What Is an NDIS Plan Review
A plan review is the NDIS process of looking at your current plan, deciding whether the supports are still meeting your goals, and setting funding for the next plan period. Plan reviews happen at different times depending on your circumstances - typically every 12 to 24 months, or sooner if you request an unscheduled review because your needs have changed.
The plan review meeting itself is usually a phone call or video meeting with an NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator. They review your current goals, look at how your funded supports were used, and decide what the next plan should include.
This is the moment that documentation matters most. The planner is reading reports, looking at evidence of functional capacity, and making decisions about funding levels. A well-written occupational therapy report can be the difference between a plan that supports your goals and one that falls short.
Why an OT Report Matters at Plan Review
The NDIS funds "reasonable and necessary" supports based on your functional capacity - what you can and cannot do across daily life. The planner needs evidence to make these decisions, and OT reports are the most common way functional capacity is documented.
A current OT report can:
- Demonstrate current functional capacity with standardised assessment scores, observation, and clinical reasoning
- Justify specific support requests - assistive technology, home modifications, capacity-building, support coordination
- Document changes since the last plan - improvements, declines, or new diagnoses that affect support needs
- Recommend specific funding amounts with clinical reasoning that the NDIS can use directly
- Identify gaps in current supports that are limiting goal progress
Without current evidence, planners often default to maintaining existing funding levels even if your needs have grown. With strong evidence, they have something to point to when approving increased or new supports.
What's in an OT Report for a Plan Review
A comprehensive OT report for plan review purposes typically includes:
- Background and goals - participant's current situation, diagnoses, and what they're working towards
- Functional capacity assessment - structured evaluation of daily living, mobility, communication, social participation, and cognitive function
- Standardised assessment results - scores from validated tools like the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Lawton IADL Scale, or domain-specific assessments
- Home and environment review - current setup, barriers, and recommendations
- Equipment and assistive technology review - what's working, what needs updating, what's missing
- Specific support recommendations with rationale and approximate funding requirements
- Progress against previous plan goals if this is not the participant's first plan
Reports usually run 8 to 15 pages, depending on complexity. Shorter reports can support straightforward reviews; complex situations with multiple goals and significant support needs warrant longer documentation.
When to Schedule the OT Assessment
Timing matters. Reports more than 6 months old can be considered out-of-date by NDIS planners, especially if your situation has changed. The sweet spot is having the assessment completed and the report finalised 4 to 8 weeks before your plan review meeting.
This timeline allows:
- The OT to complete the assessment without rushing - typically 1 to 2 home visits plus report writing
- Time for collaboration with other professionals (support coordinator, plan manager, allied health) to align recommendations
- Time for revisions if the participant or coordinator wants changes
- Time to submit the report ahead of the planner meeting
If your plan is up for review and you don't have current OT documentation, it's worth requesting an unscheduled review only after the report is ready.
How an FCA Differs From a General OT Report
A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) is a specific type of OT report that focuses entirely on documenting functional capacity. FCAs are typically requested when:
- Applying for NDIS access for the first time
- Significant change in circumstances - new diagnosis, hospital admission, decline in function
- Major plan reviews where the planner needs comprehensive evidence
- Disputing a plan decision - FCAs are commonly used to support appeals
A general progress or therapy review report is shorter and focuses on progress in current OT goals. An FCA is broader, more structured, and follows a specific format that NDIS planners recognise.
For most plan reviews, an FCA is more thorough than a standard progress report and is what we usually recommend.
Practical Tips for Getting the Most From the Report
To make sure the OT report supports your plan review effectively:
- Be honest about challenges - sometimes participants downplay difficulties when an OT visits, which leads to under-documented capacity. The planner can only fund what's documented.
- Gather supporting documents - other professionals' reports, hospital discharge summaries, school reports, medical letters all add weight
- Talk to your support coordinator before the OT visit so the report can address their concerns about funding gaps
- Discuss specific goals with the OT - what equipment do you want trialled, what supports do you want funded, what skills do you want to build
- Read the report before submission - check that it accurately reflects your situation and ask the OT to clarify anything unclear
A good OT will involve you in shaping the report's recommendations rather than writing in isolation.
Working With Your Support Coordinator and Plan Manager
If you have a support coordinator, loop them in before booking the OT assessment. They often know which OT providers write strong reports for the kind of supports you're seeking. They can also help schedule the assessment with enough lead time and review the draft report before submission.
Plan managers handle invoicing but generally aren't involved in the clinical content of reports.
Getting an OT Report Through Ergo Therapy Group
We provide in-home OT assessments and FCA reports across Melbourne and Western Sydney. Our reports are written to NDIS Operational Guideline standards and we work closely with support coordinators to ensure documentation aligns with funding goals.
Typical timeline:
- Initial home visit - within 2 to 3 weeks of referral
- Report drafting - 2 to 4 weeks after the visit
- Final report - delivered to the participant and/or support coordinator
We have current capacity for new referrals across Melbourne and Western Sydney.
To discuss a plan review report, call 0450 874 303 or email admin@ergotherapygroup.com.au. You can also submit a referral online.