Your NDIS planning meeting determines the supports funded in your plan. Thorough preparation significantly improves outcomes, ensuring your plan reflects your actual needs and goals.

Key Points

  • Planning meetings typically last 1-2 hours via phone, video, or in-person with NDIS planner or LAC
  • Bring evidence from health professionals, support people who know you well, and list of current supports and costs
  • Clearly articulate your goals in employment, education, social participation, daily living, health, and relationships
  • Explain functional impact of disability, not just diagnosis (how disability affects daily tasks and participation)
  • Request specific supports with evidence of why you need them and how they relate to goals
  • Take notes during meeting and request written plan within 2 weeks of meeting

Before the Meeting

Preparation starts weeks before your scheduled planning meeting.

Gather Documentation

Medical and allied health reports:

  • Specialist reports detailing diagnosis and functional impact
  • Occupational therapy functional capacity assessments
  • Psychology reports for mental health conditions
  • Speech pathology, physiotherapy, or other therapy assessments
  • GP summary of conditions and treatments

Reports should be recent (within 12 months) and clearly explain how disability affects your functioning.

Current support information:

  • List of current formal supports (providers, frequency, costs)
  • Informal supports from family and friends
  • Equipment and aids you currently use
  • Medications and medical treatments
  • Any assistive technology

Cost information:

  • Current provider invoices showing what you spend on supports
  • Quotes for new equipment or technology needed
  • Home modification quotes if requesting accessibility changes
  • Therapy session costs and frequency recommendations

Identify Your Goals

Goals drive your NDIS plan. The NDIA funds supports that help achieve stated goals. Develop SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) in key life areas:

Employment goals:

  • “Find part-time employment working 10 hours per week within 12 months”
  • “Complete Certificate III in [field] to improve job prospects”
  • “Maintain current employment with workplace support”

Social participation goals:

  • “Attend community activities twice weekly”
  • “Develop and maintain friendships with peers”
  • “Participate in hobbies and interests regularly”

Daily living goals:

  • “Maintain independent living in current home with support”
  • “Develop cooking skills to prepare simple meals independently”
  • “Manage personal care with minimal assistance”

Learning goals:

  • “Complete Year 12”
  • “Attend university or vocational training”
  • “Improve literacy and numeracy skills”

Health and wellbeing goals:

  • “Improve mobility and reduce falls risk”
  • “Manage anxiety to participate more fully in community”
  • “Maintain physical health through regular exercise”

Relationships goals:

  • “Strengthen family relationships”
  • “Develop romantic relationships”
  • “Communicate effectively with support network”

Write goals clearly and bring the list to your meeting.

Prepare Your Story

Plan how to explain your disability and support needs. Focus on functional impact rather than medical details.

Instead of: “I have cerebral palsy”

Say: “My cerebral palsy affects my muscle control and coordination. I use a wheelchair for mobility and need assistance with personal care, dressing, and household tasks. Without support, I cannot safely shower or prepare meals.”

Instead of: “I have autism”

Say: “My autism affects how I process sensory information and communicate. Busy environments overwhelm me, making it hard to participate in community. I need support to navigate social situations, communicate my needs, and manage anxiety.”

Planners need to understand how disability reduces your functional capacity to determine reasonable and necessary supports.

Invite Support People

Bring family members, carers, advocates, or friends who understand your needs well. Support people can:

  • Provide information you might forget or struggle to articulate
  • Advocate for supports you need
  • Remember details from the meeting
  • Help you feel more comfortable

Inform the planner in advance if bringing support people so they allocate sufficient time.

During the Meeting

Planning meetings follow a structured format covering multiple topics.

Meeting Structure

Introduction (5-10 minutes):

  • Planner introduces themselves and explains the process
  • You introduce yourself and any support people
  • Planner explains how long the meeting will take

Current situation (15-20 minutes):

  • Your living arrangements
  • Current supports (formal and informal)
  • Daily routines and activities
  • What is working well and what is not

Goals discussion (20-30 minutes):

  • Short-term and long-term goals
  • What you want to achieve through NDIS support
  • How supports will help reach goals
  • Priorities if funding is limited

Support needs assessment (30-40 minutes):

  • Detailed discussion of disability functional impact
  • What tasks you can do independently
  • What tasks require assistance and how much
  • Specific supports needed (therapy, equipment, personal care, etc.)
  • Evidence supporting need for each support type

Plan development (10-15 minutes):

  • Planner summarizes what they heard
  • Discusses likely plan components
  • Explains next steps and timeframes

Questions (5-10 minutes):

  • Your opportunity to ask questions
  • Clarify anything unclear
  • Confirm when you will receive written plan

Questions to Ask

About your plan:

  • “Will my plan include [specific support I requested]?”
  • “How much funding will I receive for [support category]?”
  • “Will my plan be 12 months or 24 months?”
  • “Can I self-manage, plan-manage, or must it be NDIA-managed?”

