FOI 25/26-3693 DOCUMENT 4

Knowledge

IRT - Conduct a desktop review

Article Record Type	Article Number	Publication Status	Last Modified Date	Version Number
Guidance	000001951	Published	1/12/2025, 8:04 am	16

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Title

IRT - Conduct a desktop review

Description

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This article provides guidance for an internal review officer, business support officer, or participant support officer to determine what information and documents need to be reviewed as part of the desktop review.

Recent updates

1 December 2025 Before you start section updated.

Before you start

You have completed the steps in the article IRT - Self-allocate an internal review case (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285182759).

Internal Review Officers should check if they were involved in the reviewable decision or any prior internal reviews. The decision maker can’t complete a review if they were involved in the reviewable decision. If this is the case, discuss reallocation with your team leader.

Conduct a desktop review

An initial assessment of the internal review should be completed using the information available on the participant or applicant’s record in PACE.

Navigate to the Person Account.
Select the Relationships tab.
From the Authorised Reps tab, in Roles & Relationships, confirm the person who requested the review is listed as an Authorised Person with a Status of Active.
Select Check Authorities.
Make sure the Submit request to review a decision made by the NDIA (S100) box is selected. If a person has the correct roles and authorities, you can continue to the heading Validate the request lodgement date. If the person does not have the correct authorities, continue to step 6.
Make one attempt to contact the participant, applicant, or their authorised representative to seek consent for the internal review to proceed. This attempt requires an SMS and either a phone call or email. If contact is successful and consent is not provided, or contact is unsuccessful, and you are unable to obtain consent, proceed to step 7.
Send the Internal Review Unauthorised Request Letter. Refer to the article IRT – Sending a manual letter (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/310520560).
Cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article IRT - Withdraw or cancel an internal review (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285181863).

Validate the request lodgement date and type

Check the request date was entered correctly by comparing the date the NDIA received any written communication or recorded contact requesting the internal review.
If the request was entered incorrectly, but still within 3 months of the original decision, you must cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article IRT - Withdraw or cancel an internal review (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285181863) and proceed to step 2. If the request was entered incorrectly and the timeframe to request an internal review has expired, refer to article IRT – Miscategorised requests (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/309870757).
Re-create the Internal Review Case with the valid request date. Refer to the article IRT – Create an internal review (s100) case (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/229733572).
To confirm the request type created is correct. Refer to article IRT – Miscategorised requests (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/309870757).

Scheme integrity

When completing the desktop review, make sure you review and check all documents for integrity issues. Refer to article IRT – Checking for integrity (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285329295).

If there is Scheme Integrity information, such as an Internal Note or an Alert, review the information and contact your team leader if guidance is required.

Note: If there are integrity issues, or you are seeking clarification from your team leader or the Scheme Integrity Team, do not proceed with completion of an internal review decision until a response is received.

Review the internal review case

To review details of the Internal Review Case, navigate to the Person Account and:

Take note of any alerts and follow any instructions detailed within the alert.
Review the reasons for the review request, including details such as the participant or applicant’s current circumstances or changes, any identified risks, complaints, or previous escalations.
Check for any previous decisions and reviews.
Check for any open or closed cases that may impact the review. For planning internal reviews check for any requested or open other plan change requests. A variation or reassessment of a plan may also be requested after an internal review request. As part of the internal review the internal review officer has to take into consideration the facts and circumstances at the time of the review outcome.
Review evidence and information to support the review request, for example assessments, reports, quotes and activity history such as phone conversations.
Link any relevant documents related to the review to the Internal Review Case. Refer to article IRT – Adding and linking evidence to an internal review case (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285182135).
Consider if additional evidence is required, and if so, refer to articles IRT – Requests for further information (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285330149) and IRT – Identify if further information is required (access and revocation) (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285189689).

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Determine if Technical Advice and Practice Improvement Branch (TAPIB) input is required, and if so, refer to article Create a technical advice case (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/129170996).

Note: If you need to create a Technical Advice Case or Housing Application Case you must create these from the Internal Review Case.
Determine if a home and living support is part of the review, as you must create a Housing Application Case. Refer to article Create and submit a home and living application (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/310739919).

Note: If the review relates to another open request type, for example an s47A variation or s48 reassessment plan change request, seek advice from your line manager for next steps.
Confirm the risk level determined at creation of the internal review request is correct. Refer to the Matrix – Risk and escalation (https://ndisgovau.sharepoint.com/sites/ServiceMeasures/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7b7B978FDE3F-0807-48DB-8888- ABED829DB82F%7d&file=Matrix-+-Risk+and+Escalation.docx&action=default&mobileredirect=true&DefaultItemOpen=1). For access internal reviews, refer to Our Guidelines – Applying to the NDIS (External) (https://www.ndis.gov.au/our-guidelines) section When do we make priority eligibility decisions?

