The New NDIS Support Needs Assessment: What the Tribunal Has Already Decided

An NDIS support needs assessment is the tool the NDIA will use to determine how much funding a participant receives under the new planning framework, starting 1 July 2026. It replaces the functional impairment assessment model. A trained assessor uses the I-CAN v6 tool over approximately three hours. The outcome drives the participant's total budget. Under the new framework, that total is not directly appealable.

What was broken about the old system

The functional impairment model was not a neutral process. Assessors, often contracted by the NDIA, produced reports that formed the basis of planning decisions, and participants had limited ability to contest what those reports said. If the assessment got it wrong, the plan that followed got it wrong.

That flaw played out at scale. In 2024–25, 7,132 review applications were lodged with the Administrative Review Tribunal, a 76% increase from the 4,043 lodged the year before. The NDIA spent $60 million on external legal firms fighting those applications. Neither of those numbers reflects a system working as intended.

The dysfunction was visible long before the new framework was announced. In 2020 and 2021, the government tried to introduce mandatory independent assessments as a cost-containment measure. The disability community pushed back hard. Advocates called the proposal "flawed, unethical and dangerous." By July 2021, the government declared the policy dead.

That capitulation mattered. It showed that the sector understood the risk: assessments conducted by assessors without genuine relationship to the participant, without adequate weighting of existing evidence, and with a structural incentive toward lower cost, would systematically undervalue need.

The new support needs assessment model is, in the words of Professor Helen Dickinson from UNSW, something different. Recognisable, but different:

"If you told me five years back the very people who were arguing against independent assessments would be introducing a more souped-up version of that, I would have been really surprised." — Prof. Helen Dickinson, UNSW, ABC News, 11 December 2025

Mark Pietsch from the Every Australian Counts steering committee was equally direct:

"The disability community strongly opposed independent assessments due to the invasion of privacy and the lack of transparency in the process. People remember how [they] were tied to cost-cutting and they see the same risks here." — Mark Pietsch, Every Australian Counts steering committee, ABC News, 11 December 2025

The new framework is not the same policy. But the concerns are structurally similar.

The new NDIS support needs assessment model — what it is

The new planning framework rolls out from 1 July 2026 for adults 18 and over with less complex needs. All participants 16 and over will transition by 2 October 2029.

The process has six steps:

1. Impairment Notice: the NDIA notifies the participant that their disability meets the criteria for transition 2. Preparation Meeting: the participant meets with the NDIA to prepare for the assessment 3. Notice of Transition: once received, this is irreversible; there is no return to old framework planning 4. Support Needs Assessment: conducted by a trained assessor using the I-CAN v6 tool over approximately three hours 5. Budget calculation: the assessment outcome feeds a calculation that determines total funding 6. New Framework Plan: the plan is produced based on the calculated budget

A few structural details matter for coordinators and providers.

The assessor does not have to be an allied health professional. The I-CAN v6 tool is designed to be administered by trained non-clinicians. This is a deliberate design choice, and it is a departure from what many providers and coordinators currently assume about who conducts planning-linked assessments.

After the Support Needs Assessment is complete, the NDIA Planner cannot change the total funding amount. They also cannot change Stated Supports. Support Coordination is a Stated Support under this framework. If it is included, it is locked in. If it is not included, it cannot be added by a Planner after the fact.

The budget calculation process itself remains opaque. ABC News reported in December 2025 that "nobody seems to know, or be able to say, exactly what will happen in the middle" of that process. As of March 2026, Every Australian Counts confirmed that the rules for how the budget is calculated are still being developed. The SNA tool for participants under 16 has not yet been chosen.

The rollout is, by the sector's own assessment, rushed. Every Australian Counts described it as being driven by the Commonwealth Government's deadline rather than by readiness.

What the Administrative Review Tribunal has already decided

The ART has been deciding NDIS planning disputes under existing law for years. Those decisions are now shaping how the new framework will operate in practice. One August 2025 ruling in particular matters for anyone working in planning under the new model.

In Butler v NDIA [2025] ARTA 1579, Victoria Butler, a 44-year-old participant living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ME/CFS, and POTS, sought additional supports in her Statement of Planned Supports. The ART, applying the NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No 1) Act 2024 and the Transitional Rules 2024, affirmed the NDIA's decision against her.

The ruling's key finding: Schedules 1 and 2 of the relevant legislation are not expansive. A support not listed in a category cannot be funded even if it is related to that category. Senior Member B De Villiers, sitting in Perth, held that the framework means what it says. What it says is narrow.

