With last year’s new NDIS laws, one of the ways the NDIS will decide your funding — and what you can use it for — is based on which Impairment Categories your eligible disabilities fall under.
Everyone new to the NDIS will be told which impairment categories apply to them. This will be partly based on a list like the one the NDIA recently released through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
These categories really matter — because you’ll only be able to get (and spend) NDIS funds on supports that match your impairment category or categories.
I reckon the fine details aren’t all worked out yet, and the NDIS Review said it might take five years to move everyone onto the “New Framework Plans” using the upcoming Needs Assessments. But we think it’s a good idea to get your head around this stuff now — before it becomes urgent.
📊 A spreadsheet to make things easier
We’ve made a handy spreadsheet (using this FOI-released info) to help you match your or your family member’s condition to the correct impairment category.
There are quite a few columns in this spreadsheet at :
The pink columns show the “automatic” impairment category for most disability diagnoses.
The green columns show additional categories that may or may not apply, depending on individual circumstances.
🤔 A few things don’t sit right…
Some of the matches in the FOI list don’t make a lot of sense.
For example:
Why would someone with Rapidly Progressing Dementia not be eligible for physical supports, even though the condition usually involves serious physical decline — while someone with Alzheimer’s does?
Why would someone with Williams syndrome be listed under psychosocial, but not someone with Down syndrome, when both may have similar mental health support needs?
We’re hoping these aren’t hard and fast rules — and we’ll be watching closely.
🧩 The current impairment categories under the NDIS are:
✅ Why the spreadsheet might be helpful:
We know the NDIS can be confusing — and sometimes overwhelming.
This spreadsheet isn’t designed to be accessible for people with cognitive or intellectual disability, but if you want to understand more, ask a peer, family member or support coordinator to help go through it with you.
Hope you find it useful!
Not many young children get funding for SSC, or even regular support coordination, but if your child does, and you are wondering how to make the most of their SC/SSC budget, this might help.
🌟 Here’s how a good one might help, as well as the standard work of finding you the best providers to choose from:
🛠 Help with Equipment and Reports: They can get the reports you need for reassessments and help you secure funding for any equipment your child might need.
📋 Care Plans & Flexible Spending: They’ll explain how you can use your NDIS funding in different ways (including self managing if you’re keen), help you plan for your child’s care and crises, and get you ready for any tough times ahead.
🌈 Inclusion & Disability Awareness: A good SSC will help you understand the value of inclusion and the social model of disability. They’ll also guide you as you make big decisions, like picking a school or choosing therapies.
🤝 Getting Everyone on the Same Page: They can organise meetings (case conferences) with your medical team, therapists and support team and family so everyone knows what’s going on and works together for your child.
🏛 Dealing with Systems: Your SSC can handle tricky talks with health and education systems to make sure your child gets the support they need.
📝 Support Worker Briefs: They’ll help you know what you want and write clear instructions for your support workers so you get the most out of the hours you’ve got funded.
👨👩👧 Support for Your Whole Family: They can help find parent or carer training for you and even support for siblings, so everyone in the family is included and supported.
💡 Government and Organisation Payments and Grants: A good SSC can connect you to other supports, like the Carer Adjustment Payment (for under-7s), Carer Allowance, and Carer Payment, utility rebates and priorities, or grants from places like Variety if you’re eligible.
💰 Using Your Funding Wisely: They’ll help you stick to your NDIS budget, make sure you don’t overspend or underuse your funding, and avoid spending on things that aren’t allowed.
👍 The key is to find an SSC with the skills, experience, personality and backup support who you click with, can trust, is reliable and really gets your family and can help make life smoother for you and your child. I know that’s not easy, so I wish you Good luck!
pic desc: A former (still loved) TGS Team Member who became an SSC with us, sitting on the ground outside with a young child working on creating a volcano science science experiment together. Support Coordination can look like many different things. In my time as an SC/SSC I’ve happily played with children on the floor, folded socks on a sofa while working with a family, dried a dish or two, or hung out washing together while building rapport, making it easier to talk about the hard stuff that families are often managing.
