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The contents of this document are OFFICIAL.
Make a plan change decision
Guidance in this document is not approved for use unless you view it in PACE.
This article provides guidance for a participant support officer, planner delegate or review officer to:
- understand the considerations for plan change request decisions
- make a decision on a plan change request
- record an overall plan change decision
- add free text sub-justifications
- communicate your decision.
Recent updates
15 December 2025
Guidance updated to:
- advise staff they must cancel a plan change case if it was generated after a scheduled check-in where the decision was made to automatically continue the plan
- to align with National Disability Insurance Scheme (Variation and Reassessment of Participants’ Plans) Rules 2025
- make sure relevant information and evidence is considered before making a plan change decision
- check the participant has consented to the plan change request
- consider any conflict of interest with the plan change request.
Before you start
Note: if you have a plan change request over 21 days do not use this article. Instead, go to [Progress a plan change (s47A and s48) request over 21 days](Progress%20a%20plan%20change%20(s47A%20and%20s48)%20request%20over%2021%20days).
You have:
- been allocated or assigned yourself a plan change case (received less than 21 days ago)
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- reviewed the plan change request. Go to article [Assign and review a plan change case](Assign%20and%20review%20a%20plan%20change%20case)
- confirmed there isn’t pending advice from the Technical Advice and Practice Improvement Branch (TAPIB) that may impact your decision
- read and understood Factsheet: What evidence do you need to give use before we create or change your plan? (external)
- read and understood Our Guideline – Changing your plan (external).
IMPORTANT: if the Plan Change case was created as part of a plan continuation and you determined the plan doesn’t need to be reassessed, you need to cancel it. If you don’t, the plan continuation won’t work due to limitations of the Participant Budget Update case that will be created if you progress the case.
Note: this is only for plans approved after 9 October 2024.
To check if the case is part of plan continuation:
- Go to the Details tab and confirm the Case Reason is Plan continuation.
- Go to the Decision tab and confirm the Plan Continuation Confidence option shows. This only shows for cases created as part of a plan continuation.
- Go to the Request tab and select Next at Initiate Request. Confirm Change the reassessment date is automatically selected at Plan Change Requests.
After you’ve confirmed the case is part of a plan continuation, cancel it using article Cancel or close a plan change case.
Note: delegates must consider all the current plan change requests in this plan. If the plan has an open participant variation request you must determine if it can be completed and finalised prior to the plan end date. You can add it to an open case or you may need to create a new case.
To learn how to find an open case, go to section Check for related open cases in article [Prepare to submit a plan change request](Prepare%20to%20submit%20a%20plan%20change%20request).
Considerations for plan change request decisions
Considerations for a plan variation
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A plan variation is for minor, specific changes to a participant’s current NDIS plan. These changes can be made without doing a plan reassessment. It means we can vary their plan to:
- add crisis or emergency supports due to a significant change in the participant’s NDIS support needs. This can be for a once-off support or for a specific period of time
- include a new support, once-off or for a specific period of time
- change the fund management type
- change the plan reassessment date.
Considerations for a plan reassessment
A plan reassessment is for a change to a participant’s situation which has led to a significant change in their need for NDIS supports.
To make the decision to reassess the participant’s plan, when it’s outside a scheduled plan reassessment, the changes in situation you need to consider are:
- if the participant’s functional capacity has changed
- if the participant’s informal supports have changed
- if the participant’s living situation has changed
- if there has been a significant life transition, like starting or leaving school
- if the participant’s right to compensation for personal injury has changed.
You can make a decision to reassess the participant’s plan only if there has been a change in situation listed above and that change has meant a significant change to the participant’s need for NDIS supports. You must have evidence of a significant change to NDIS support needs. If you don’t have evidence, ask for it.
A plan reassessment means we’ll prepare and approve a new NDIS plan.
To learn more about the new NDIS rules (variations and reassessments) and plan change criteria, go to Our Guideline – Changing your plan (external).
When making your decision, you’ll need to think about the date the plan was approved, and the changes requested. This information will help you decide what steps to follow.
Plans approved before 9 October 2024
These plans have no funding periods. When you have made your decision, you can complete the case that is generated.