That ruling matters under the new framework because the Stated Supports model works on a similar logic. Categories define what is fundable. The new framework inherits, and in some ways deepens, the structured rigidity that Butler demonstrates is already how the ART reads these provisions.

This is not a marginal issue. For coordinators working with participants whose needs don't fit neatly into the categories the framework anticipates, participants with complex or fluctuating conditions, multiple diagnoses, or needs that sit at the intersection of categories, Butler signals that appeals to the ART will face a high bar.

The pre-2024 AAT decisions are worth understanding as historical context. The tension between participant need and statutory category has been present in ART/AAT jurisprudence for years. Butler is the clearest post-amendment statement of how the new legislative framework resolves that tension: in favour of the written category, not the individual need.

The critical change: what the ART can no longer do

This is the part of the new framework that has not received enough public attention.

On 4 December 2025, at Senate Estimates, Senator Jordon Steele-John put a direct question to Matthew Swainson, NDIA Deputy CEO:

"Under the new model you're proposing, the total funding amount is not a reviewable decision — absent a potential variation under [Section] 47A, which is not at a common occurrence — the total funding amount is no longer a reviewable decision?"

Swainson's answer: "That's correct, senator."

That exchange, reported by The Guardian on 4 December 2025, is the single most important fact in the new framework for anyone who has ever helped a participant challenge their plan.

Under the current system, the ART can review the total funding amount. It can, and does, order the NDIA to provide higher funding where the evidence supports it. That is not a theoretical power. Scott Clough's case demonstrates exactly what it means in practice.

Scott is 47 years old and lives with cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, epilepsy, is blind, and non-verbal. His 2023 plan was cut from approximately $835,000 per year to approximately $415,000 per year. The cut removed his 1:1 support and forced him into group accommodation arrangements.

Scott's family appealed. Two years and approximately $24,000 in legal fees later, the ART handed down its decision in November 2025: $1.28 million per year. Roughly triple what the NDIA had approved. Reinstated 1:1 support, overnight carers, and therapies.

His sister Julienne Verhagen said it plainly: "The administrative review tribunal saved his life."

Under the new framework, that outcome is not available.

If Scott's plan were produced under the new framework and he received a Notice of Transition, the process that followed would produce a total funding amount. That amount would not be directly reviewable. The ART could order a new Support Needs Assessment. It could not order the NDIA to provide $1.28 million. It could not directly change Stated Supports.

The remedy available to a participant under the new framework is a do-over. Not a correction.

For participants with complex support needs, the difference between a do-over and a correction is not procedural. It is the difference between getting the right plan and getting another assessment that may produce the same wrong plan, while the participant remains on inadequate supports during the wait.

Comparison: old framework vs. new framework

Old Framework: Functional impairment assessment (various tools, often allied health) — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): I-CAN v6, administered by trained assessor (not required to be allied health)

Old Framework: Often allied health professionals — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): Trained assessors — allied health NOT required

Old Framework: Can modify supports and amounts in some circumstances — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): Cannot change total funding or Stated Supports after SNA

Old Framework: Flexible support, can be negotiated in planning — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): Stated Support — locked in or locked out

Old Framework: Yes — ART can order increased funding — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): No — ART can only order a new SNA

Old Framework: Yes, in some circumstances — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): No

Old Framework: N/A — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): No — once issued, old framework no longer applies

Old Framework: N/A — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): As of March 2026: not yet

Old Framework: N/A — New Framework (from 1 July 2026): As of March 2026: not yet

What this means for coordinators and providers now

The Preparation Meeting is the most important moment in the new process. It happens after the Impairment Notice and before the Notice of Transition. It is the last point at which a participant can engage substantively with the NDIA before the irreversible step.

That makes the Preparation Meeting the critical intervention window. Coordinators and providers who understand what to do at that stage, and who help participants arrive prepared, will produce better outcomes than those who wait for the SNA to begin and hope the assessor gets it right.

Here is what that preparation looks like.

Step 1: Check the NDIS file before any notice arrives

Participants can access their NDIS file via a Participant Information Access Request. That file contains what disabilities are recorded by the NDIA, what existing evidence has been considered, and what the NDIA's current understanding of the participant's impairments is.

If that record is incomplete, inaccurate, or missing key diagnoses, now is the time to address it. Before an Impairment Notice arrives. After the Notice of Transition, the path back narrows sharply.

