When you are diagnosed with Parkinson’s under the age of 64 and are an Australian resident you can apply for support under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

If eligible, NDIS can help to provide funding for help with daily life in these categories:

  • equipment and technology
  • home and living supports
  • social and community participation
  • disability-related health supports.

Our Step-by-step Guide to the NDIS

Applying for an NDIS plan with Parkinson’s involves several steps, and knowing what to expect can help make the process smoother.

If you have Parkinson’s and are under 65, applying for the NDIS is a crucial step in accessing services tailored to your needs. As an Australian resident with a Parkinson’s diagnosis at a younger age, you’re most likely eligible for early intervention supports. The NDIS can help fund allied health therapies, assistive technology, home modifications, transport and other services that improve your independence and quality of life for you and those around you. It’s a personalised approach empowering you to manage your condition effectively while maintaining your daily activities and participation in the workforce and community.

What to Expect

  1. Eligibility Check: You must be under 65 years old, an Australian resident, and have a neurological condition that significantly impacts your daily life. Parkinson’s is under Section 25 and designated for the early intervention stream.
  2. Evidence Gathering: You’ll need medical documentation proving how Parkinson’s symptoms and fluctuations affect your ability to function (see impairment categories).
  3. Application Process: You’ll submit an NDIS Access Request Form and provide supporting documents.
  4. Goal setting: When planning your NDIS meeting, setting clear, outcome-focused goals can make all the difference.
  5. Planning Meeting: You’ll meet with an NDIS planner to discuss your needs and create a personalised plan based on your personal goals and the reasonable and necessary supports that can help you achieve them.
  6. Funding & Support: Once your plan is approved, you can access funding for core supports (e.g. cleaning, gardening, home maintenance), assistive technology, capacity building (e.g. allied health therapy), home modifications, and maintaining community participation. You can also have a plan manager or be self-managed for invoicing.
  7. Reviews & changes of circumstances: Your plan can be reviewed annually to ensure it continues to meet your needs. If your condition changes, you can request adjustments to your plan.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Check Your Eligibility
    • You must be under 65, an Australian resident and meet the NDIS disability criteria.
    • Contact NDIS, your LAC/NDIS Partner or your local Parkinson’s organisation for guidance.
  2. Gather Supporting Documents
    • Request a letter from your GP or neurologist detailing your diagnosis and how Parkinson’s symptoms and fluctuations impact your daily life.
    • Include a care partner statement on how your disability impacts them and your household.
    • Include the My NDIS Info export from the YOPX app once all check-ins and surveys are completed. Remember, this is a snapshot of your symptoms at the time, so if you are doing a review, or if your symptoms change a lot, redo the My NDIS Info and submit as part of the review or change of circumstances process.
    • Include reports from speech pathologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, or other specialists if they have treated you more than 6 months. (Don’t worry if you don’t have them as often the first plan will provide funding for these baseline reports.) Make sure they highlight your current challenges and the potential benefits of improved support. Also note that no change from baseline findings is a positive change for someone with Parkinson’s due to the progressive nature of the condition, so reports should state this.
    • Advice from care team supports, so speak with your allied health providers, social worker, support coordinator, or even peers who have undergone the NDIS process. Their insights can help you frame realistic and achievable goals.
  3. Submit an NDIS Access Request Form
    • Download the form from the NDIS website or call 1800 800 110 to request a copy.
    • Ensure your healthcare provider completes Section 2 of the form.
    • Make sure to provide all supporting evidence with your application. You can use the YOPX app to print out a pdf of some self assessments that can strengthen your initial application including, the WHODAS, PDQ-39, sleep, fatigue, relationships check-ins and more… Just complete in the app then email yourself and/or your care team the exported pdf for a snapshot of your symptoms and impacts to your daily living at the time of completing the questionnaires.
    • Lodge your application once your application form has been completed, the fastest way you can submit by email to [email protected]. However, you can take it to an NDIA office or a LAC to be lodged. You will be given a delivery receipt, and can expect to receive a response within 21 days. Once the plan is approved, you can move on to identifying your goals and those reasonable and necessary supports to help your daily living and activities.
  4. Goal-setting
    • When planning your NDIS meeting, setting clear, outcome-focused goals can make all the difference.
      1. Reflect on Your Priorities
        • Assess your needs: Think about the areas where Parkinson’s is most challenging for you—whether that’s mobility, communication, self-care, home maintenance or community participation. Identify specific aspects you’d like to improve.
        • Consider your aspirations: Reflect on what you ultimately want from your support. Rather than focusing solely on the type of funding you need, consider the opportunities or independence you wish to gain. For example, you might aim to build confidence when travelling or enhance your social interactions.
      2. Define Outcome-Focused Goals
        • Use positive, action-oriented language: Instead of stating “I need a walking aid,” consider shifting to an outcome like “I want to walk more independently.” This helps ensure that your goals are about what you want to achieve rather than just what you need.
        • Keep it broad yet personal: Broad goals allow for more flexibility. For instance, “I want to improve my balance and coordination” leaves room for various supports like physiotherapy, balance training, or assistive devices. Meanwhile, weave in personal details that make each goal uniquely yours.
        • List your goals: Organise your thoughts by writing a list of your short-term and long-term aspirations. Prioritise them so that you can focus on the most urgent needs first.
  5. Attend Your Planning Meeting
    • If your application is approved, you’ll meet with an NDIS planner to discuss your goals to determine your core supports and capacity building needs.
    • Be prepared to talk about daily challenges (always frame it on your worst day), goals (prioritise in order of what you think funding is required), and required ‘reasonable & necessary’ supports:
      • Bring your list of goals: Have your list prioritised to your top 10 goals and work through them with your NDIS planner/LAC. Not all of them may be funded, but best to work with the planner to prioritise and best express the goals needed to continue your daily activities.
      • Be ready to discuss: During the meeting, communicate clearly how each goal ties into your daily life and future aspirations. Ask your planner about the different funding categories and how certain supports can help you meet these outcomes. Make sure you are able to articulate how your symptoms and their fluctuations on your worst day influenced your goals.
      • Stay flexible: While it’s important to have clear goals, remember that your plan can be reviewed and adjusted over time. A flexible approach can mean adjustments later if your circumstances change.
  6. Receive & Implement Your Plan
    • Once approved, you’ll receive funding for supports such as assistive technology, allied health therapies, home maintenance (e.g. gardener, gutter cleaner, house cleaner), meal prep and other household chores you can no longer do. Other supports may include transportation to appointments or community activities, and home modifications if needed for safety/disability access.
    • Work with a plan manager if applicable and find NDIS providers to access services tailored to your needs.
  7. Review & Adjust Your Plan
    • Your plan can be reviewed annually to ensure it continues to meet your needs.
    • If your condition changes, you can request adjustments to your plan.