Plans approved on or after 9 October 2024
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These plans have funding periods. Before you make your decision, you need to work out if the request is related to any of the changes in the list below. You can’t complete changes through a plan variation (s47A) to:
- reduce the total funding amount
- reduce funding in a previous or current funding period
- change the plan reassessment date
- change the budget type from flexible to stated or stated to flexible
- change the fund management of one core support if it’s grouped with other core supports in a funding component. You’ll need to complete a reassessment (s48) if you need to change one core support and it’s grouped with other supports. You can complete a plan variation (s47A) if you need to change all core supports grouped in a funding component. You can also complete one to change one core support that is in its own funding component and not grouped with other core supports
- change the instalment type from regular to once-off or once-off to regular
- remove a support category
- change the length of a past or current funding period.
If the change isn’t related to one of the above reasons, decide if a plan variation or a plan reassessment is the most appropriate option.
Plans approved on or after 9 October 2024 that don’t have a plan duration of 12 months won’t have funding periods. The above limitations only apply to plans with funding periods. You can decide if a plan variation or a plan reassessment is the most appropriate option.
Make a decision on a plan change request
The NDIS Act and NDIS rules (variations and reassessments) govern how and when a participant’s plan can be varied or reassessed and specify the conditions under which we can change a plan either through a variation (minor changes) or a reassessment (a new plan). All NDIS supports in the changed plan must meet the NDIS funding criteria (external).
When making a plan change decision, you’ll need to think about:
- the participant’s situation and how this impacts their need for NDIS supports
- any relevant information or evidence the participant has given us. You must make sure this information or evidence supports the participant’s plan change request
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- when the plan change is a participant-initiated request, the participant or their authorised representative has given consent for the plan change request. To learn more, go to article Check consent, nominee, child representative or self-representation authorities
- any conflicts of interest with the plan change request being made. To learn more, go to article Understand conflict of interest
- the criteria that must be met to decide to vary a plan or complete a plan reassessment
- the type of plan change request and the changes requested. For example, if the participant or their authorised representative has specifically requested a plan variation and it can’t be completed due to any of the above reasons, contact them first. Explain the situation and obtain their agreement to change the request from a plan variation (s47A) to a plan reassessment (s48). If they don’t agree, you will need to make a decision not to approve the request, then proceed to a CEO-initiated plan reassessment (s48) to make the change. To learn more, go to article Create a CEO-initiated plan change request
- the information recorded at the reassessment check-in, linked as a parent case to the generated plan change case. For example, the recommendation from the reassessment check-in to vary the participant’s plan and continue the same NDIS supports. Learn more about how to do this in section If the plan change request is generated from a reassessment check-in of article [Assign and review a plan change case](Assign%20and%20review%20a%20plan%20change%20case)
- if a variation to change the plan reassessment date will result in the plan not being reassessed for more than 5 years.
To learn more about changing a plan, go to Our Guidelines – Changing your plan (external).
Note: sometimes a participant is eligible for specialist disability accommodation (SDA) but hasn’t located an enrolled dwelling or isn’t ready to move in. In this case, a $1 amount is included in the SDA support category as a placeholder. The plan comment is used to let the participant know of the SDA decision. Once the participant finds an enrolled SDA dwelling and confirms they can move in, we can consider a s47A to include the SDA funding. In this situation this s47A can only be considered when the request is only for SDA funding.
You’ll need to record your decision for each individual plan change request in the plan change case, before you can make an overall decision. Not all individual plan change requests need to match the overall decision to vary the participant’s plan. To learn more about the different outcomes and decision letters, go to article [Understand and view plan change decision letters](Understand%20and%20view%20plan%20change%20decision%20letters).
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Depending on the legislative type selected, some plan change requests may be marked as Not Required. If the status of the plan change request is Not Required, you don’t need to do anything.
Plan change request decisions
To make a decision on each plan change request:
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In the Plan Change case, select the Decision tab.
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Select the correct hyperlink within the Plan Change Requests table.
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At Plan Change Request, select the Decision tab.
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Select a decision from the What decision do you want to make? drop-down list.
Note: if any of the plan change requests are CEO-initiated, you won’t be able to decline the request. -
Select a Justification from the drop-down list.
