To ask the NDIS for supported independent living (SIL), start with your my NDIS contact and explain the help you need at home. You will need information about your daily support needs and relevant evidence. Finding a vacancy does not mean SIL funding has been approved.
SIL is one of several home and living options. The NDIS considers which supports meet your needs and the funding criteria, so your request should explain your situation rather than assume a particular service is the answer.
Describe an ordinary week
Make notes about tasks you can do independently, tasks you need help with and times when someone needs to be available. Include nights and weekends, not only a typical weekday morning.
For each task, record the assistance involved. Help remembering the steps, physical assistance and continuous supervision describe different needs. Include what happens when the usual support is unavailable.
You can use a simple diary if that makes the information easier to collect. Ask someone who knows your routines to contribute with your agreement. The aim is an accurate account, including your abilities and preferences.
Discuss your housing goals and other options
Tell your my NDIS contact where you live now, what you want to change and who you would prefer to live with. Explain the support already provided by family, services or other people, including any limits on that help.
The NDIS guide to requesting home and living supports asks for information about your needs, goals and supports. It also explains how your contact can help explore options.
Gather relevant professional evidence
The NDIS home and living request guide asks for recent evidence from relevant treating professionals, such as an occupational therapist. Reports should connect your disability with the support you need during daily life and explain why other arrangements do not meet those needs.
Ask the professional whether an existing assessment is suitable or needs updating. Check that the report reflects your current circumstances, including overnight needs where relevant. Keep copies of the documents you submit. If you are asking to change existing home and living supports, the request guide says the evidence needs to be dated after your last plan was approved and explain the significant changes.
The SIL operational guideline explains the information considered when assessing SIL. If the NDIS needs more detail, it may request further assessment. SIL generally relates to substantial daily and overnight needs, rather than occasional household help.
Submit the request and follow up
Use the current submission options in the home and living request guide. Ask your my NDIS contact what to provide, where to send it and how you will receive updates.
After the decision, read which supports and funding have actually been included. A provider cannot approve funding on the NDIS’s behalf. If the decision does not meet your needs, ask for the reasons and information about requesting a review of a decision.
Plan delivery once funding is clear
Compare providers against your approved support and preferred living arrangement. Confirm the tasks, schedule and charges before support begins.
A provider may use a roster of care to describe the weekly arrangement. The current SIL provider guide says this planning tool is optional and does not need to be submitted to the NDIS. Do not confuse it with the evidence used to assess your needs.
When comparing a proposed arrangement, use our SIL home viewing questions and SIL costs guide. For service information, see supported independent living.