Adding a RORD Request to an internal review

Based on the information gathered during the desktop review, the Requests for PACE Decisions (RORD) must be entered for each of the requested supports. If a RORD Request is missing, or is requested at any point during the internal review process, follow these steps:

From the Internal Review Case, select the Decision tab.
Select New Request Line.
From the Choose Decision Type view, select Existing Decision.
Select Next.
From the Statement of Support Requests view, use the dropdown to select the type of statement of support request to add from the following options:
- Funded Support
- Funded Management
- Plan Duration
Once you have selected one of the above options, a field to enter further information will appear. Once this information is entered, select Add.

In the Capture Reasons for Review Request free text box, note what is being funded. If an item was not requested as part of the review however it is being funded, insert the reason (for example, Behaviour support plan required due to restrictive practice).

Note: If selecting Funded Supports, you will be prompted to input the support category that needs to be added. Selecting Specific Support Category will make a picklist appear to select from.

Selecting General on plan will add a new RORD where the information be added later.

The new RORD Request will now be created.

Next steps

Refer to article IRT - Contact the participant or applicant (https://ndia.my.salesforce.com/articles/Knowledge/285511555).

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Intake of an internal review

request

The contents of this document are OFFICIAL.

This article provides guidance for a business support officer, participant support officer, or internal review officer to complete the intake of an internal review request.

Recent updates

July 2026

In Appendix 1, new section added for Request to reconsider access requirements met, Invalid internal review request for decisions to vary or not to vary Notice of impairments (NOI) and guidance for cancelling invalid reviews
Throughout the document “s100” replaced with “internal review” unless it is a system field.
Broken links corrected.
Minor language updates for consistency.
Incorrect characteristic identified, instruction updated to lodge a ticket via JIRA
Application of Agency Escalation and Prioritisation Matrix and Internal Review Branch Triage Framework

ndis.gov.au Page 14 of 127

Before you start

You have read and understood the article Understanding an internal review
You have read and understood Our Guideline - Reviewing our decisions (external)
You have completed the steps in the article Self-allocate an internal review case.

Complete initial checks

Once you are assigned or have self-allocated an Internal Review Case, you must review the key case information and complete a procedural fairness check to make sure you are an independent delegate.

Review key information

From the Person Account, select the Details tab.
Review and take note of key applicant/participant information including:
- Account Name
- Date of Birth
- Age
- Address
You may use this information to determine if you have any conflict of interest in this case.

Procedural fairness check

Procedural fairness makes sure our decisions are completed by independent delegates and are fair, respectful, and unbiased.

When completing an internal review, procedural fairness is applied throughout the review process, so the correct decision is made according to the law.

To be an independent delegate means you:

don’t have a personal interest in the applicant/participant’s status

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don’t have a relationship with the applicant/participant outside the NDIA
haven’t made a previous access not met, revocation or planning decision for the applicant/participant.

Note: for more information, go to the Policy library– Conflict of Interest intranet page.

If you identify a conflict of interest, or have determined you are not an independent delegate, you must reassign the work item. Contact your line manager to discuss how to reassign the work item.

Validate the internal review request

Before progressing the review request, you must review the details of the Internal Review Case, associated cases, documents, and alerts to make sure the request is valid, and meets all the legal requirements of an internal review request.

For further guidance on actioning an internal review refer to the articles Understanding an internal review and Submit a request for an internal review (s100). The Choose the Right Request Tool can also be used to help identify what type of request an applicant/participant is making when they are requesting a review of a decision.

There are four key parts of a validation:

Validate the applicant/participant
Validate consent
Validate the request category
Validate the request lodgement date

Validate the Applicant/Participant

Before progressing the review request, you must first confirm the request has been recorded for the correct applicant/participant and in the correct record.

To check you have the right applicant/participant:

From the Person Account:

Confirm the applicant/participant’s name, address and NDIS number on the record match any documentation submitted with the review request by comparing the documentation to the Details tab.

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Note: If you are unsure if the request relates to the current applicant/participant’s file, contact the applicant/participant to confirm they have requested the review.

If the request is not recorded against the correct record, identify the correct applicant/participant record using their name, NDIS number, address, and details of the request.

Remove the case from the incorrect applicant or participant record

You must notify your line manager. If you or your line manager do not hold appropriate permissions to independently remove the case, you must request support by lodging a ticket with the ICT Service Desk.

You will need your line manager’s approval to submit a request to the ICT Service Desk to update, delete or move a case in PACE.