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Select the most suitable Sub-justification from the drop-down list.
Note: if you decide to decline a plan change request or partially vary the plan, the Sub-justification you select will be printed on the decision letter.If you:
- need to include additional sub-justifications, go to section Add free text sub-justifications in this article
- don’t need to include additional sub-justifications, go to step 7.
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Select Edit Detail if you want to add any relevant information.
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Select Save.
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If needed, add any supporting evidence for the decision by selecting New.
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To add evidence, select the Evidence Type from the drop-down list:
- If you select Document, go to step 11.
- If you select Other, go to step 12.
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- Record the Evidence Link name. You can view linked evidence on the Evidence tab of the Plan Approval case. To learn more about linking evidence, go to article Add and link evidence to a case.
- Record an Explanation of the new evidence in the free text field.
Note: using personal information in AI tools such as Copilot is a breach of privacy. Don’t add any participant information into AI tools to help you write your explanation. - Select Save.
- Select Submit.
- Repeat for all Plan Change Requests if needed.
Record an overall plan change decision
s47A variation decisions
For s47A requests, you’ll need to record an overall plan change decision. You’ll need to do this after you’ve recorded each plan change request decision in the plan change case.
- In the Plan Change case, select the Decision tab.
- Select Overall Decision.
- At Decision, select Vary from the drop-down list.
Note: if the overall decision is not to vary the participant’s plan because a plan reassessment (s48) is needed, you’ll need to create a new request for a CEO’s own initiative – s48. Go to article Create a CEO-initiated plan change request. - Select Justification from the drop-down list.
- Record Justification Details into the free text field.
Note: using personal information in AI tools such as Copilot is a breach of privacy. Don’t add any participant information into AI tools to help you write justifications. - If you need to add evidence to the decision, select New and go to step 7. Otherwise, go to step 11.
- To add evidence, select the Evidence Type from the drop-down list:
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- If you select Document, go to step 8.
- If you select Other, go to step 9.
- Record the Evidence Link name. You can view linked evidence on the Evidence tab of the Plan Approval case. To learn more about linking evidence, go to article Add and link evidence to a case.
- Record an Explanation of the new evidence in the free text field.
Note: using personal information in AI tools such as Copilot is a breach of privacy. Don’t add any participant information into AI tools to help you write your explanation. - Select Save.
- Select the checkbox to confirm the overall decision is to vary the participant’s plan and complete your intended changes in a Participant Budget Update case. If not, you’ll need to consider changing the legislative type of the plan change request to a plan reassessment s48 to complete a Plan Approval case. Go to section Change the legislative type of a plan change request from s47A to s48 in article Assign and review a plan change case.
Note: this checkbox will only show if at least one of the individual plan change requests are about the participant’s NDIS budget. - Select Submit.
Note: once the overall decision is made, this can’t be changed. - In the Plan Change case, select the Decision tab.
- Select Generate Decision Letter.
- Select Yes at Are you sure you want to generate the Decision Letter?
- Select Submit.
To view decision letters, go to article [Understand and view plan change decision letters](Understand%20and%20view%20plan%20change%20decision%20letters).
Notes:
- If the participant has a statutory guardian and the relationship is established with an organisation account, you’ll need to manually send the automatically generated decision
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letter to the statutory guardian. To do this, go to article Send a letter to a statutory guardian or trustee.
- If the overall decision is to vary the reassessment date to continue the participant’s current NDIS supports for up to 12 months, you’ll need to send the plan continuation letter to the participant. This is automatically generated when the plan change case is complete and closed.
s48 reassessment decisions
The overall decision on a s48 plan change case is determined when making the decision on the individual plan change request.
- In the Plan Change case, select the Decision tab.
- Select the correct hyperlink within the Plan Change Requests table.
- Select a decision from the What decision do you want to make? drop-down list.
Note: you can’t decline a CEO-initiated request. - Select a Justification and Sub-justification from the drop-down lists.
- Select Edit Detail and enter a free text explanation of your decision in the Detail field. Go to the Add free text sub-justifications section of this article for help.
