IRT - Enacting a planning review decision

DOCUMENT 17

IRT - Enacting a planning review decision

This article provides guidance for a review officer to make an internal review decision.

Recent updates

20 October 2025

Hyperlinks to other knowledge articles updated.

Before you start

You have completed the steps in the article IRT – Contact the participant or applicant.

You need to understand if setting aside or varying the plan, the case will generate with or without funding periods based on the following;

S33 – Decision to approve Statement of Participant Supports:

• Before 9 October 2024: PA/PBU will generate without funding periods.
• On or after 9 October 2024: PA/PBU will generate with funding periods.

S47a – Decision to vary or not vary a plan:

• Before 9 October 2024: PA/PBU will generate without funding periods.
• On or after 9 October 2024: PA/PBU will generate with funding periods.

S48 – Decision not to reassess a plan:

• Before 9 October 2024: PA is the only option, and it will generate with funding periods because the outcome here will be a new s33 decision.

Making a planning internal review decision

From the Internal Review Case:

1. Select the Decision tab.

2. From the Decision tab, select the Pending Decision from Request for PACE Decisions. Note: If a RORD Request is missing, or a needs to be added, refer to the heading Adding a RORD Request to an internal review in the article IRT – Conduct a desktop review.

3. Select Make a Decision.

4. From the Decision view, complete the mandatory fields.

   • For the Decision Name, reflect the request (for example, Increased funding for 24 hours per year for Occupational Therapy).
   • Do not enter any text into the Additional Information field.

5. Select Next – Justification.

6. From the Justification view, select the relevant justification.

7. Select relevant Sub-Justification. Add any further Justifications or Sub- Justification by selecting Add.

8. Select Next – Evidence.

9. From the Evidence view, complete mandatory fields for evidence.

10. Select Next.

11. From the Confirmation view, select Done.

    The decision has now been drafted.

    For non-delegates, progress to the heading Non-delegate decisions below to send a drafted decision for approval. Note: If you need to modify this drafted decision, select Modify Decision.

12. Return to the Internal Review Case

13. From the Decisions tab select, Submit Decisions.

14. From the Confirmation view, select Next.

15. From the Summary view, select Done.
16. From the Decision tab, select Confirm manual letter has been sent.
17. From the Confirmation view, select the appropriate option.
18. Select Next.
19. From the Decision Letter Sent view, select Next.

If an outcome phone call has been completed with the participant, record the conversation. Refer to the article [Log an activity or internal note](placeholder) for guidance on how to create case activities.

You will now be returned to the Internal Review Case.

For confirmed decisions, you have now completed the process and may send the decision outcome letter. Refer to the heading Decision letter below.

For set aside and vary decisions, continue the process:

Before proceeding, determine the appropriate case type (Budget Update Case or Plan Approval Case) based on the points below. If unsure, consult your team leader before proceeding.

The Budget Update Case can be used to:

• Add funding to past, current and future funding periods

• Add new support categories

• Reduce funding for future funding periods

  Note: this action will result in funds remaining in the past and present funding periods being funded again if the plan was to be auto extended.

• Reduce the total budget amount

• Change Fund Management at the funding component level

 Change the length of a future funding period

Regardless of the request type, the Budget Update Case with Funding Periods cannot be used to:

• Reduce funding in a previous or current funding period
• Change the plan Reassessment date
• Change the length of a past or current funding period
• Change the budget type of a support category (eg. flexible to stated or vice versa)
• Change instalment type of a support category (eg. from one-off to regular or vice versa)
• Remove a support category from a plan
• Remove funding for Choice and Control (as this would require the removal of a support category)
• Change the fund management of one core support if it’s grouped with other core supports in a funding component
• Change the funding period length of one core support of any component (all must be changed)

When the Participant Budget Update case cannot be used to give effect to your decision, use the Plan Approval case.

From the Decision tab, select Create Budget Update Case or Create a Plan Approval Case. Both options will appear.

A child case will now be created.

Refer to the topics below to continue the process for a review of a:

• Statement of supports/s47A outcome
• Decision not to reassess a plan (s48).

Statement of supports/s47A outcome

To complete the plan approval case, refer to article [Change the draft budget](Change%20the%20draft%20budget).

To complete the budget update case with funding periods, refer to article [Action a budget update with funding periods](Action%20a%20budget%20update%20with%20funding%20periods).

To complete the budget update case without funding periods, refer to article Action a budget update.

To understand funding periods use article: Understand funding periods.

You can make use of the Plan Conversation Support Tool (PCST) to assist with calculating the new budget. Use article: [Understand and update the plan conversation support tool](Understand%20and%20update%20the%20plan%20conversation%20support%20tool).

You may choice to apply either default, or custom distribution of funds in a funding period. Use articles:

• Apply default distribution of funds in a budget update

• Apply custom distribution of funds in a budget update.

Once the plan has been updated, or a new plan is approved, you may now send the decision outcome letter. Refer to the heading Decision letter below.

Decision to set aside a decision not to reassess a plan (s48)

For decisions setting aside a decision not to reassess a plan (s48), the plan approval case must be manually routed to the Plan Approval Routing Queue for Service Delivery to complete a plan reassessment. The internal review does not consider what reasonable and necessary disability supports should be included in the new plan, only that a reassessment is warranted. Once the plan approval case has been routed, send the decision outcome letter. Refer to the heading Decision letter below.

Non-delegate decisions

The non-delegate may now draft the decision outcome letter.

Return to the Internal Review Case and from the Decisions tab:

1. Select Submit for Approval. The Internal Review Case will now route automatically to the Internal Review Decision Queue ready for delegate approval.

   Once the decision is approved by a delegate, they will change the case owner back to the non-delegate.

   For set aside and vary decisions, non-delegates will create a child case and complete all budget updates or create a plan approval case.

2. From the Decision tab, select Create Budget Update Case or Create a Plan Approval Case. Only one option will appear.

   A child case will now be created and will open automatically.

3. From the Budget Updates tab, select Submit for Approval.

The Budget Update Case will now route automatically to the Internal Review Decision Queue ready for delegate approval.

When the decision is approved by the delegate, they will change the case owner back to the non-delegate.

The non-delegate may now send the decision outcome letter. Refer to the heading Decision letter below.

Decision letter

Refer to article IRT – Sending a manual letter for guidance on how to send the decision outcome letter.

Next steps

1. Refer to article IRT – Communicate an outcome.

DOCUMENT 18

The content of this document is OFFICIAL: SENSITIVE.

Notes:

• s100CaseNmbr is the case number of the S100 case that was opened after the cancellation of the lapsed S48.
• s48RqstNmbr is the case number of the lapsed S48 (cancelled).
• When the DcsNotOtmDesc field is blank, it means that the s100 case is yet to be decided.
• The delegate shown is the initial person who handled the S100 case, there could be more than 1 delegate responsible for the same case.

Table 1. List of case numbers of cancelled s48 plan change requests due to lapsing (beyond 21 day timeframe)