Step 2: Learn the I-CAN v6 tool well enough to prepare participants for it

The I-CAN (Individual Capacity and Autonomy Navigator) v6 is the tool the assessor will use. It is structured around domains of daily life: self-care, communication, mobility, social participation, learning, and others. The assessor uses a structured interview to rate the participant's functional capacity in each domain.

Participants who understand how the tool works, and who can articulate their needs in the domains the tool measures, will be assessed more accurately than participants who arrive without that preparation. That is not a complaint about the tool. It is a fact about how structured assessments work.

Step 3: Know which current supports are Stated Supports and which are flexible

Under the new framework, the distinction between Stated Supports and flexible budget allocations is structural, not advisory. Support Coordination is Stated: it goes in or it doesn't, and the Planner cannot add it after the SNA. Other supports may sit in flexible budget categories.

Coordinators who map a participant's current supports against the Stated Support categories before transition will be far better positioned to advocate at the Preparation Meeting. Which is, again, the last meaningful point of intervention before the process locks.

Step 4: Be honest with participants about what the ART can and cannot do

Participants and families who understand the current system often have an expectation that if the plan is wrong, they can appeal and the ART will fix it. That expectation is based on the old framework.

Under the new framework, the ART's role is narrower. Participants who understand this before transition, not after receiving an inadequate plan, can make better decisions about how to engage at each stage of the process.

At AMS, we are working through what this means for the participants we support. The transition timeline is real, the preparation window is short, and the stakes are high for people whose plans have been adequate under the existing model and may not be under the new one.

Frequently asked questions

What is a NDIS support needs assessment?

An NDIS support needs assessment is the formal process used under the new NDIS planning framework (from 1 July 2026) to determine a participant's total funding amount. A trained assessor uses the I-CAN v6 tool in an approximately three-hour interview. The outcome drives the participant's budget. The NDIA Planner cannot change the total after the assessment is complete.

When does the new NDIS planning framework start?

The new framework rolls out from 1 July 2026 for adults 18 and over with less complex needs. All participants 16 and over must transition by 2 October 2029. Once a participant receives a Notice of Transition, they cannot return to old framework planning. The transition is irreversible.

Can participants still appeal their NDIS plan to the Administrative Review Tribunal under the new framework?

Under the new framework, the ART cannot review the total funding amount or directly change Stated Supports. It can order a new Support Needs Assessment. This is a significant reduction in the ART's effective power. The Senate Estimates exchange on 4 December 2025 confirmed this on the record: NDIA Deputy CEO Matthew Swainson told Senator Steele-John "that's correct" when asked whether total funding is no longer a reviewable decision.

What is the I-CAN v6 tool used in the support needs assessment?

The I-CAN (Individual Capacity and Autonomy Navigator) v6 is a structured assessment tool used by trained assessors to measure a participant's functional capacity across domains including self-care, communication, mobility, and social participation. The assessor does not have to be an allied health professional. The interview takes approximately three hours and the results feed the participant's budget calculation.

What is a Notice of Transition and can it be reversed?

A Notice of Transition is the formal NDIA notice that moves a participant from the old planning framework to the new one. Once issued, it is irreversible. The participant cannot return to old framework planning. The Preparation Meeting, which happens before the Notice of Transition, is the last meaningful opportunity for participants to engage substantively with the NDIA before the irreversible step.

What should support coordinators do to prepare for the new NDIS planning framework?

Support coordinators should help participants access their NDIS file via a Participant Information Access Request before any Impairment Notice arrives, to check what disabilities and evidence are on record. They should understand the I-CAN v6 tool well enough to help participants prepare for the assessment interview. They should map each participant's current supports against the Stated Support categories. And they should help participants understand that the Preparation Meeting, not the appeal process, is now the primary intervention point.

What did the Scott Clough ART case mean for NDIS participants?

Scott Clough's ART case (decided November 2025) resulted in the ART awarding $1.28 million per year, roughly triple what the NDIA had approved after cutting his plan from approximately $835,000 to $415,000. Under the new framework from 1 July 2026, this type of outcome would not be available. The ART could only order a new Support Needs Assessment. It could not direct the NDIA to provide a specific funding amount.

Work with us before your participants transition

If you work with NDIS participants and want to understand what the new planning framework means for your organisation, book a discovery call. We will map out what you need to know about the Support Needs Assessment process and the ART's reduced role before 1 July.