To make ensure ICT has the information they need, you will need to include the following information with your request:

NDIS number
PACE Case Number(s)
PACE Case Type(s)
Description of the issue
ICT Service Desk action required
Sensitive Decision Objects in PACE
NDIA contact to support resolution of time sensitive matters
Evidence of line manager approval
Any additional information

Before progressing the review request, you must confirm the review requestor has the appropriate consent and authority to request a review.

A person directly affected by a reviewable decision can request the decision be reviewed by the NDIA.

Who is considered to be a directly affected person will depend on the reviewable decision type and the individual circumstances of each request.

A directly affected person may include:

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an applicant (access not met decisions, access revoked decisions)
a participant (plan related decisions, notice of impairments decisions)
a person with parental responsibility for a child (decisions made relating to a child under 18 years of age, decisions to appoint, or not appoint a child’s representative)
a plan or correspondence nominee, or a person seeking to be appointed as a nominee (decisions to appoint, not appoint, suspend or revoke someone’s nominee status).

For more information, refer to Our Guideline - Your privacy and information (external).

A directly affected person or their representative can submit an internal review request using the methods listed on the How to request an internal review of a decision (external) page.

If an applicant/participant wants someone to act on their behalf throughout the internal review process, you will need their consent. An applicant/participant can choose who they want to act on their behalf. This could include a:

family member, friend, or carer
support worker or service provider
residential aged care facility staff member
treating health professional or hospital staff.

The person requesting the internal review must be the applicant/participant, their authorised representative, or a representative who has consent to act on their behalf.

If an applicant/participant is younger than 18, parental responsibility applies. This is usually the applicant/participant’s parents or legal guardian or someone else who has parental responsibility.

For an adult applicant/participant, the representative can be a:

person the applicant/participant has given consent to act as their representative
guardian
person with power of attorney who can make personal and health decisions for the applicant

person with an active advance care health directive.

Participant requested reviews

People with disability are presumed to have capacity to make decisions that affect their own lives. However, in some cases, the participant or NDIA may appoint a person or a nominee where it is possible to support and build the capacity of participants to make their own decisions for the purposes of the NDIS.

You must check all Internal Notes and the Relationships tab to make sure the participant does not have a nominee. There may also be an Alert to provide information about a nominee. If there is a nominee on file, but the review was participant requested, speak with your line manager to determine next steps.

If the review is participant requested and the participant does not have a nominee, you may progress to the heading Validate the request lodgement date.

If the review is not participant requested, and has been requested by someone else, progress to the heading Check roles and authorities to validate the requestor has the relevant consent.

Check roles and authorities

To validate the requestor consent:

From the Person Account, select the Relationships tab. To view:
- revoked, cancelled or removed authorities, go to step 2
- participant authorities, go to step 3
- current roles and authorities, go to step 4.
Select Inactive Roles and Relationships tab. Review inactive roles and authorities that are removed, cancelled or revoked.
Select the Participant Authorities tab and make sure the Submit request to review a decision made by the NDIA (S100) box is selected. If the review is participant requested and you have verified this box is selected, you can continue to validate the request by progressing to the headings Validate Request Category and Validate the request lodgement date.
If the review is not participant requested, select the Authorised Reps tab to view current Roles and Relationships and view Role type. Confirm the person who requested the review is listed as an Authorised Person with a Status of Active.

Select Check Authorities and:
- review the Guardian Type. This could be a Public Guardian, Private Guardian or Financial Manager
- make sure the Submit request to review a decision made by the NDIA (S100) box is selected.
If the review requestor has the correct roles and authorities, you can continue to validate the request by progressing to the headings Validate Request Category and Validate the request lodgement date. If the review requestor does not have the correct authorities, continue to step 8.
Make one attempt to contact the participant, applicant, or their authorised representative to seek consent for the internal review to proceed. This attempt requires an SMS and either a phone call or email. If contact is successful and consent is not provided, or contact is unsuccessful, and you are unable to obtain consent, proceed to step 9.
Send the Internal Review Unauthorised Request Letter. Refer to the article Sending a manual letter.
Cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review.

Validate the request category

Before progressing the review request, you must confirm the request is for a review of a reviewable decision as stated in section 99 of the NDIS Act, and not for any other request for change in participant plan (section 48 plan reassessment or section 47A plan variation).

Internal reviews may include:

an access or revocation internal review
a review of a decision to vary or not vary a Notice of impairments
a decision to approve the statement of participant supports in a participant’s plan
a decision to vary a participant’s plan
a decision not to vary a participant’s plan
a decision not to conduct a reassessment of a participant’s plan
a decision to appoint a plan nominee.

