NDIS Plan Reassessment and Counselling in 2026

The NDIS changed some of its plan reassessment rules on 27 August 2026. In this post, I explain what those changes mean if you use counselling through your NDIS plan and you think your support needs have changed.

I am Allan Bunyan, a certified counsellor with Certified Practising Counsellors Australia. I provide NDIS counselling through Strong Foundation Support in Cairns and by telehealth.

What changed with NDIS plan reassessments in 2026?

A plan reassessment is used when a participant may need a new plan because their situation or support needs have changed in a significant and ongoing way.

From 27 August 2026, only the participant, their plan nominee, or their child representative can request a plan reassessment. A provider cannot make the request on the participant’s behalf. The request must also be made using the correct form and must include evidence about what has changed.

The NDIA says this evidence may include reports or assessments from treating health professionals, therapists, or support workers. It also says evidence usually needs to be recent. In most cases, this means it should be from within four months of the request and created after the current plan was approved. The NDIA’s current plan reassessment guidance explains these requirements.

This is different from an eligibility reassessment. A plan reassessment looks at whether a participant needs a new plan with different NDIS supports. An eligibility reassessment looks at whether a person continues to meet the rules to remain an NDIS participant.

A full plan reassessment may also not be needed for every change. The NDIA can use a plan variation for smaller changes to an existing plan. The NDIA decides which process applies after looking at the request and evidence.

What does a plan reassessment mean for counselling?

A change in someone’s life can also change what they need from counselling. This does not mean that more counselling will automatically be funded. It does mean that current counselling information may be relevant when the NDIA is looking at changes in disability-related support needs.

For example, a participant may be finding daily tasks harder. They may be withdrawing from social activities. They may be struggling more with emotional regulation, communication, routines, relationships, or coping with disability-related changes. Their current counselling frequency may no longer reflect what is happening in their life.

As a counsellor, my role is to describe what is happening within the work I am doing with the participant. I can describe the concerns being discussed, the goals of counselling, changes I have observed or that the participant has reported, and the effect those issues are having on day-to-day functioning.

I do not decide whether the NDIS should fund counselling. I also do not decide how many hours the NDIA should approve. Those decisions sit with the NDIA. My role is to provide clear information within my scope as a counsellor.

If you want more general information about how counselling can fit within an NDIS plan, I have more information on my NDIS Counselling in Cairns page.

Can a counsellor provide evidence for an NDIS plan reassessment?

Yes. A counsellor may be able to provide a report or other supporting information for a plan reassessment when it relates to the counselling work they are providing.

The report should be based on actual counselling work. It should not simply say that a person would benefit from counselling. It should explain what counselling has been addressing and why the information is relevant to the participant’s current needs.

A counselling report may include the reason for counselling, the participant’s stated goals, the frequency of sessions, areas being worked on, progress, barriers, changes in presentation, and any ongoing counselling needs. Where relevant, it may also describe how the participant says their disability-related concerns affect daily life, relationships, community access, routines, or other areas of functioning.

The NDIA says reports and assessments can be used to show how supports are assisting a participant to work towards their goals and what supports may be needed in the future. The evidence still needs to relate to the person’s disability support needs. A counsellor should stay within their own training and scope when writing it.

A report also cannot promise an outcome. Good evidence may give the NDIA clearer information, but it does not guarantee that a reassessment will be accepted or that extra counselling funding will be added.

What should a counselling report include?

For me, a useful counselling report needs to be specific. General statements such as “the participant needs ongoing counselling” do not say much on their own.

I want the report to explain what the counselling work has actually involved. That may include the issues being addressed, therapeutic goals, strategies used, attendance, engagement, progress, current concerns, and any change in the person’s support needs that is relevant to counselling.

I also look at functional impact where it falls within my role. This may include the person describing difficulty managing routines, leaving home, maintaining relationships, taking part in the community, coping with change, regulating emotions, or working towards plan goals.

The report should also be honest about progress. If someone has made gains, I include them. Making progress does not always mean support is no longer needed. It may mean the person is using strategies more often but still needs counselling to work on ongoing disability-related needs. At the same time, I would not write that a person needs support that I cannot justify from the counselling work.

Timing matters as well. Under the current NDIA guidance, evidence for a requested reassessment usually needs to be within four months of the request and after the current plan was approved. If you think a report may be needed, it is worth checking the current NDIA requirements before asking a provider to prepare one.

Counselling reports can also take time to prepare because they need to be accurate and based on the clinical record. A report is different from a session note or a short attendance letter.

What I see when NDIS counselling needs change

In my counselling work, I sometimes see people come in after something in their life has changed. It may be a change at home, a loss of support, a relationship problem, grief, increased stress, or a change in how they are managing day to day.

What stands out is that the person’s plan does not always show what is happening now. A plan may have been written months earlier. The person sitting with me today may be dealing with very different demands from the person who first received that plan.

That is why I think counselling reports need to be grounded in what has actually happened. I do not want to make someone sound worse than they are. I also do not want to write a vague report that leaves out the problems they are genuinely dealing with. The report needs to reflect the counselling record and the participant’s current situation.

I have also seen how stressful NDIS processes can become when people are unsure what evidence they need or who is allowed to make a request. The new reassessment rules make the participant, nominee, or child representative responsible for making the request. Providers can still contribute evidence within their role, but they cannot request the reassessment for the participant.

For people using counselling, the main point is simple. If your support needs have changed in a significant and ongoing way, tell your counsellor what has changed and how it is affecting your daily life. If a report is appropriate, the counsellor can explain what they can document and what sits outside their scope.

Strong Foundation Support provides individual counselling in Cairns and online counselling where appropriate. NDIS counselling is available for self-managed and plan-managed participants when counselling is covered by the participant’s plan and fits their support needs.

If you are an NDIS participant and your counselling needs have changed, counselling is available through Strong Foundation Support in Cairns and by telehealth. You can get in touch through my contact page to discuss whether my service may suit your current needs.