NDIA Accountability Project

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IRT - Conduct a desktop review

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DOCUMENT 11

IRT - Conduct a desktop review

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.

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.

Validate consent

  1. Navigate to the Person Account.
  2. Select the Relationships tab.
  3. 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.
  4. Select Check Authorities.
  5. 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.
  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.

  1. Send the Internal Review Unauthorised Request Letter. Refer to the article IRT – Sending a manual letter.

  2. Cancel the Internal Review Case. Refer to the heading Cancel an internal review case in the article IRT - Withdraw or cancel an internal review.

Validate the request lodgement date and type

  1. Check the request date was entered correctly by comparing the date the NDIA received any written communication or recorded contact requesting the internal review.
  2. 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 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.
  3. Re-create the Internal Review Case with the valid request date. Refer to the article Create an internal review (s100) case.
  4. To confirm the request type created is correct. Refer to article IRT – Miscategorised requests.

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.

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:

  1. Take note of any alerts and follow any instructions detailed within the alert.
  2. 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.

  1. Check for any previous decisions and reviews.

  2. 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.

  3. Review evidence and information to support the review request, for example assessments, reports, quotes and activity history such as phone conversations.

  4. 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.

  5. Consider if additional evidence is required, and if so, refer to articles IRT – Requests for further information and IRT – Identify if further information is required (access and revocation).

  6. 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 or Housing Application Case you must create these from the Internal Review Case.

  7. 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.

    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.

  8. Confirm the risk level determined at creation of the internal review request is correct. Refer to the Matrix - Risk and escalation. For access internal reviews, refer to Our Guidelines – Applying to the NDIS (External) 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:

  1. From the Internal Review Case, select the Decision tab.

  2. Select New Request Line.

  3. From the Choose Decision Type view, select Existing Decision.

  4. Select Next.

  5. 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

  6. 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

  1. Refer to article IRT - Contact the participant or applicant.