If the review request is not a valid internal review request, refer to the article Miscategorised request and contact the applicant/participant to explain why the request cannot proceed as an internal review request.

Send the Internal Review invalid request letter and if required, use the articles Create a plan variation (s47A) request or Create a plan reassessment (s48) request to action a plan change request.

For further information on the following categories, refer to Appendix 1 - Review Categories:

Second disability requests
Valid internal review request for decisions to vary, or not vary, or the outcome of the variation of a Notice of impairments (NOI)
Request to reconsider access requirements met
Review request with incorrect decision type.

Validate the request lodgement date

Before progressing the review request, you must confirm the internal review request has been submitted within three months of the applicant/participant receiving notification of the outcome of the original decision. This is 3 months from the day after they receive the decision.

Note: if the review request is not within 3 months of the notice of decision, the request for review is out of time and cannot be actioned as an internal review, refer to article Miscategorised request.

To validate the request lodgment date:

From the Internal Review Case, select the Request tab and confirm the Date review request submitted date is correct by comparing the date the NDIA initially received any written communication or recorded contact requesting the internal review.
If the Date review request submitted date was entered incorrectly, but still within 3 months of the original decision, you must cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review and proceed to step 4.

If the Date review request submitted date was entered incorrectly, and the timeframe to request an internal review has expired, refer to article Withdraw

or cancel an internal review and follow the process to cancel the internal review case.

Confirm the Decision Date of the original decision is correct, and if not you must cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review and proceed to step 4.
Re-create the internal review with the valid request date, refer to article Submit a request for an internal review (s100).
After you create the new Internal Review Case you must upload all relevant information and supporting documentation from the cancelled case to the new one.

Conduct a desktop review

To support the intake of an internal review, it is important to review the applicant/participant’s information to understand:

the type/characteristic of internal review being requested
the participant’s situation and request details
any identified alerts, risks or vulnerabilities
if there are any in-progress or recently closed cases and decision outcomes
the information and evidence available.

A desktop review is completed using the information and documents on the applicant/participant’s record in PACE.

Note: for additional considerations for access and revocation reviews or planning reviews, navigate to the headings:

Additional desktop review considerations for access and revocation reviews
Additional desktop review considerations for planning reviews.

Review and update the person account

During the desktop review, if it is identified incorrect details are on the applicant/participant record, refer to article Update a person account to correct the details. This includes:

person details (name, gender identity, indicators)
addresses
communication preferences (phone number and email)
correspondence preferences (format and delivery method of correspondence)
non-compliant behaviour (for use by Compliance/Fraud team only)
housing and accommodation
relationship information
residency and visa information
consents
my NDIS contact
disabilities.

Check file alerts

From the Person Account:

Review and take note of Alerts on the applicant/participant’s record and follow any instructions detailed within the alert.

Note for Business Support Officers: You may be required to undertake additional actions at this step, For further instructions refer to the heading Additional considerations for Business Support Officers.

Check for any risks, complaints, or previous escalations

From the Person Account:

Select the Cases tab and review any information documented in Feedback & Complaints and Critical Incidents.
Confirm the risk level determined at creation of the internal review request. using the article Understand and determine a risk using the Risk and Escalation matrix. For access internal reviews, refer to the Appendices When do we make priority eligibility decisions in Our Guidelines – Applying to the

NDIS (external). You must then use the Internal Review Branch Triage Framework to determine the timeframes for action.

Note for Business Support Officers: You may be required to undertake additional actions at this step. For further instructions refer to the heading Additional considerations for Business Support Officers.

Check for any open or closed cases, previous decisions or reviews

You must check for any open or closed cases that may impact the review, and for any previous decisions or reviews that have been completed.

From the Person Account:

Select the Cases tab and review any open or closed cases.

Note: For access internal reviews you must confirm there isn’t concurrent cases open for a new access request or a review. New access requests can only be made once a review is complete and there is no external review in progress, or the applicant chooses to withdraw the internal review and pursue the new access request instead. Applicants have the option to withdraw the Internal Review or the Access Request. You must contact the applicant to confirm if they want to continue with the internal review or withdraw it and continue with the access request. Refer to the articles Contact the participant or applicant and Withdraw or cancel an internal review.

If the applicant confirms they want to continue with the internal review and withdraw the access request, refer to article When to withdraw or cancel an access request.

Note: For planning internal reviews check for any requested or any other open plan change requests. A variation or reassessment of a plan may also be requested after an internal review request. As part of the internal review the review officer has to take into consideration the facts and circumstances at the time of the review outcome

Select the Decision tab and review any recently made decisions or any other review requests.