Note: using personal information in AI tools such as Copilot is a breach of privacy. Don’t add any participant information into AI tools to help you write justifications. - If you need to add evidence to the decision, select New and go to step 7, otherwise go to step 11.
- To add evidence, select the Evidence Type from the drop-down list. If you select:
- Document, go to step 8
- Other, go to step 9.
- Enter the Evidence Link name. To learn more about linking evidence, go to article [Add and link evidence to a case](Add%20and%20link%20evidence%20to%20a%20case).
- Enter the Explanation into the free text field.
- Select Save.
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- Select Submit.
Note: once the decision is made, this can’t be changed. - In the Plan Change case, select the Decision tab.
- Select Generate Decision Letter.
- Select Yes at Are you sure you want to generate the Decision Letter?
- Select Submit.
To view decision letters, go to article [Understand and view plan change decision letters](Understand%20and%20view%20plan%20change%20decision%20letters).
Note: if the participant has a statutory guardian and the relationship is established with an organisation account, you’ll need to manually send the automatically generated decision letter to the statutory guardian. To do this, go to article Send a letter to a statutory guardian or trustee.
Add free text sub-justifications
Use the relevant free text sub-justifications by copying and pasting them in the Details field by selecting Edit Detail.
Information in the details field won’t print on the decision letter.
You can select multiple free text sub-justifications listed below.
Plan variation sub-justifications
Not to vary – add crisis or emergency funding in the plan
- There is funding available in the participant’s plan which can be used flexibly to meet their support needs.
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied as their situation has changed significantly. The participant’s plan needs to be reassessed.
- Not enough information has been provided to support the participant’s request.
- The support the participant has requested can be met by informal, mainstream, or community supports.
- The evidence provided doesn’t show a significant change in the participant’s support needs that requires urgent crisis or emergency funding.
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- The funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions in the rules for the NDIS.
- The information provided doesn’t show the participant’s NDIS support needs have changed significantly.
- The funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions in the NDIS rules. The information provided doesn’t show a significant change in the participant’s support needs is due to a change in situation.
- The funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions in the NDIS rules. The information provided doesn’t show a significant change in the participant’s support needs is due to a change in functional capacity.
- The funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions in the NDIS rules. The information provided doesn’t show a significant change in the participant’s support needs is due to a change in informal supports.
- The funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions in the NDIS rules. The information provided doesn’t show a significant change in the participant’s support needs is due to a change in living arrangements.
- The funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions in the NDIS rules. The funding can’t be provided by the NDIS as it is best funded or provided by another commonwealth, state or territory program.
Not to vary – correct a minor or technical error in the plan
- There are no errors that need to be fixed in the participant’s plan.
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed to fix an error and look at other supports in the plan.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed, as the participant’s request relates to a significant change in situation and not a technical error.
- The participant’s request is to understand how a previous decision was made and not to fix an error. To request a change to the previous decision, the participant needs to ask for a review of the original decision.
Not to vary – add supports to the plan
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
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- The support the participant requested doesn’t meet the NDIS funding criteria.
Not to vary – make minor changes to funding in the plan
- The participant’s request relates to a previous decision. To request a change to the previous decision, the participant needs to ask for a review of the original decision.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed, as the participant has used their funds quicker than expected.
- The information provided shows that the participant can use their funding flexibly to meet their needs.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied as their situation has changed significantly. The participant’s plan needs to be reassessed.
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
- Not enough information has been provided to support the participant’s request.
- The increase in funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions set out in the rules for the NDIS.
- The increase in funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions set out in the rules for the NDIS as it isn’t for a home modification, vehicle modification or assistive technology support.
- The increase in funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions set out in the rules for the NDIS. Additional funding isn’t required as there’s available funding in the plan to pay for the support.
- The increase in funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions set out in the rules for the NDIS. The support can still be provided in the same way as expected in the plan.
- The increase in funding requested doesn’t meet the conditions set out in the rules for the NDIS. The support in the plan can be provided without additional information, services or materials.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed to make a minor change to the plan and look at other supports in the plan.
Not to vary – make minor change to supports in the plan
Note: you’ll need to add this free text sub-justification into the Details field for Make minor changes to funding in the plan.
