Functional Capacity Assessment Guides
Plain-English guides to functional capacity assessments (FCAs) for NDIS participants, families and support coordinators. Each one is checked against the NDIA's own pages on assessments and evidence, its guidelines and the NDIS Pricing Schedule, and links to them.
FCAs Explained
- What is an FCA?A functional capacity assessment (FCA) looks at what a person can and can't do day to day due to disability. What it covers, who does it, how the NDIS uses it.
- FCAs and the NDISHow the NDIA uses a functional capacity assessment: access requests, plan supports, reassessments, home and living and reviews. Plus what changes in 2027.
- What an FCA assessesWhat a functional assessment for the NDIS looks at: the six areas of daily life, the tasks observed and the standardised tools the NDIA prefers by disability.
- Who can do an FCAWho can do an NDIS functional capacity assessment: OTs, physiotherapists, psychologists and specialists. How to choose one, and what a GP can do instead.
- OT functional capacity assessmentsWhy occupational therapists do most NDIS functional capacity assessments, what an OT FCA involves, what it can lead to, and the OT price limit for 2026-27.
- What an FCA costsWhat a functional capacity assessment costs: the 2026-27 NDIS hourly price limit for OTs, what adds hours, which budget pays and how to get an estimate.
- The FCA reportWhat goes in an FCA report for the NDIS: the details the NDIA looks for, how recommendations should be written, and what to check before the report is sent.
- FCAs for SIL and SDAUsing a functional capacity assessment as home and living evidence for SIL, SDA and other supports: what the NDIA asks it to show and how to send it.
- Telehealth FCAsCan a functional capacity assessment be done by telehealth? What works online, what needs a visit, the NDIS rules for telehealth and how to prepare.
Step-by-Step Guides
- How to prepare for an FCAA checklist for a functional capacity assessment: what to gather, how to describe a typical day and a hard day, who to bring and what to ask the assessor.
- FCA for an access requestWhether you need a functional capacity assessment to apply to the NDIS, what evidence of functional capacity the NDIA asks for, and who can provide it for you.
- FCA for a plan reassessmentUsing a functional capacity assessment for an NDIS plan reassessment: what counts as a significant change, how recent evidence must be and when to book.
- FCA for AT and home modificationsHow a functional capacity assessment relates to NDIS assistive technology and home modification assessments: who does each and what they cover.
- FCAs for childrenFunctional capacity assessments for children and teenagers, including autism: the tools the NDIA lists for under 17s, who can do them and how to prepare.
- How long an FCA takesHow long a functional capacity assessment takes: the NDIS range of 1 to 10 hours, what makes it longer, how the time is split and what to ask first.
Need a Functional Capacity Assessment?
Free and independent. About two minutes.