[Book a discovery call →]

## Sources

- The Guardian, 14 January 2026 — "Scott Clough: ART awards $1.28 million after NDIA cut plan to $415,000." Reports Scott Clough ART decision, November 2025. Sister Julienne Verhagen quoted. - The Guardian, 4 December 2025 — Senate Estimates exchange: Senator Jordon Steele-John and Matthew Swainson (NDIA Deputy CEO). Confirms total funding is not a reviewable decision under new framework. - ABC News, 11 December 2025 — Reports ART application statistics (7,132 applications, 76% increase), NDIA external legal spend ($60 million, FOI documents), Prof. Helen Dickinson (UNSW) quote, Mark Pietsch (Every Australian Counts) quote, "black box" budget calculation quote. - Administrative Review Tribunal, August 2025 — Butler v NDIA [2025] ARTA 1579. Senior Member B De Villiers, Perth. Victoria Butler, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ME/CFS, POTS. - Every Australian Counts, March 2026 — "What you need to know about the new NDIS planning framework." Six-step process, irreversibility of Notice of Transition, concerns about rollout pace, unresolved budget calculation rules, SNA tool for under-16s not yet chosen. - NDIS.gov.au — New planning framework overview. Rollout dates: 1 July 2026 (adults 18+, less complex needs); 2 October 2029 (all participants 16+). - The Guardian, April 2021 — Independent assessments described as "flawed, unethical and dangerous." Policy declared dead July 2021. - NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No 1) Act 2024 — Legislation applied in Butler v NDIA and governing Transitional Rules 2024.

## pSEO SPOKE PAGES — build from this hub

Spoke: NDIS support needs assessment for support coordinators — Keyword: "ndis support needs assessment support coordinator" — URL: /blog/ndis-support-needs-assessment-support-coordinators — What makes it different from hub: Focused entirely on coordinator workflow: how to access participant file, prepare for Preparation Meeting, map Stated Supports — no ART analysis. Practical checklist format.

Spoke: NDIS new planning framework for SIL providers — Keyword: "ndis new planning framework sil provider" — URL: /blog/ndis-new-planning-framework-sil-providers — What makes it different from hub: SIL-specific: how Stated Supports lock affects SIL funding, what happens to participants transitioning mid-SIL arrangement, what SIL providers should document before participant transition.

Spoke: NDIS budget calculation new framework — Keyword: "ndis budget calculation 2026" — URL: /blog/ndis-budget-calculation-new-framework-2026 — What makes it different from hub: Drills into the budget calculation black box: what is known, what is not yet decided, how I-CAN v6 domain scores map to funding categories. Updates as rules are finalised.

Spoke: I-CAN assessment tool NDIS explained — Keyword: "ican assessment ndis" — URL: /blog/ican-assessment-tool-ndis-support-needs — What makes it different from hub: Deep explainer on the I-CAN v6 tool: the domains it measures, how the interview works, what participants should know going in, how allied health evidence interacts with the tool.

Spoke: NDIS Administrative Review Tribunal new powers — Keyword: "ndis administrative review tribunal 2026" — URL: /blog/ndis-administrative-review-tribunal-new-framework-powers — What makes it different from hub: ART-focused: full analysis of what the ART can and cannot do under the new framework, citing Butler v NDIA and the Senate Estimates exchange. Comparison table of ART powers before and after. For legal practitioners and advocates.

Spoke: NDIS planning changes for allied health providers — Keyword: "ndis planning changes allied health 2026" — URL: /blog/ndis-planning-changes-allied-health-providers-2026 — What makes it different from hub: Allied health-specific: the SNA assessor is not required to be a clinician — what this means for how allied health evidence is used, when allied health input matters in the new process, how to write reports that survive the new framework.

## Schema Notes

Article - author: Tyrone Baena - datePublished: 2026-04-08 - dateModified: 2026-04-08 - publisher: tyronebaena.com.au - about: NDIS new planning framework, support needs assessment, Administrative Review Tribunal

FAQPage - Applies to the "Frequently asked questions" section - 7 questions, each with a self-contained answer (40-60 words) - Implement as FAQPage schema in JSON-LD

HowTo - "What this means for coordinators and providers now" section qualifies as HowTo - Steps: (1) Check NDIS file via Participant Information Access Request, (2) Learn I-CAN v6 tool, (3) Map current Stated Supports, (4) Prepare participants on ART's reduced role - Implement as HowTo schema in JSON-LD

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