How to Get SDA Funding in Your NDIS Plan
To get SDA funding, tell the NDIA you have a home and living goal, gather recent evidence from treating health professionals about daily support and housing needs, and send it through the NDIS service hub, by mail or in person. The NDIA decides whether SDA meets the eligibility rules and funding criteria. If it does, the plan names a design category, building type and location.
What Are the Steps?
The NDIA's process for any home and living support has three steps.
- Think about what's needed. List daily support needs, goals, and the informal and community supports already in place. Include goals about where and with whom the person would like to live.
- Talk to your my NDIS contact. They explain the home and living options, from state housing and the private market to NDIS supports, and talk through current and future needs.
- Provide evidence. Recent reports from treating health professionals that show why the person needs SDA.
A home and living goal in the plan matters. The NDIA says it can fund home and living supports if you have one, and it needs information about current and future needs to decide what to fund.
What Evidence Does the NDIA Want?
Recent reports from a relevant treating health professional, such as an occupational therapist, that explain the person's daily support and housing needs.
- How often and when support is needed each day
- What the person can and can't do because of their disability, and how that affects daily life and housing needs
- Which other home and living options have been explored, and why they don't meet the person's needs
- A current behaviour support plan or restrictive practice plan, if behaviours of concern are a safety risk
If you already have home and living supports and need a change, the evidence has to be dated after your last plan was approved, and explain what has changed. If the NDIA needs more information, it can fund an assessment of home and living needs first.
Show you've looked at other options
The NDIA compares SDA with things like home modifications and assistive technology. It asks for evidence of what other options you've explored and why they don't meet the person's needs, so make sure the reports cover it.
Looking for an SDA Home?
We'll connect you with a registered SDA provider who may have a home that suits.
How Do You Send the Evidence?
Whichever way suits you. Say that it's for a home and living request.
| How | Details |
|---|---|
| Online | The NDIS service hub |
| NDIA, GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601 | |
| In person | To your my NDIS contact or an NDIA office |
What Happens After You Apply?
The NDIA reviews the evidence, asks for more if it needs it, and lets you know its decision.
If home and living supports are included, you're invited to a plan meeting with an NDIA planner, who explains the decision. For SDA, the plan names the design category, building type and location, and includes the SDA budget worked out from the SDA pricing arrangements.
If you haven't found a home yet, the budget stays in the plan. Tell the NDIA when you find a suitable SDA home so the funding can be used from when you move in.
What If the Answer Is No?
You get written reasons, and you can ask for an internal review within 3 months of getting your plan.
The NDIA should also talk to you about other home and living supports that might suit, and can help connect you with state or territory housing services. If needs change later, you can ask for a plan change with new evidence.
Questions People Ask
Who can help me apply for SDA?
Your my NDIS contact, a support coordinator if you have one, and the occupational therapist or other health professional writing your reports. SDA providers can explain their homes, but the NDIA decides.
Is there an SDA application form?
The NDIA's current process is to talk to your my NDIS contact and send your evidence through the service hub, by mail or in person, saying it's about home and living supports.
How long does an SDA decision take?
The NDIA says it will let you know the outcome as soon as it can once it has the information it needs. We don't quote timeframes we can't verify.
Can I find a home before SDA is approved?
You can talk to providers, but they'll need to know the approved design category, building type and location. Most people get SDA into the plan first.
Keep Reading
- SDA eligibilityWho is eligible for SDA funding under the NDIS: extreme functional impairment, very high support needs, the SDA needs requirement and the funding criteria.
- How SDA funding worksHow NDIS SDA funding works: which budget it sits in, how the NDIA sets the amount, what the SDA pricing arrangements cover and how providers get paid.
- SDA design categoriesThe four SDA design categories: Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust and High Physical Support.
- Waiting for SDA: medium term accommodationWhat to do while you wait for an SDA home: NDIS medium term accommodation (MTA), leaving hospital, using supports flexibly, and asking for a plan change.
- Finding an SDA vacancyHow to find an SDA vacancy that matches your NDIS plan: the SDA Finder, support coordinators, new builds, what to check first, and what to do while you wait.
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