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- The participant’s request relates to a previous decision. To request a change to the previous decision, the participant needs to ask for a review of the original decision.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed to look at other supports in the plan.
- The request is for a support that isn’t in line with what the NDIS rules say we can fund.
- The information provided shows the support requested is the same as a support already in the plan.
- The request is for a support that isn’t in line with what the NDIS rules say we can fund. The support isn’t for a set period of time or a once-off support.
- The request is for a support that isn’t in line with what the NDIS rules say we can fund. The support requested isn’t to replace, repair or maintain assistive technology funded in the current or previous plan.
- The request is for a support that isn’t in line with what the NDIS rules say we can fund. The support requested isn’t urgently needed to support economic participation for a set period of time.
- The request is for a support that isn’t in line with what the NDIS rules say we can fund. The support requested isn’t urgently needed to help build skills or support a life change over a set period of time.
- The request is for a support that isn’t in line with what the NDIS rules say we can fund. The support requested is the same as or has the same outcome as a support already provided in the plan.
- The information provided shows the support requested can be met by informal, community and mainstream supports.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed as the changes the participant has asked for are too significant to consider in a variation.
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
- Not enough information has been provided to support the participant’s request.
Not to vary – change to funding periods
- The participant has requested multiple changes to the plan without supporting evidence.
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- The funding period can’t be changed based on risk and safety considerations for the participant.
- The funding period can’t be changed as the participant hasn’t spent in accordance with their plan.
- The funding period can’t be changed because recurring supports can’t be grouped with supports that aren’t recurring.
- The funding period can’t be changed because the support is a once-off or lump sum purchase such as high cost assistive technology or home modifications and 100% of these funds must be available in the first funding period.
- The funding period can’t be changed as the support is SIL, SDA, YPIRAC or Behaviourally based interventions (including ABA).
- The funding period can’t be changed as there is more than one type of fund management in the plan.
Not to vary – change the plan reassessment date
- A plan can’t go for more than 5 years without a reassessment. This means we’ll work with the participant to create a new plan before the plan’s current reassessment date.
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed, to change the reassessment date and look at other supports in the plan.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied as their situation has changed significantly. The participant’s plan needs to be reassessed.
- The information provided shows that the participant can use their funding flexibly to meet their needs.
Not to vary – change the plan management type
- The plan nominee is bankrupt or insolvent under administration.
- There is evidence that the participant is bankrupt or insolvent under administration.
- The participant has been convicted of an offence punishable for 2 or more years in prison or involves fraud or dishonesty.
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- The plan nominee has been convicted of an offence punishable for 2 or more years in prison or involves fraud or dishonesty.
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
- The participant’s plan can’t be varied. The plan needs to be reassessed, to change the plan management type and look at other supports in the plan.
- The type of plan management requested poses an unreasonable risk, even with supports, safeguards and strategies in place.
- The rules for the NDIS say these supports can’t be self-managed.
- There is evidence of non-compliance with requests to provide required information or documents.
- There is evidence of conduct involving fraud or mismanagement or misuse of funds or other assets.
- There is evidence of the participant or the person managing the funding being subjected to legal or financial exploitation or coercion.
- There is evidence the participant or the person managing the funding doesn’t have capacity to make decisions or appropriately manage finances.
- The funding is unlikely to be spent on NDIS supports.
- The funding is unlikely to be spent in line with the plan.
- The funding is unlikely to be spent on NDIS supports and in line with the plan.
Vary – add crisis or emergency funding
- Urgent crisis or emergency funding is needed for a period of time or one off due to the significant change in support needs.
Vary – change the plan management type
- The participant’s plan can be self-managed by the participant.
- The participant’s plan can be self-managed by their nominee.
- The participant’s plan can be agency-managed as requested.
- The participant’s plan can be plan-managed by a registered plan management provider as there is no evidence of unreasonable risk to the participant.
Vary – change to funding periods
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- The funding period can be changed as there is no risk to the participant.
- The funding period can be changed as there is only one funding component in the plan, only one fund management type and there is no risk to spending in line with the plan.
- The funding period can be changed because each component can have the same number, duration or proportion of funds allocation in the funding period. There is only one funding component in the plan, only one fund management type and there is no risk to spending in line with the plan.
