NDIS assistive technology — Low, Mid, and High-cost AT funding explained

What counts as assistive technology under the NDIS

The NDIA defines assistive technology (AT) as any device, equipment, or system that helps a person with disability do something they would otherwise struggle to do — or that increases safety, independence, or community participation. The category covers a vast range: mobility aids (wheelchairs, walking frames, scooters), communication devices (AAC tablets, speech-generating devices), sensory items (noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets, sensory chews), hearing aids, vision aids, mealtime equipment, continence products, home safety devices (bed sensors, falls detectors), and software (eye-gaze systems, communication apps).

What does not count: items everyone uses (a regular smartphone, a standard kitchen knife), items more appropriately funded by other systems (most hearing aids for people not enrolled in the NDIS are funded by the Hearing Services Program; some PEG equipment is funded by Health), or items that would be unsafe in your specific situation.

The NDIA assistive technology page is the introductory reference; the AT and Mainstream Community Supports Operational Guideline is the authoritative legal document that sets out funding decisions.

The three cost tiers — what assessments each needs

Low-cost AT (under $1,500 per item). Funded from Core Supports — Consumables budget. No assessment required for most items. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can purchase directly from a registered or unregistered supplier. Examples: sensory items, basic mobility aids, low-end hearing/communication items.

Practical tip: the $1,500 threshold applies per item, not per purchase. You can buy a $1,200 chair and a $400 lap tray in one transaction — both fund from Core Consumables. The NDIA AT page confirms this.

Mid-cost AT ($1,500 to $15,000 per item). Funded from Capital — Assistive Technology budget. Requires a written quote from a supplier and, for many items, a written recommendation from a qualified assessor (typically an occupational therapist for most items, speech pathologist for communication AT, audiologist for hearing AT). The assessment should explain why the specific item meets the participant's functional need at value for money.

For mid-cost AT, two quotes are typical (sometimes one is enough if it is the only supplier for the specific item, but document why). The NDIA approval timeframe is generally 4-8 weeks after submission.

High-cost AT ($15,000+ per item). Always Capital, always requires:

• A comprehensive AT assessment (typically OT, sometimes a multi-disciplinary team)
• The full AT assessment template completed
• Trial of the device or comparable item where possible
• Multiple quotes (3 is the norm for items over $30,000)
• Formal NDIA approval, sometimes via the AT Quotes and Approvals team

Approval timeframes for high-cost AT routinely run 8-16 weeks. Powered wheelchairs, complex postural seating, eye-gaze systems, and stair-climbing transfer devices fall here. Build in long lead time and don't leave the request to the final months of your plan.

How AT assessments actually work

An AT assessment is not a 30-minute conversation. A competent OT or speech pathologist running an AT assessment for a mid- or high-cost item will typically:

1. Take a functional history — what does the participant currently do or struggle to do, in what environment, with what current supports
2. Trial relevant equipment, often across multiple sessions and sometimes multiple suppliers
3. Consider environmental factors (home layout, transport options, school or work setting)
4. Compare options for value-for-money — the NDIA will refuse a Mercedes-class item if a Toyota-class item meets the documented need
5. Write a structured assessment report that addresses the reasonable-and-necessary criteria explicitly
6. Coordinate with the supplier to ensure the quote matches the assessment

Time investment: 4-12 hours of OT time for a typical mid-cost AT item. 15-30+ hours for complex high-cost items including trials and follow-up. This is funded from your Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living budget; do not start an AT process without that budget being available.

Choosing an OT for AT assessment: look for one with specific AT experience (not all OTs do AT work), and one who is independent of specific suppliers. An OT employed by a single AT supplier has a conflict of interest. Ask whether the OT receives any commission, referral fee, or other consideration from the supplier — they should be willing to disclose.

Common reasons AT requests get refused — and how to avoid them

The NDIA refuses or modifies AT requests for predictable reasons. Most of these are addressable at the assessment stage:

• "Most appropriately funded by another system." Hearing aids for working-age adults often fall here (Hearing Services Program); some clinical equipment falls under Health. The assessment should document why the NDIS pathway is correct.
• "Not value for money." The Bugatti-class option got recommended when the Honda-class meets the need. The assessment should show that lower-cost options were considered and ruled out for specific reasons.
• "No evidence of trial." For mid- and high-cost items, the NDIA wants to see that the participant trialled the equipment (or a comparable item) and that it works for them in real settings. A photo of the trial, dated trial notes, and a brief outcome statement are typical evidence.
• "Insufficient functional evidence." The report says "John needs a wheelchair" rather than "John mobilises 20m with crutches before fatigue limits him; with the trial chair he completed his community access route without rest stops". Specific functional data is the difference.
• "Goal not in current plan." AT requests must connect to a plan goal. If your plan does not have a goal that the requested AT supports, expect a refusal — either add the goal at the next review or wait for the right plan cycle.

If your request is refused, you have the same internal-review and ART pathways as any other NDIA decision. See the reviews and appeals page and ART NDIS reviews. Most successful reviews bring additional functional evidence or address the specific objection raised.

Repair, replacement, and end-of-life — the forgotten budgets

AT items are not one-off purchases. Most have ongoing costs that the original plan must allocate for:

Repairs. Most AT items require periodic repair. Powered wheelchairs need tyres, batteries, and motor servicing. Communication devices need battery replacement and occasional software updates. Hearing aids need annual servicing and battery refresh. Repair costs are typically funded from Capital — AT Repairs and Maintenance budget, not from the original purchase line.

Consumables. Some AT items have associated consumables (continence aids, mouth-care items, AAC stickers, hearing aid batteries). Funded under Core Consumables, not Capital. Easy to miss in planning if the AT item itself is the focus.

Replacement. Most major AT has a defined useful life — a wheelchair lasts 5-7 years, a hearing aid 3-5 years, a communication device 4-6 years. The replacement is not automatic; it requires a new assessment and approval at end-of-life. Start the replacement process 6-12 months before the current item is at end-of-life so the new item arrives before the old one fails.

End-of-life return. For some high-cost items (notably powered wheelchairs supplied by the NDIA's rental partners), the item is returned to the supplier at end-of-life, not retained by the participant. Confirm the ownership model at the supply stage — it affects what you do with the item later.

How to verify this information

Every fact in this guide can be checked against a primary source. Below are the canonical pages to verify the most consequential claims — if any number or rule looks wrong, the source page is the authoritative answer, not us.

1. AT funding levels and assessment requirements — open source confirms the three cost tiers (Low / Mid / High) and what each requires.
2. AT Operational Guideline (authoritative) — open source confirms the full set of rules the NDIA uses to decide AT requests.
3. NDIS reviews and appeals — open source confirms the formal review process if an AT request is refused.
4. ART NDIS reviews (external appeal) — open source confirms escalation beyond NDIA internal review.
5. Support Catalogue (AT line items) — open source confirms the line item codes used for billing each AT category.
6. NDIS pricing arrangements — open source confirms OT assessment hourly rates used in our examples.

NDIS rules and price limits change at least annually (typically 1 July) and sometimes mid-year. If you are reading this more than three months after the "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page, cross-check anything monetary against the live NDIA page before acting on it.