Review the request details

You must review the information recorded in the internal review request to determine the type of review the applicant/participant is requesting.

From the Internal Review Case:

Review the Details tab.
Review the Request tab.

Check the type/characteristic

You must review the applicant/participant information to determine the correct review type and characteristics have been selected. This may include reviewing:

the applicant/participant’s Request for a Review of a Decision form
any internal notes from recent enquiries
the Decisions tab from the Person Account
the Details and Request tabs from the Internal Review Case.

Then, from the Internal Review Case:

Select the Details tab and from the Categorisation drop-down confirm the correct review Type has been selected.

Access review types include:
- Scheme Eligibility
- Not to vary a notice of impairment.
Planning review types include:
- Statement of Supports
- Not to reassess a plan
- Not to vary a plan
- Outcome of a variation.
Other review types include:
- Compensation Recoveries Amount
- SDA Enrolment
- Not to extend a grace period.
Confirm the correct Characteristic has been selected.

Access review case characteristics include:
- Access

Access Revoked
- EC
- Notice of Impairment.
Planning review characteristics include:
- Home and Living
- Statement of Supports
- Planning
- EC.

Internal review officers will have the relevant PACE permissions to edit the review Type, however they are unable to edit the review Characteristic.

If you identify the Internal Review Case has been created with a blank or incorrect Characteristic, raise a JIRA ticket via the Internal Review Branch – Operations Support and Governance service desk service desk using the below selections in the form:
- In OSG Area, select Workflow
- In Request type, select Case characteristic update
- Complete the remaining fields.

Confirm the Tier Role

From the Person Account:

Confirm the Tier Role.
- Access internal reviews, the tier role should show Person with a disability
- Planning internal reviews, the tier role should show Participant.

If the tier role needs to be changed, an ICT ticket must be lodged via the ICT Service Desk.

Note: You will not be able to make a decision in PACE until the tier role has been corrected.

Confirm the Disabilities

From the Person Account:

Review the Disabilities tab and note the disabilities recorded for the applicant/participant.

Confirm the impairment categories

From the Person Account:

Review the Impairment Categories tab and take note of any Approved Impairment Categories.

Note: A participant will only have impairment categories recorded if they met access on or after 1 January 2025 or have had their access revoked and were then reinstated on or after 1 January 2025.

Link any relevant documents

From the Person Account:

Review the Documents tab and link any relevant documents related to the review to the Internal Review Case. Refer to article Adding and linking documents to an internal review case.

Consider if additional evidence is required

As part of the desktop review, consider if there are any key indicators to determine whether further information may be required.

Refer to articles Requests for further information and Identify if further information is required (access and revocation).

Check the acknowledgement letter has been sent

From the Internal Review Case:

Review the Documents tab for the acknowledgment letter. If the acknowledgement letter has not been sent, follow the steps in the article Sending a manual letter to create and send the acknowledgement letter.

Additional desktop review considerations for Access and Revocation reviews

For Access or Revocation reviews, the following applicant/participant information should also be checked as part of the desktop review.

Scheme Integrity

As part of the desktop review, the internal review officer must check all documents for integrity issues.

If you have concerns regarding document integrity, you should make a referral to the Access Integrity Management (AIM) team. The AIM team can perform verification checks on all access not met and revocation internal reviews.

Identity Verification

If you identify concerns surrounding the identity verification steps taken, follow the below steps.

Note: This referral should be made prior to the completion of the internal review outcome.

From the Person Account:

Select the Refer to AIM button.
From the Referral Reason drop-down menu, select the appropriate reason.
Complete the Other details section with concerns and information relating to identity verification.
Select Next.
Do not proceed with the decision until a response is received.

Residency Validation

If there are concerns regarding residency status, referrals to the AIM team to request validation from the Immigration database are to be made via the AIM Hub.

Open to the AIM Hub.
Select the Integrity & Residency Enquiries button.
Under the heading What is your role? select IRT Access.
Select your enquiry type and complete the applicable fields.
Once the enquiry has been submitted AIM will review the enquiry and respond via email.

Validating evidence of a disability

If there are concerns regarding validating evidence of a disability, referrals to the AIM team are to be made the AIM Hub.

Open to the AIM Hub.
Select the Integrity & Residency Enquiries button.
Under the heading What is your role? select IRT Access.
Select your enquiry type and complete the applicable fields.

Once the enquiry has been submitted AIM will review the enquiry and respond via email.

Confirm the legislation used in original access decision

From the Access Decision Case:

Select the Decision tab and check the legislation that was used at the time of the original access decision.

