NDIS Plan Review: How to Prepare and Get the Right Outcome
The letter has arrived. Your child's NDIS plan is due for review. You have a date, a form, and a quiet dread that you'll come out of it with less than you need.
Plan reviews are where families either secure the support their child genuinely requires or lose ground. Preparation is everything.
Before the Review: What to Gather
Start collecting at least six weeks before the review date. You need:
Reports from every therapist currently supporting your child. OT, speech pathology, psychology, physiotherapy — every provider should submit a current report to the NDIS. Contact each provider and ask them specifically to provide a functional impact report that addresses: what the child can and cannot do in daily life without support, and what funded support is needed to maintain or build those capacities. Functional language (what your child can't do, not what diagnosis they have) is what moves the NDIS.
Evidence of what the current plan has been spent on and why. Service agreements, invoices, progress notes. If you've been underspending, explain why in your submission — underspend can be misread as "they don't need this much" when the reality is "we couldn't find a provider" or "the child was too dysregulated to access therapy consistently."
Your own parent submission. Write a document describing your child's daily life: what they need support with, what risks exist without support, how the current plan has helped, and what additional support is needed and why. Be specific and functional. "My child cannot safely cross a road without adult supervision due to impulsivity" is more impactful than "my child has ADHD."
School-based evidence. If the school provides learning support, an OT-based sensory program, or other supports, ask the school to document this and any remaining unmet needs.
At the Review Meeting
You do not have to attend the review meeting alone. You are entitled to bring a support person — a partner, a family member, an NDIS advocate. If you feel the NDIS planner has not understood your child's needs previously, bringing an advocate can significantly change the outcome.
Be specific about what you're asking for. Don't say "more OT." Say "12 hours of OT per year for sensory processing support, as evidenced in the attached OT report by [name] dated [date]."
Ask for the specific budget amounts you need, with evidence for each. The NDIS operates on "reasonable and necessary" — you are making the case that what you're asking for is both.
If You're Not Happy With the Outcome
You have the right to request an internal review of a plan you disagree with. This must be done within 3 months of receiving the plan. Write a formal letter to the NDIA explaining what you're disputing and providing additional evidence if relevant.
If the internal review doesn't resolve the issue, you can escalate to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). This sounds intimidating but is a relatively accessible process. NDIS advocacy organisations can support you through it at no cost.
Don't accept a plan that doesn't meet your child's genuine needs. The review process exists precisely because initial plans are frequently insufficient.