About timeframes:

  • “When will I receive my written plan?”
  • “How long until funding is available to use?”
  • “When is my plan review?”

About using your plan:

  • “How do I find providers?”
  • “Can I use [specific provider] I already work with?”
  • “What if I need to change supports during my plan?”

About ongoing support:

  • “Will I have a LAC or Support Coordinator?”
  • “Who do I contact if I have questions about my plan?”

What to Emphasize

Functional impact, not diagnosis:

Explain specifically how disability affects daily life. Planners can Google diagnoses but need your lived experience of functional impact.

Evidence-based support needs:

Reference professional reports: “My occupational therapist recommends 10 hours weekly personal care support as detailed in her functional assessment [provide copy].”

Goal alignment:

Link every requested support to stated goals: “I need support coordination to help me find therapy providers and community activities so I can achieve my goal of attending community events twice weekly.”

Current gaps:

Explain what is not working with current supports: “I only get 3 hours weekly personal care but need 10 hours. The gap means I skip showers and meals, affecting my health.”

Informal support limits:

Acknowledge informal supports but explain limits: “My mother helps with cooking, but she works full-time and is experiencing carer burnout. I need formal meal preparation support to reduce her burden.”

Value for money:

If requesting expensive supports, explain why cheaper alternatives will not work: “I need a ceiling hoist rather than manual transfers because manual transfers risk injury to both me and carers, leading to higher long-term costs.”

What to Avoid

Don’t minimize needs:

Some participants understate needs out of modesty or guilt. Be honest about support requirements. NDIS funding should reflect actual needs.

Don’t exaggerate:

Conversely, do not overstate disability impact. Planners can request additional assessments if claims seem inconsistent with evidence. Exaggeration damages credibility.

Don’t focus solely on diagnosis:

Diagnosis alone does not determine funding. Two people with cerebral palsy may have vastly different support needs. Focus on your specific functional limitations.

Don’t request supports without explanation:

“I need more funding” is unconvincing. “I need 10 hours weekly personal care as recommended by my OT to safely shower, dress, and prepare meals, supporting my goal to maintain independent living” is compelling.

Don’t expect instant answers:

Planners need to review all information and develop compliant plans. They typically cannot confirm exact funding amounts during the meeting.

Taking Notes

Record key information discussed during the meeting.

What to Note

  • Supports the planner said would likely be included
  • Supports the planner questioned or seemed reluctant to include
  • Funding amounts mentioned (even if tentative)
  • Plan duration (12 or 24 months)
  • Management type (self, plan, NDIA-managed)
  • Timeline for receiving written plan
  • Contact information for follow-up questions

Notes help you verify the written plan matches what was discussed and identify discrepancies requiring clarification.

After the Meeting

Your plan should arrive within 2-4 weeks.

When You Receive Your Plan

Review carefully:

  • Check all requested supports are included
  • Verify funding amounts align with discussions
  • Confirm plan duration and management type
  • Read stated goals and ensure they reflect your actual goals

If plan is correct:

  • Begin implementing immediately
  • Find providers for funded supports
  • Schedule Support Coordination if included
  • Book therapy sessions, order equipment, arrange personal care

If plan is incorrect or insufficient:

  • Request clarification from planner in writing
  • Provide additional evidence if supports were rejected due to insufficient information
  • Request plan variation (Section 33 review) for significant gaps
  • Request internal review if you disagree with planner decisions

Common Plan Issues

Supports missing:

  • Check if missing supports were discussed at meeting
  • Request clarification about why they were excluded
  • Provide additional evidence if rejection was due to insufficient justification

Funding lower than expected:

  • Compare funded hours/amounts to evidence you provided
  • Request explanation of methodology used to determine amounts
  • Gather additional evidence from providers about actual costs and needs

Wrong management type:

  • If you requested plan or self-management but received NDIA management, request variation
  • Explain why NDIA management does not suit your needs (want to use unregistered providers, need budget flexibility, etc.)

