What is a Home and Living assessment?
What happens in a Home and Living assessment, who does it, and how it shapes the home-and-living support the NDIS funds for you
What does a Home and Living assessment look at?
Who carries out the assessment?
How do I prepare for it?
How does the assessment shape my funding?
What actually happens during the assessment?
How does the assessment differ for SDA, SIL and ILO?
How do you read and check your assessment report?
Common problems, and how to avoid them
Frequently asked questions
What is an NDIS Home and Living assessment?
It's a professional assessment — usually by an occupational therapist — of your day-to-day functioning, your support needs, and how your home environment helps or hinders you. It provides the evidence the NDIA uses to decide what home-and-living support (SDA, SIL or ILO) is reasonable and necessary.
Who does the Home and Living assessment?
An occupational therapist usually leads it, sometimes with input from other allied health professionals, your GP or specialists. For SDA, it's best done by an OT experienced in housing assessments and design categories.
What happens in the assessment?
The assessor looks at what you can do independently, where you need support, and the risks you face without it — across personal care, mobility, meals, medication, communication and community access. For SDA, they also consider whether specialist building features would help.
How do I prepare for a Home and Living assessment?
Think through your typical week and hardest times, note the tasks you struggle with and what happens without support, have a support person present if it helps, gather recent reports, and be honest about bad days so your needs aren't underestimated.
How does the assessment affect my funding?
Its findings become recommendations — a design category for SDA, a Roster of Care for SIL, or a support model for ILO — which the NDIA weighs with your goals and other evidence to decide what to fund. A thorough, accurate assessment strengthens your request.
How long does a Home and Living assessment take, and is it at home?
It usually takes a few hours, sometimes across more than one visit, and it is most often done in your own home so the OT can see your environment. If a home visit is not possible it can be done elsewhere, but you will need to describe your living situation in detail.
Who pays for the assessment?
OT and allied health assessments are usually funded from the capacity-building part of your NDIS plan, such as Improved Daily Living, so they typically do not come out of your own pocket. Your support coordinator can help you use the right budget.
What if I disagree with the assessment findings?
Ask the assessor to amend the draft before it is submitted — it is much easier to correct a report than to challenge a decision based on it. Make sure it reflects your hardest days and lines up with your Home and Living form before it goes to the NDIA.