Why the NDIA asks for a functional assessment
A diagnosis tells the NDIA what condition you have. It does not show how much it affects your life, and two people with the same diagnosis can function very differently. The NDIS is for people whose impairment is permanent or likely to be permanent and substantially reduces their ability to do everyday activities, so the NDIA needs evidence about function.
For a primary psychosocial disability, the NDIA says you need a statement from a treating health professional and a functional capacity assessment, which your health professional can do.
What the treating professional's statement covers
The NDIA says the statement should include:
- How long they have been working with you
- Evidence of the mental health condition; a diagnosis is helpful if available
- Treatments you have explored and any you have not tried, with reasons
- How the condition affects your everyday life, which is where the functional assessment helps
The assessment tools
The NDIA lists three tools that a functional assessment for psychosocial disability may include. Each looks at function from a slightly different angle:
- LSP-16 (Life Skills Profile 16): rated by a clinician or carer who knows you, covering withdrawal, self care, compliance with treatment and antisocial behaviour
- HoNOS (Health of the Nation Outcome Scales): a clinician rated measure with 12 scales covering behaviour, impairment, symptoms and social functioning
- WHODAS 2.0: a general measure of disability across six areas of life, which can include your own view and that of people close to you
What a full functional assessment looks at
Beyond the scores, a good assessment, often written by a mental health occupational therapist, describes your real life across the areas the NDIS Act uses for functional capacity. For psychosocial disability, self management and social interaction are often where the biggest difficulties sit.
- Self care: hygiene, eating, sleep, looking after your health
- Self management: planning your day, money, appointments, decisions, coping with stress
- Social interaction: making and keeping relationships, coping with groups and conflict
- Learning: taking in information and building new skills
- Communication and mobility, where these are affected, for example leaving the house
- How symptoms change over time, and what a bad period looks like
Who can do it
The NDIA accepts evidence from treating professionals such as a psychiatrist, GP, psychologist or paediatrician, and from specialist mental health staff such as mental health nurses, occupational therapists and social workers. Staff trained through the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network, including mental health peer workers, can also provide it.
Your treating professional can use the Evidence of Psychosocial Disability form, section 2 of the access request form, or existing reports. The NDIA generally prefers evidence from someone who has treated you for at least 6 months.
Cost, funding and reassessments
Before you are a participant, the NDIS does not pay for evidence. Your GP, psychiatrist or public mental health team may be able to complete the tools as part of your usual care.
Once you are a participant, a functional assessment for plan reassessment is usually paid from the improved daily living skills part of your Capacity Building budget, which since 1 October 2026 is reduced by 10% when your plan is created, reassessed or renewed. Occupational therapy has a 2026/27 price limit of $193.99 an hour and psychology $252.99 an hour in most of Australia. From 1 January 2028, access will be based on a standardised functional capacity assessment, and a Technical Advisory Group is advising on how episodic conditions are assessed.
Tips to make your evidence count
- Describe your hard periods: how often, how long and what you cannot do during them
- Count prompting, reminders and supervision as support you need
- Ask a family member or support worker to add what they see
- List treatments you have tried, for how long and what happened
- Make sure the scores are explained in plain words and linked to the support you need