How to get SIL into your NDIS plan

SIL is one of the largest line items the NDIS funds, so the evidence bar is high and the process is slow. Most refusals come down to documentation rather than need.

What the NDIA is assessing

Not your diagnosis. What they are testing is the level of support you need to live safely, and whether a shared living arrangement is a reasonable and necessary way to provide it.

In practice that means evidence across a whole day and night: personal care, medication, meals, safety, decision-making, behaviour, night-time needs and what happens in an emergency. The question behind all of it is what would happen without support at each point.

The evidence that carries weight

A functional assessment from an occupational therapist is the central document. It should describe what you can do independently, what you need prompting for, and what you cannot do safely alone, hour by hour.

A roster of care setting out the support required across a week. This is usually prepared with a provider or coordinator and is what the funding is calculated from.

Clinical reports where health needs are part of the picture: a nurse, GP, psychiatrist or specialist describing what the condition requires day to day.

A behaviour support plan where behaviours of concern are involved, written by a registered behaviour support practitioner.

Describe the bad days

The single most common mistake is describing your best day.

People do it out of pride, or because a good day is easier to talk about. The assessment then reflects a level of independence that is not typical, and the funding follows the assessment. Describe the worst week you have had recently and what it took to get through it.

Be ready to explain why not something else

The NDIA will consider whether your needs could be met with less intensive support: drop-in support in your own place, Individualised Living Options, or support at home with family.

That is a fair question and it deserves a real answer. If those have been tried and have not worked, say so specifically, including what happened. If they have not been tried, expect to be asked why.

When to start

Earlier than feels necessary. Assembling assessments takes months, and SIL is decided at a plan review rather than between them. If a change is coming, a carer who can no longer continue or a young person leaving school, begin the evidence a year out.

If SIL is refused

Ask for an internal review, and use the time to fill the gap in the evidence that caused the decision. Read the reasons carefully: they usually point at exactly what was missing.

Free independent advocacy is available through the National Disability Advocacy Program and materially improves the odds. Beyond internal review, the matter can go to the Administrative Review Tribunal.

What a provider can and cannot do

A provider can help prepare the roster of care, provide clinical documentation, and describe what support in their home would look like.

A provider cannot add SIL to your plan, cannot influence the NDIA's decision, and should never promise you it will be approved. Any provider who says otherwise is telling you something they cannot deliver.

Questions