Note: For review of a decision to revoke a person’s status as a participant, the IRO will apply the same legislation that was applied at the original eligibility reassessment decision.

Determine if technical advice is required

Determine if Technical Advice and Practice Improvement Branch (TAPIB) input is required and if so, refer to article Create a technical advice case.

Note: Advice is required for all mandatory requests as per TAPIB instructions. IROs may also need to seek non-mandatory advice if evidence indicates an applicant has a substantially reduced functional capacity but permanency of an impairment is not clear. It is recommended IROs discuss with their line manager.

Revocation cases only - Confirming Requests for PACE Decisions

Within the Requests for PACE Decisions view, confirm the correct Name is displaying.

From the Internal Review case:

Select the Decisions tab.

In the Requests for PACE Decisions view, if the Name field displays as Eligibility Reassessment, the Internal Review Case will need to be cancelled and recreated. Refer to article Complete an access or revocation Internal Review Case – Appendix 4 – Cancel and recreate a revocation case.

Additional desktop review considerations for Planning reviews

The following participant information should also be checked as part of the desktop review.

Scheme Integrity

As part of the desktop review, the IRO must check all documents for integrity issues. Refer to article Checking for integrity.

If you believe fraudulent information has been provided, or there is previously identified scheme integrity information, such as an Internal Note or an Alert, contact your line manager if further guidance is required.

Determine if technical advice is required

Determine if Technical Advice and Practice Improvement Branch (TAPIB) input is required and if so, refer to article Create a technical advice case.

Note: if you need to create a Technical Advice Case you must create this from the Internal Review Case.

Determine if a home and living support is part of the review

Determine if a home and living support is part of the review, and if so, refer to article Create and submit a home and living application.

Note: if the review relates to another open request type, for example an s47A variation or s48 reassessment plan change request, seek advice from your line manager for next steps.

Determine if additional RORD Request lines need to be added

Based on the information gathered during the desktop review, the Requests for PACE Decisions (RORD) must be entered for each of the requested supports. If a

RORD Request is missing, or is requested at any point during the internal review process, follow these steps:

From the Internal Review Case, select the Decision tab.
Select New Request Line.
From the Choose Decision Type view, select Existing Decision.
Select Next.
From the Statement of Support Requests view, use the dropdown to select the type of statement of support request to add from the following options:
- Funded Support
- Funded Management
- Plan Duration
Once you have selected one of the above options, a field to enter further information will appear. Once this information is entered, select Add.

Note: if selecting Funded Supports, you will be prompted to input the support category that needs to be added. Selecting Specific Support Category will make a picklist appear to select from.

Selecting General on plan will add a new RORD where the information be added later.

The new RORD Request will now be created.

Additional desktop review considerations for Business Support Officers

BSOs may be required to undertake the following additional actions as part of the intake of an internal review request and desktop review process.

Check file alerts

From the Person Account:

Review and take note of alerts on the applicant’s record.

If the record is marked for Restricted Access, has an alert regarding Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)/a Complex Support Needs (CSN)/a Scheme Integrity (SIRT)/Compensation alert, send an email to redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)@ndis.gov.au with the below email template.

Subject: IRB to complete desktop review

Applicant name
NDIS number
<ART/CSN/SIRT/Compensation> File Alert
Date of the alert
Alert added by
Section 100 request date

Note: Access internal review requests with any of the above alerts are to be allocated to Benjamin redacted: [s47F - personal privacy](/library/release-materials/759e22e37354-foi-24-25-0593-decision-document/material-001__s47f-personal-privacy/) in PACE. Planning internal reviews with any of the above alerts are to be allocated to Matthew redacted: s47F - personal privacy in PACE.

Cases over 60 days

The Internal Review Branch aims to complete decisions within 60 days. If during the desktop review you identify the request is over 60 days, complete the desktop review and email redacted: s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies@ndis.gov.au using the email template below

Subject: Internal review over 60 days identified

Good morning/afternoon

I am a BSO completing an intake of an <access/planning> internal review request and have identified a case over 60 days.

Case:

Assess for risk and escalation to determine priority of request

The IRB uses the Agency endorsed Escalation Prioritisation Matrix to determine the level of risk present for both participants and the Agency. The IRB also uses Internal

Review Branch Triage Framework alongside the Escalation Prioritisation Matrix to determine the timeframes for completing actions of an internal review.

