Functional Capacity Assessments for an NDIS Access Request
You don't need a functional capacity assessment to apply to the NDIS, but the NDIA does need evidence of how your disability reduces your functional capacity. An FCA is one way to give it. Your treating health professionals can also provide it through existing reports, letters, the supporting evidence form or section 2 of the access request form.
What Evidence Does the NDIA Need to Decide Access?
Evidence of the disability, and evidence of how it affects daily life.
To meet the disability requirements, the impairment has to be permanent or likely to be, and has to substantially reduce functional capacity in at least one of: communicating, socialising, learning, moving around, looking after yourself and managing your life. It also has to affect work, study or social life, and you have to be likely to need NDIS supports for life.
Section 2 of the access request form asks the treating health professional for existing assessments and evidence of functional capacity in mobility, communication, social interaction, learning, self-care and self-management.
When Does an FCA Help an Access Request?
When the evidence you already have describes the diagnosis but not the day-to-day impact.
- Existing reports focus on diagnosis or treatment, not what you can and can't do
- Your impact spans several areas and no single report pulls it together
- You have a psychosocial disability: the NDIS says you'll also need a functional capacity assessment, which may use LSP-16, HoNOS or WHODAS
- The NDIA has asked for more information about functional capacity
Need a Functional Capacity Assessment?
We'll connect you with an occupational therapy practice that does FCAs and may have space.
Who Should Provide the Evidence?
A treating health professional relevant to your primary disability, ideally one who has treated you for at least 6 months.
The NDIS says professionals completing the form should be registered with Ahpra or the relevant professional authority. Evidence from someone who doesn't meet those requirements can delay a decision. The NDIA lists preferred evidence for common disabilities, such as Vineland-III for autism and intellectual disability, and WHODAS 2.0 for many adults.
What Happens After You Apply?
The NDIA says it will decide within 21 days, or within 14 days of getting any extra information it asks for.
If you're found eligible, and applied after 1 January 2025, your letter lists the impairment categories that met the requirements. If you think they're wrong, or you have new evidence, you can ask for a change. If you're found not eligible, you can ask for a review of the decision within 3 months.
Questions People Ask
Is an FCA required to apply for the NDIS?
No. The NDIS says you don't have to do one to be eligible, but it can help show how your impairment reduces your functional capacity.
Who pays for an FCA before I'm on the NDIS?
Usually you do, privately, because there's no NDIS plan yet. NDIS price limits don't apply to private fees.
Can an NDIS partner help with evidence?
Yes. NDIS partners can help you gather evidence and apply, but they can't tell you whether you'll be eligible. Only the NDIA decides.
How recent does access evidence need to be?
The NDIS says evidence should be recent. If your reports are old, ask your treating professional whether they still describe your situation.
Keep Reading
- FCAs and the NDISHow the NDIA uses a functional capacity assessment: access requests, plan supports, reassessments, home and living and reviews.
- Who can do an FCAWho can do an NDIS functional capacity assessment: OTs, physiotherapists, psychologists and specialists.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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