are you able to remember to do important things consistently such as taking your medication and paying your bills?

NDIS activity domain - Self-care

Are you able to manage your personal care (showering and grooming)?
Are you able to manage household responsibilities (like cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry)?
Are you able to manage your physical health (diet, nutrition, and exercise)?

NDIS activity domain - Learning

Do you feel like you set goals and achieve them?
Are you able to learn new things?
Are you able to concentrate for periods of time?

Advocating at your appointment

You can let your health professionals know about the Mental Health Professional Online Development (MHPOD) learning portal. It has a section called NDIS for Mental Health Clinicians. There they can find lots of information, resources and templates they can use to support you with your application. 

You can also let them know that The Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council has a guide to Supporting People with Mental Health Needs to Access the NDIS for medical and allied health professionals. 

Tips for co-creating supporting evidence 

Other resources

You can now print/save your choices. Once you have applied, you will be notified of the outcome of your application within 21 days. If you have been successful, you can then move to the Setting my goals(opens in a new window) section of this toolkit. If you have not been successful, you can choose to either:

IMHA

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