Vary – correct a minor or technical error in the plan
- The participant’s plan is being varied to correct the error in how their funded supports are calculated.
- The participant’s plan is being varied to correct an error.
- The participant’s plan is being varied to correct the error in how their funding is managed.
Vary – make minor change to the funding in the plan
- The information provided shows a minor change to the funding in the plan will meet the participant’s needs and the conditions in the NDIS rules.
Vary – make minor change to the supports in the plan
Note: you’ll need to add this free text sub-justification into the Details field for Make minor changes to funding in the plan.
- The information provided shows a minor change to the supports in the plan will meet the participant’s needs and the NDIS funding criteria.
Vary – change the plan reassessment date
- The participant’s plan is being varied to change the reassessment date as the evidence shows the current plan is likely to continue to meet the participant’s needs.
Plan reassessment justifications
Not to reassess – change in situation
- The information provided shows that the participant can use their funding flexibly to meet their needs.
- Not enough information has been provided to support the participant’s request.
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- The information provided doesn’t show a significant change in the participant’s need for NDIS supports due to a change in situation.
- There’s no new information which shows the participant’s need for NDIS supports has significantly changed.
Not to reassess – change to the funding in the plan
- There’s no new information which shows the participant’s need for NDIS supports has significantly changed.
- Not enough information has been provided as to why the participant needs the support.
- The support the participant has requested doesn’t relate to their disability.
- The changes requested can be considered when the plan is due for reassessment.
- The support the participant has requested should be met by informal, mainstream, or community supports.
- There’s been no change to the participant’s entitlement to compensation.
- There’s been no change to the participant’s right to personal injury supports under a scheme of insurance or commonwealth, state or territory law.
Not to reassess – change while the plan is suspended
- The participant’s plan can’t be changed as it is suspended.
Reassess – change in situation
- The participant’s plan will be reassessed.
- The information provided shows that a minor change will meet the participant’s needs and the NDIS funding criteria.
Reassess – change to the funding in your plan
- The information provided shows that a minor change to the supports in the plan will meet the participant’s needs and the NDIS funding criteria.
- The change the participant has requested meets the NDIS funding criteria. We will contact the participant to make a time to work with them to create a new plan.
Communicate your decision
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You’ll need to let the participant or their authorised representative know once you’ve made your decision.
Use the discussion points in article [Explain a plan change decision](Explain%20a%20plan%20change%20decision) when contacting the participant.
To record your contact attempts, go to article Contact attempts and unable to contact in a plan change case.
When you’ve let the participant know about your decision, go to the Next Steps section of this article.
Next steps
If your overall decision is a plan variation (s47A), you’ll need to follow different steps depending on the date the plan was approved.
For plans approved:
- before 9 October 2024, go to article [Action a budget update](Action%20a%20budget%20update)
- on or after 9 October 2024 go to article Action a budget update with funding periods.
To complete a plan reassessment (s48), from the Plan Change case:
- Select the Reassessment tab.
- Select the Case hyperlink to open the Plan Approval case to complete the reassessment. Go to article [Change the draft budget](Change%20the%20draft%20budget).
For decisions not to vary or reassess, no further steps are needed. Correspondence has been generated, and the plan change case will move to the Completed stage. The plan change case is now closed.
Article labels
PACE user role names
No change.
Topics
No change.
Case names
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No change.
Ownership
No change.
Version control
| Version | Amended by | Brief Description of Change | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.0 | AHB706 | Class 1 Approved Guidance updated to * add participant support officer to list of user roles * include a note that planners can’t put participant data in AI tools. |
APPROVED | 2025-09-12 |
| 16.0 | AJG505 | Class 2 Approval Updates to incorporate guidance for Sustainability Initiative 3.2: * to align with National Disability Insurance Scheme (Variation and Reassessment of Participants’ Plans) Rules 2025 * to strengthen requirement to have evidence consent from the participant for the plan change request * to consider any COI with the plan change request being made * to advise staff they must cancel a plan change case if it was generated after a |
APPROVED | 2025-12-08 |
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| | | scheduled check-in where the plan was auto-continued. | | |
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