Who counts as a treating health professional
The NDIA asks for evidence from the professional who is most appropriate to describe your primary disability and how it affects your life. They should be qualified and registered in their area of practice, with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or the relevant professional body, and registered to practise in Australia or New Zealand. Ideally they have treated you for at least 6 months.
Examples include:
- General practitioner (GP)
- Paediatrician
- Psychiatrist, neurologist, orthopaedic surgeon or other specialist
- Psychologist
- Occupational therapist
- Speech pathologist
- Physiotherapist
Matching the professional to your disability
The right person depends on your main disability. For intellectual disability or developmental delay, the NDIA lists a psychologist, occupational therapist or speech pathologist as suitable. A neurologist may be best for a neurological condition, and a psychiatrist or psychologist for psychosocial disability.
You can include evidence from more than one professional, and it often helps. A specialist can confirm the diagnosis and treatment history, while a therapist describes in detail what you can and cannot do day to day.
What their evidence needs to cover
Good evidence lines up with the NDIS access criteria. It should:
- Confirm your primary disability and the impairment it causes
- Describe the treatments you have had, and their outcomes
- Describe future treatment options and what they are expected to achieve, or why the impairment is unlikely to improve
- Explain the impact on mobility, communication, social interaction, learning, self care and self management, with specific examples
- Include results of any standardised assessments, such as WHODAS 2.0, Vineland-3 or PEDI-CAT
- State the kinds of support you need
How they give the evidence
Your treating professional can complete the treating professional section of the access request form, fill in the separate supporting evidence form, or complete the evidence of psychosocial disability form for mental health conditions. They can also attach existing reports and letters, or write their own letter or report that covers the same information.
Book a long appointment for it, and bring notes about your hard days, not just your average ones. Ask to read the evidence before it is sent.
Paying for evidence
The NDIS does not pay for evidence before you are a participant. Ask your GP or specialist about fees, and whether any part is covered by Medicare. Public hospitals, community health services and school or early childhood services can sometimes help with assessments. Once you are a participant, reports from therapists you see are usually paid from your Capacity Building budget.
How their role is changing
Two reforms change what treating professionals are asked for. From 1 April 2027 participants start moving to new framework planning, where your budget is set from a support needs assessment carried out by a trained NDIS assessor, rather than from reports you gather. From 1 January 2028 NDIS access will be based on a standardised assessment of functional capacity, with current participants reassessed over 3 years.
Treating professionals still matter. Your diagnosis and treatment history remain key evidence, especially as permanence will consider whether appropriate treatment has been tried, and therapy reports remain useful evidence for decisions about your plan. Until these changes start, the current rules and forms apply.