Risk and plan funding periods

When assessing the level of risk on a planning review request, BSOs should also check the plan funding to determine if it is a New framework plan with funding periods applied. If there are no Funding periods, the funding can be used flexibly across the life of the plan. If Funding periods have been applied, this means that flexibility in the use of funding is reduced, and the participant can only access the funding for the current funding period.

redacted: [s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies](/library/documents/bc455e3f7247-foi-24-25-0515-documents/document-015__47e-d-certain-operations-of-agencies/)

Initial contact, clarification calls and requests for further information

BSOs are required to contact the participant or applicant as part of the intake of an internal review request. An initial contact attempt is required for all review requests to clarify the applicant/participant’s request and gather additional details.

For additional information for BSOs and steps for contacting the applicant/participant, completing a clarification call and issuing a request for further information, refer to Intake of an Internal Review Request – Additional considerations for Business Support Officers – Initial contact, clarification calls and requests for further information.

Finalise intake and reassign the case to the correct queue

Once the desktop review has been completed:

Add an Internal Note in the Internal Review Case log activity with the following information:

Desktop Review completed by:

Date Received by Agency:

Request submitted by:

Authorised Representative:<Authorised person that consented for the review – can be removed if the person that requested the review is a participant or child rep/plan nominee>

Acknowledgement letter sent: <Yes – Date>

Risk level:

Impact:

Type of internal review

Internal comments:

From the Details tab of the Internal Review Case, update the System Information –Subject field with the most relevant descriptor as follows:

UTC Due dd/mm/yyyy

RFI due date xx/xx/xxxx

Triaged Logon ID
From the Details tab of the Internal Review Case, update the Comments – Internal Comments field with any additional information explaining your Subject - Description contents.
Reassign the Internal Review Case to the to IRT H&L Queue (all BAU internal reviews except Home and Living) or the HaL HLIRT Queue (for Home and Living internal reviews).

Next Steps

If a clarification call/contact attempts have already been completed by a BSO the IRO is able to progress to the next steps in the internal review process.

For Access and Revocation reviews:

Proceed to the heading Adding evidence to the internal review case in the article Complete an access or revocation Internal Review Case.

For Planning reviews:

Proceed to the article Enacting a planning review decision.

If a clarification call/contact attempts have not yet been completed as part of the intake process, the next steps in the internal review process is for the IRO to contact the participant or applicant to clarify their request and gather additional details.

For Access and Revocation reviews:

Refer to the heading Contact the Applicant in the article Complete an access or revocation Internal Review Case.

For Planning reviews:

Refer to article Contact the participant or applicant.

Appendix 1 – Review Categories

Secondary disability requests

A secondary disability request is not a reviewable decision under section 99 of the NDIS Act.

When you receive a secondary disability request, the participant will need to be informed that the secondary disability request is not a reviewable decision, however, we can consider the statement of support requests related to that secondary disability.

If the participant only wishes to have the secondary disability considered, advise them the request cannot proceed as an internal review request and you will refer their request to the relevant team for action. Follow the steps in the article Request a participant disability change and:

Send the Internal Review - invalid request letter. Refer to the article Sending a manual letter.
Cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review.

If the participant wishes to have their statement of support reviewed, once the internal review decision has been completed, the IRO must refer the secondary disability request to the relevant team for action.

Valid internal review request for decisions to vary, or not to vary, Notice of impairments (NOI)

Impairment categories information is called a ‘Notice of impairments’ in section 32BA of the NDIS Act (the Act).

From 1 January 2025, new participants to the Scheme will receive an impairment notice with the access decision when their request for access was received on or after 1 January. Existing participants whose access requests were submitted before 1 January 2025, will not have an impairment notice, these will be managed in the future with a transition plan. Existing participants pre 1 January cannot ask to be issued with a Notice of impairment, therefore they will not be able to seek a variation or have a valid review in this area.

A participant who has a NOI can ask for that NOI to be varied if they disagree with the impairments listed and want to add or change the notice. These original decisions are completed by the Scheme Eligibility Branch (SEB). SEB can decide to decline to vary the NOI or vary the NOI and issue a new one replacing the existing NOI. Both of these decisions are reviewable. A participant then has 3 months to request an internal review if they disagree with the outcome of a request to vary their NOI. An NOI internal review will be completed by the Access internal reviews team. Both decisions to not vary an NOI, and to vary an NOI are reviewable.

To verify if a participant had been issued an NOI:

Navigate to the Access Decision Case. Check the outcome of application letter attached in Documents. When a person becomes an NDIS participant (access request received on or after 1 January 2025), they will automatically receive a NOI with their Outcome of Application letter.

To verify if a participant’s request to review a NOI decision may be valid:

Navigate to Cases. If a participant has requested their NOI be varied, a Vary Impairment Categories Case will be created and closed by SEB. Look for the outcome of the decision including the outcome decision letter to know what is a valid internal review.
From the participant’s Person Account, select My Profile tab, then Impairment Categories. If there is a not applicable message in the Impairment Categories tab, the participant doesn’t have a NOI. Refer to article View Impairment Categories in the person account.