Goals incorrect:

  • Goals drive your plan, so incorrect goals undermine everything
  • Request correction immediately
  • Revised goals may justify additional supports at plan review

Special Situations

Some planning meetings involve additional complexity.

First Plans

Your first NDIS plan tends to be conservative. NDIA often funds lower amounts initially, expecting to increase at first review based on actual usage and outcomes.

Build evidence during first plan:

  • Track all support usage and costs
  • Document outcomes achieved
  • Identify gaps in current funding
  • Gather professional reports recommending increased supports

First plan review (typically 12 months) provides opportunity to increase funding based on demonstrated need and positive outcomes.

Plan Reviews

Regular plan reviews reassess needs and adjust funding. Preparation is similar to initial planning meetings but focuses on:

  • Progress toward previous plan goals
  • What worked well in previous plan
  • What did not work or was insufficient
  • Changed circumstances increasing or decreasing needs
  • New goals for next plan period

Bring:

  • Previous plan for reference
  • Provider invoices showing actual spending
  • Progress reports from therapists
  • Updated functional assessments if capacity changed
  • Evidence of goals achieved

Children’s Plans

Planning for children involves additional considerations:

  • Developmental trajectory and changing needs
  • Early intervention priorities
  • Educational participation supports
  • Family capacity and carer support needs
  • Coordination with schools and health services

Parents or guardians provide most information, supplemented by early childhood educators, teachers, and therapists.

Complex Needs Plans

Participants with very high support needs (SIL, SDA, complex health conditions, challenging behaviors) benefit from:

  • Longer planning meetings (2-3 hours)
  • Specialist assessments (OT functional capacity, SDAT for SDA, behavior support assessments)
  • Multi-disciplinary team input (therapists, behavior support practitioners, doctors)
  • Support Coordination or Specialist Support Coordination in plan to manage complexity

Request specialist planner or bring advocate if your needs are very complex.

FAQ

Can I reschedule my planning meeting if I’m not ready?

Yes. Contact the NDIA as soon as possible to reschedule. Ideally give at least 48 hours notice. It is better to reschedule than attend unprepared and receive inadequate plan.

Should I bring my current providers to the meeting?

Generally no, unless providers have specific information planners need. Providers can provide written reports for you to bring. However, if you have complex therapy needs, bringing your occupational therapist or psychologist may help explain support requirements.

What if I disagree with the planner during the meeting?

Respectfully explain why you disagree and provide evidence supporting your position. If the planner remains unconvinced, note the disagreement. You can request internal review of the final plan if it does not include supports you believe are reasonable and necessary.

How specific should I be about supports?

Be as specific as evidence supports. If your OT recommends “10 hours weekly personal care,” request that amount. If your psychologist recommends “fortnightly psychology sessions for 12 months,” specify that. Vague requests (“I need support”) are harder to fund than specific evidence-based requests.

Can I record the planning meeting?

Yes, but inform the planner at the start. Some planners may decline if you do not provide advance notice. Recording is useful if you have difficulty taking notes or remembering discussions.

What if my disability makes it hard to participate in planning meeting?

Request accommodations:

  • Longer meeting with breaks
  • Quiet environment with minimal distractions
  • Communication supports (Auslan interpreter, communication device)
  • Multiple shorter meetings instead of one long meeting
  • Written questions submitted in advance so planner can prepare responses

What happens if I don’t have recent professional reports?

The NDIA may delay your plan to request additional evidence, or fund conservatively pending additional assessment. If possible, get assessments before planning meeting. If not possible, explain why (waitlists for specialists, cost barriers, etc.) and request interim funding with plan review once reports are available.

Can I bring children to my planning meeting?

Many participants need to bring children due to care responsibilities. Inform the planner in advance. Some participants arrange childcare to allow full concentration on the meeting.

Key Resources

Planning meetings are critical to receiving appropriate NDIS funding. Investment in thorough preparation pays dividends through plans that genuinely reflect your needs and fund supports necessary to achieve your goals.

Once your plan is approved, browse Carevo’s provider directory to find NDIS providers across Australia who can deliver the supports funded in your plan.