DOCUMENT 1
Caveats
If approved, funding for Assistance Animal maintenance is included within a participant’s total Consumables budget or Assistive Technology (Repairs and Maintenance) budget.
The structured plan data does not include a separate breakdown of approved Assistance Animal maintenance funding.
The responses below are based on actual payments and claims made by participants against specific Assistance Animal maintenance support items.
Where participants have inadvertently claimed Assistance Animal maintenance costs against other general low-cost consumables or Assistive Technology support item codes, the figures may be understated.
Data is current as at 30 June 2026.
Scope of request
How many assistance dogs has the Agency provided maintenance funding for each of the past five years? How many of these were new approvals vs dogs that have previously received funding?
Response:
Number of Participants claiming from Assistance Animal - Maintenance item codes
| Claimed in previous financial year(s) | New claims in this financial year | Total Number Participants claimed in FY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance claims FY21/22 | 901 | ||
| Maintenance claims FY22/23 | 565 | 527 | 1,092 |
| Maintenance claims FY23/24 | 710 | 387 | 1,097 |
| Maintenance claims FY24/25 | 687 | 254 | 941 |
| Maintenance claims FY25/26 | 619 | 162 | 781 |
Scope of request
How many of the participants currently receiving assistance dog funding are children, adolescents and adults?
Agency. Insurance Disability National the by 1982 Act Information of Freedom the under released
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Agency. Insurance Disability National the by 1982 Act Information of Freedom the under released
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| Primary Disability Grouping (a) | Number Participants |
|---|---|
| Other Physical | 31 |
| Other Neurological | 35 |
| Spinal Cord Injury | 11 |
| Acquired Brain Injury | 24 |
| Stroke | <11 |
| Cerebral Palsy | 12 |
| Multiple Sclerosis | 18 |
| Other (a) | 17 |
(a) Other category includes physical and neurological conditions
Caveats
Physical and neurological conditions appear across multiple NDIS disability groupings as used in public reporting.