NDIA Accountability Project

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IRT - Explanation of a decision

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DOCUMENT 15

IRT - Explanation of a decision

This article provides guidance for an internal review officer, business support officer, or participant support officer when:

  • creating an enquiry case for an explanation of a decision request
  • an explanation of a decision is requested on an internal review outcome
  • completing an explanation of a decision.

Recent updates

10 November 2025

Case categorisation steps updated.

Explanation of a decision

Internal review officers receive requests for explanation of decisions on previously completed internal review requests. These can be assigned by a business support officer or by other agency staff without notification.

At times, a business support officer may need to create an enquiry case for an explanation of a decision. Refer to the heading Create an explanation of a decision enquiry case for guidance on how to do this.

The Participant Service Guarantee (External) sets out that the NDIA will complete an explanation of a decision within 28 days. redacted: s47E(d) - certain operations of agencies Following a request, we need to provide an explanation of decision in the participant’s or applicant’s preferred format to improve the understanding of how and why the NDIA has made the decision. This may require phone call contact to discuss the reasoning as well as a letter with the reasons for the decision written in plain English.

Create an explanation of a decision enquiry case

To create an Enquiry Case:

  1. In the Person Account select the Cases tab.
  2. Select New.
  3. From the dropdown list select Enquiry.

  1. Select Next.

  2. From the New Case: Enquiry screen, proceed to the Categorisation heading and at:

    • Type, select Review
    • Category, select Internal Review (Access) for access decisions or Internal Review for all other Internal Review decision types.
    • Sub Category, select Explanation of Decision.

  3. Select Save. This will open the Enquiry Case.

  4. From the Enquiry tab, at the Who is Making the Request? window and at:

    • Requested By, select the appropriate option
    • Case Origin, select Internal.

  5. Select Next.

  6. From the Enquiry Details window, at Parent Case, enter the Internal Review Case number that the explanation of a decision request relates to.

  7. Enter the Date/Time Received.

  8. Select Next.

  9. At the Has there been any risks identified that may impact the participant, nominee or NDIS associated with this enquiry? window, select Yes or No.

    If Yes is selected, select the appropriate risk levels.

  10. Select Next.

  11. From the Notes and Next Steps window, at Enquiry Notes, enter any information relevant to the explanation of a decision request.

  12. At Enquiry Outcome, select Re-assign this enquiry to another user. Once this is selected, the Case Re-assignment Reason and Select User or Queue dropdowns will appear below.

  13. At Case Re-assignment Reason, select Escalation.

  1. At Select User or Queue, select User. The Case Owner dropdown will appear. Enter the name of the internal review officer you are assigning the Enquiry Case to. Once assigned, the internal review officer will receive a notification in PACE.
  2. Select Next.
  3. From the Review and Submit window, review the information.
  4. Select Submit. The Enquiry Case will now be submitted.

Completing an explanation of a decision

  1. Review the Internal Review Case to determine the type of internal review decision the participant or applicant is seeking and explanation for.

  2. Review your completed internal review decision by referring to the Decisions tab, selecting the relevant case, selecting Justification and Justification Detail.

  3. Review other details on the participant or applicant’s Person Account, to make sure you are aware of any concerns.

    If you identify the request has been triaged incorrectly, you may need to contact the participant or applicant to clarify the request.

  4. Confirm the requestor has the appropriate authority or consent. Refer to the article IRT – Conduct a desktop review for information on checking consent.

  5. Contact the participant or applicant through their preferred contact method.

    • If their preferred contact method is via phone, make two contact attempts. One contact attempt consists of a pre-call SMS, then a phone call and a voicemail if applicable. These three items are classed as one contact. If call attempts are unsuccessful, complete the explanation of decision letter and send via their next preferred contact method.
    • If their preferred contact method is via email, complete the explanation of a decision letter and send this to the participant or applicant.
    • If their preferred contact method is mail, complete the explanation of a decision letter and post this to the participant or applicant.

    Note: All contact attempts require an SMS to be sent to the participant or

applicant. Refer to the article IRT – Send an SMS.

  1. If required, complete the explanation of a decision letter and send via mail. Refer to article IRT – Sending a manual letter. If the letter is not required, proceed to step 7.
  2. Complete the closure tasks for the explanation of a decision tasks and make sure it is marked as completed.