More at NDIS website:

T0p Tips

Make sure you describe your worst day and how your symptoms negatively affect your life, ability to work, maintain your home and relationships. This can guide you to set goals to improve your overall functioning and the outcomes you’d like to see.

Identifying short- and long-term goals is an important part of the NDIS plan. NDIS funding is attached to the goals you put in rank order and determines what supports you will need to achieve these goals.

Lodging your application: Remember to attach the following to your signed and dated Access Request Form:

  • Evidence of age and Australian residence (citizenship or visa status)
  • Letter of diagnosis from neuro/GP
  • Letter(s) from any other treating health professional(s) if you have
  • YOPX My NDIS Info PDF exported from the app
  • Primary support person/carer impact statement(s)

The term ‘reasonable and necessary supports’ will be used to decide on whether to fund your requests for support. This is important to keep in mind when you are listing the kinds of support you feel will assist you in living well with Parkinson’s on a ‘worst day everyday’ basis; however, this needs to be very general in the application phase e.g. for ‘mobility’ you may indicate a need for physiotherapy and exercise physiology as well as transportation assistance but you would not specify the frequency or intensity of supports.

It is difficult to get more money for your initial NDIS plan once your application has been approved. A plan “check-in” aka review may be requested but also may take a long time. For this reason, getting your priority goals in order of importance and the requested supports planned for your worst day’s needs right the first time is very important.

Plans are implemented for a period of one or two years and then reviewed with a “check-in” prior to renewing them. Again, you can request a review sooner due to the progressive nature of Parkinson’s and your symptoms’ changing, or if your family or care circumstances change. You may need different supports sooner than expected.

What if my plan is not approved? If your application is not approved and you are considering appealing the decision, we strongly recommend that you submit a new application instead. In this way, you can look at gathering any additional supporting information and avoid the possible delays that may come with the appeals process. You have the right to ask for an internal review of your plan by the NDIA.

Use the NDIS Guidelines and the Young Onset Parkinson’s eXchange app to help compile your application.

Support coordination: If funded for support coordination, they will help organise your appointments and review your plan spend at intervals with you to ensure you will meet your goals.

Self-manage vs managed plan: You can choose to be self-managed meaning you oversee submitting receipts and requests for reimbursements (this can be done through an app and web portal) or have a plan manager receive and pay invoices on your behalf.

Auditing: NDIS may audit self-managed plans, so keeping detailed records and receipts is recommended for a period of five years. Request and keep any reports from allied health professionals of how your sessions are meeting your goals or maintaining your condition.

n.b. for those already on a plan

Changes to NDIS supports started on 3 October 2024 and the grace period is over as of 3 October 2025.

From 3 October 2024, there is a new definition of NDIS supports. What does NDIS fund? (opens in a new window)

This means NDIS participants:

  • can only spend NDIS funding on things that are in the approved list of NDIS supports.
  • cannot spend NDIS funding on things in the list of non-NDIS supports
  • cannot get reimbursed for any receipts over 2 years old (after Oct 2, 2025).

Participants can ask for an NDIS support to be replaced with certain non-NDIS supports. These are called replacement supports. Replacement supports must be from the pre-approved list. You can find this list of replacement supports on the same page as the NDIS supports list. n.b. to get a replacement support approved, participants need to show that the replacement support will lead to the same or better outcomes, and be the same or better value for money, compared to the current NDIS support. Participants must follow this process before purchasing the replacement support. It cannot be done after purchasing a non-NDIS support. If an application for a replacement support for an item is not approved, the participant can’t apply for that same replacement support again for 12 months.

More information: 

NDIA & Parkinson’s Australia are committed to making sure everyone has the information they need about these changes. We will continue sharing resources on our website and across our communications channels, and they will be on NDIA/NDIS channels and website as well.

We’ve created a handy table of NDIS Ins & Outs lists with replacement supports so you can easily compare across like categories. 

You can find that information at the NDIS sources below:

Adapted from 2 Oct 2024 email from Rebecca Falkingham, CEO NDIA to NDIS participants and plan nominees

You can use resources found under Using your NDIS Plan on the NDIS website to guide you.

Happy middle aged man with neat white beard and glasses looking at a laptop

Donations

Your donation helps us to achieve our core business, to improve the lives of people affected by Parkinson’s in Australia through national advocacy, raising awareness and connecting people living with Parkinson’s, their families and carers, researchers and health professionals in the Parkinson’s community.