The NDIA makes a lot of decisions that directly affect participants and their families — and not all of them are right.
The good news is that there is a clear list of which NDIS decisions can be reviewed. When a decision is “reviewable,” it means you have the right to go back to the Agency and say:
“I think this decision is wrong — please look at it again.”
In plain English, a Review of a Reviewable Decision means your case is looked at again by a different NDIA decision-maker — someone who was not involved in the original decision.
You might also hear this called a Section 100 review or “s100.” That name isn’t code or jargon — it simply refers to section 100 of the NDIS Act, which sets out how NDIA decisions can be reviewed.
What decisions can be reviewed?
Here are some of the most common NDIS decisions families can ask to have reviewed:
Access refused- You applied to join the NDIS and received a “not eligible” outcome.
Plan approved - Your plan was issued and you disagree with the funded supports, hours or budgets.
Plan not varied - You asked for a change of situation and the NDIA said no.
Plan reassessment refused- You requested a reassessment and the NDIA declined.
Participant status cancelled - The NDIA says your child is no longer eligible to remain in the scheme.
Debt recovery decision - The NDIA says you owe money and refuses to waive or write it off.
This isn’t the full legal list — just the decisions most families come across.
Download our plain-English Reviewable Decisions Guide here
You can also view the full legislative list on the NDIA website here.
How to ask the NDIA to review something
So, you’ve decided you’re not happy with a decision the NDIA has made. Completely fair.
The next question is: what do you actually do now?
Step 1: Ask for the Reasons Behind the Decision
If you can, start by asking your NDIS contact for the reasons the decision was made.
The NDIA usually refers to these reasons as “justifications.” These are incredibly important — because they tell you exactly where the NDIA believes the gaps are in your application or evidence.
For example, you might be told:
“XX hours were not funded because they were not considered value for money under section 34(c).”
That one sentence tells you a lot. It helps you work out if you think you have provided enough evidence to meet this criteria or if you think you can get more evidence to prove your point.
Without this information, families are often left guessing — and guessing rarely works in the NDIS.
Step 2: If They Won’t Give You the Reasons, Request Them
If your NDIS contact says they can’t provide the justifications, you still have options.
You can formally request this information by submitting a Participant Information Access Request. This allows you to get your hands on the NDIA’s reasons for all of their decisions.
Having this in writing makes a significant difference when preparing a review request, because you’re responding to the NDIA’s reasoning — not shooting in the dark. Click here for a link to the form and tick planner justifications
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Like everything with the NDIA, things take time — and when it comes to s100 reviews, you are working to very tight deadlines.
If you’re planning to submit a PIA request, do it as early as possible. Waiting can cost you valuable time you don’t have.
Now for the single biggest tip I can give you:
👉 An s100 review is not the time to introduce new requests.
If your circumstances have changed — for example, your child’s needs have increased, supports have broken down, or something new has occurred — you need to gather evidence and submit a Change of Situation request instead (outlined in our plan reassessment blog).
An s100 review is very specific. The NDIA will ask:
- What exact decision do you want reviewed?
- Why do you believe that decision was wrong at the time it was made?
This is why clear reporting matters so much. In the context of a plan reassessment, if your reports don’t clearly spell out specific funding requests, it becomes extremely difficult to identify exactly what you asked them to fund in the first place.
For an s100 review, you want to lay it out very clearly, for example:
Clarity is everything. The clearer you are, the harder it is for the NDIA to sidestep the issue.
What is the process of a s100 review
Once you submit your s100 (Review of a Reviewable Decision) request, the NDIA has up to 60 days to make a decision.
In practice, here’s what usually happens.
At some point during that 60-day window (hopefully), you’ll often receive that message — the one that strikes fear into the heart of every NDIS parent:
“Someone from the NDIS will be calling you soon.”
Deep breaths.
A staff member from the Internal Review team will call you to confirm exactly which decision you are asking them to review and what outcome you’re seeking — even though you’ve already written it clearly on the form.
This call isn’t usually a test or an interrogation. It’s typically:
- a confirmation of scope, and
- a check that they’re reviewing the correct decision.
Once that call has happened and they’ve thanked you, they’ll move into reviewing the case.
In our experience, once you receive that call, you can usually be cautiously optimistic that a decision will follow fairly quickly — often within a couple of days.
That said, this is still the NDIA, so exceptions absolutely exist. Always keep the 60-day timeframe in mind, but take some comfort in knowing that the call itself is often a sign the review is actively being looked at.
Once a decision is made
You will receive an email and/or letter titled “outcome of internal review” and they will tell you:
They will then list exactly what they are going to change. They will list:
It’s also important to understand that an s100 review can go both ways.
When you ask the NDIA to review a decision, the delegate is not limited to simply agreeing or disagreeing with the original outcome — they can form a new decision altogether. That means there is always a risk, however small, that funding could be reduced rather than increased.
In practice, this is uncommon. I personally have never seen it happen — but it can happen. It’s important families understand this risk and factor it into their decision-making before proceeding with an s100 review.
Understanding the potential outcomes helps you weigh up whether a review is the right step for your family at that point in time.
I've received my outcome, and I am still not happy. What now?
If you receive your s100 (internal review) outcome and you’re still not satisfied, there is one next step available.
Your option at this point is to take the matter to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).
In most cases, you have 28 days from the date you receive your internal review outcome to lodge an application with the ART. This deadline is important — missing it can limit your options.
The ART is completely separate from the NDIA. This is where you can say, “I still believe the NDIA got this wrong,” and have the decision reviewed by an independent body.
The ART process allows:
- You to explain why you believe the decision is incorrect, and
- The NDIA to explain why they believe the decision was right.
The Tribunal acts as a neutral decision-maker, considering evidence from both sides before reaching an outcome.
You can find detailed information about how to lodge an application with the ART on their website here.
Who Can Support You Through the ART Process?
It’s important to know that support coordinators and NDIS contacts cannot support you during the ART process.
However, you do have other options:
- Disability advocates (noting that waitlists can be long)
- Lawyers with experience in NDIS matters
- Self-representation, if you feel confident to manage the process yourself
More information about who can assist you — and how — is available here.
Navigating NDIS reviews and appeals is exhausting — especially when you’re already carrying the weight of caring for a child with disability. If there’s one thing to take away, it’s this: you do have rights, you can challenge decisions, and you’re not being “difficult” by asking the NDIA to look again. Take it one step at a time, get the right support where you can, and trust that advocating for your child is never the wrong thing to do.
