Navigating the NDIS can be confusing at the best of times, but when your plan doesn’t reflect your actual needs, it can be downright frustrating. A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) can be one of the most powerful tools to help you advocate for the right funding at the right time, especially during a plan review or reassessment.
Reasons why your NDIS funding doesn’t meet your needs
There are plenty of reasons why your NDIS plan might fall short. Maybe your needs have changed. Maybe your last plan meeting didn’t include enough evidence. Or maybe you weren’t sure how to explain what daily life really looks like for you, or how much support it takes to live as independently as possible. It’s also common for participants to feel pressured to focus on strengths without being given space to talk about the challenges.
When the evidence doesn’t match reality, the funding won’t either. And that’s where a strong, well-written FCA can make all the difference.
Evidence the NDIS look for during funding reviews
An NDIS plan review is an opportunity to reassess your current supports and funding. This might happen at the end of your plan term, or earlier if there’s been a significant change in your situation.
To make decisions, the NDIA relies on evidence. They’re looking for reports that clearly outline how your disability impacts your daily life, what supports you currently use, and what supports you need to reach your goals. Reports like OT functional assessments can help back this up, when they’re done well.
How a Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) can help
A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) is a detailed occupational therapy assessment that captures how someone functions across key areas of daily life; mobility, communication, self-care, social interaction, learning, and self-management.
Here’s how a quality FCA can support your plan review:
- Evidence of change: It can show if and how your circumstances or support needs have changed since your last plan.
- Clear justification: It helps explain why changes to your plan are necessary and how these supports align with your goals.
- Holistic picture: A good FCA doesn’t just look at what you can do, it captures how long it takes, how much support is needed, how consistent your capacity is, and what happens when you don’t have the right support in place.
- Support recommendations: It can justify the need for additional support hours, assistive technology, therapy, or support coordination, all tied to real-world examples from your daily life.
At Optimal Living Therapy, we focus on making our functional capacity assessments meaningful, evidence-based, and directly aligned to the NDIS criteria. That’s why we’ve supported hundreds of successful plan reviews and change-of-circumstances applications.
Tips to get the most out of your FCA
If you’ve got an FCA booked (or you’re thinking about getting one), a bit of prep goes a long way:
- Keep a diary: Jot down the parts of your day that feel hard. What tasks do you avoid? What takes longer than it should?
- Think about your goals: What would make your life easier or more independent? Where do you want to see change?
- Be honest: This isn’t the time to ‘mask’ or play down how much support you need. Give us the real picture so we can help you advocate for what’s reasonable and necessary.
Our experienced team provides Functional Capacity Assessments tailored for plan reviews, reassessments, and change-of-circumstance applications. We work with you to provide comprehensive, personalised assessments designed to reflect your real support needs and life goals.
Contact us today to book your FCA or learn more about how we can support your next NDIS plan review.