If a NOI has not been issued, the internal review request is not valid. Advise the participant this is not a reviewable decision and help them to understand what they

are seeking. There is no change to their eligibility as a NDIS participant, and they will continue to receive NDIS supports.

Send the Internal Review - invalid request letter. Refer to the article Sending a manual letter.
Cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review.

If the participant feels their funded supports no longer meet their support needs, advise them they can lodge a plan change request (s48) or internal review , and the review rights for each option.

If a participant’s request relates to the addition of a secondary disability, follow the instructions for Secondary disability requests.

To cancel a request that is not valid, follow the steps under the heading Cancel an Internal Review Case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review to cancel the Internal Review Case.

Request to reconsider access requirements met

A request to reconsider the requirements met for an access decision is not a reviewable decision under section 99 of the NDIS Act.

Advise the participant this is not a reviewable decision and help them to understand what they are seeking. There is no change to their eligibility as a NDIS participant, and they will continue to receive NDIS supports in their plan.

Send the Internal Review - invalid request letter. Refer to the article Sending a manual letter.
Cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review.

If the participant is wanting to add or change impairment categories refer to the heading above, Valid internal request for decisions to vary, or not to vary, Notice of impairments (NOI).

Review request with incorrect decision type

If the Internal Review Case was created from SAP CRM with incorrect category type, you must follow the steps under the heading Cancel an Internal Review Case in the article Withdraw or cancel an internal review to cancel the Internal Review

Case. You must then create a new Internal Review Case with the correct decision

type.

The incorrect category type occurred as there was no Statement of Supports option available at time of case creation. Refer to Communique: Internal Review cases created with incorrect decision type (external) for further information on this process.

Version Control

Version	Amended by	Brief Description of Change	Status	Date
1.0	UFGCM KMM575	New resource — transitioned article from PACE.	Approved	2026-03-19
2.0	KMM575	Administrative errors relating to record keeping and document management no longer require a privacy incident to be raised. Instructions added on how to correct this via the ICT desk.	Approved	2026-05-07
3.0	KMMS575 TWL527	Addition of internal Review Branch Triage Framework. In Appendix 1, new section added for Request to reconsider access requirements met, Invalid internal review request for decisions to vary or not to vary Notice of impairments (NOI) and guidance for cancelling invalid reviews Throughout the document “s100” replaced with “internal	Approved	2026-07-13

Version	Amended by	Brief Description of Change	Status	Date
		review” unless it is a system field. Broken links corrected. Minor language updates for consistency. Incorrect characteristic identified, instruction updated to lodge a ticket via JIRA Updates made to formatting for readability.

IRT - Conduct a desktop review

IRT - Conduct a desktop review

Information

Recent updates

Before you start

Conduct a desktop review

Validate consent

Validate the request lodgement date and type

Scheme integrity

Review the internal review case

Adding a RORD Request to an internal review

Next steps

Intake of an internal review

Recent updates

Before you start

Complete initial checks

Review key information

Procedural fairness check

Validate the internal review request

Validate the Applicant/Participant

Remove the case from the incorrect applicant or participant record

Validate Consent

Participant requested reviews

Check roles and authorities

Validate the request category

Validate the request lodgement date

Conduct a desktop review

Review and update the person account

Check file alerts

Check for any risks, complaints, or previous escalations

Check for any open or closed cases, previous decisions or reviews

Review the request details

Check the type/characteristic

Confirm the Tier Role

Confirm the Disabilities

Confirm the impairment categories

Link any relevant documents

Consider if additional evidence is required

Check the acknowledgement letter has been sent

Additional desktop review considerations for Access and Revocation reviews

Scheme Integrity

Identity Verification

Residency Validation

Validating evidence of a disability

Confirm the legislation used in original access decision

Determine if technical advice is required

Revocation cases only - Confirming Requests for PACE Decisions

Additional desktop review considerations for Planning reviews

Scheme Integrity

Determine if technical advice is required

Determine if a home and living support is part of the review

Determine if additional RORD Request lines need to be added

Additional desktop review considerations for Business Support Officers

Check file alerts

Cases over 60 days

Assess for risk and escalation to determine priority of request

Risk and plan funding periods

Initial contact, clarification calls and requests for further information

Finalise intake and reassign the case to the correct queue

Next Steps

Appendix 1 – Review Categories

Secondary disability requests

Valid internal review request for decisions to vary, or not to vary, Notice of impairments (NOI)

Request to reconsider access requirements met

Review request with incorrect decision type

Version Control