DOCUMENT 29
IRT - What will be considered as part of an internal review
This article provides guidance for a review officer, business support officer, or participant support officer to understand what information to consider as part of a planning or access internal review.
Recent updates
1 July 2024
Removed Before you start section.
What will be considered as part of a planning or access internal review
When completing an internal review, Our Guidelines (External) state we will make our decision based on the facts and circumstances at the time of our internal review decision.
The internal review will consider:
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any evidence from the original decision
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reasons for the original decision
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additional information that has been provided for the internal review
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the facts and circumstances of the participant or applicant at the time of making the internal review decision (for example, this means we can consider any changes since the original decision was made, such as a change of primary disability, a change in the participant’s capacity to do things for themselves, or an ongoing change to the participant’s living situation, which may result in changes to supports needs)
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The NDIS Act, Our Guidelines, and endorsed internal guidance.
Further considerations for planning reviews
As part of the internal review, the Reviews Branch will review the request/s based on the support/s that the participant wishes to raise or is dissatisfied with, as well as any dependencies or related supports.
The participant may request a review of all the funded supports in the plan. They may also identify a specific support they are seeking funding for. While it is preferable for the participant to have raised any specific requests with the original decision maker, it is not compulsory. Therefore, there does not have to be an explicit request for a support made, plan management type or length of plan during the planning process for it to be considered as part of the internal review.
During a planning meeting the participant does not have to specifically identify the supports they wish to be included in their plan. It is the planner’s and review officer’s responsibility to gather and review all information before making a decision about what funded supports are included in the participant’s plan. In some situations, a participant may prefer to have a plan reassessment or plan variation undertaken first before proceeding with their internal review. In these cases, the review officer should seek to understand the circumstances and make sure all options are well understood before enabling the participant’s preferred pathway. Refer to Our Guideline – Changing your plan (external).
Similarly, if new quotes, reports, or assessments requested by the original delegate are submitted as part of the internal review process these can be considered if that is the preferred pathway for the participant. This could include functional capacity assessment, assistive technology or home modifications quote or reports that has been provided between the original decision and the internal review request. It is important the participant understands the impact of their decision to their review rights. Refer to Our Guidelines - Reviewing our decisions (external).