Does the NDIS Fund Neuropsychology?

The NDIS may fund a neuropsychological assessment when it helps a participant build or maintain functional capacity related to their disability and meets the NDIS funding criteria. It generally does not fund assessments whose main purpose is diagnosing or treating a health condition. Those usually sit with the health system or are paid privately.

The deciding factor is almost always the purpose of the assessment, not the profession doing it. The same set of tests can be fundable for one participant and not another, depending on the question being asked.

Funded or not funded: the test the NDIA applies

The NDIA lists psychology among the therapy supports it can fund. Therapy supports should be evidence-based, help improve or maintain skills and independence and, for capacity building, have clear goals and outcomes. A neuropsychological assessment is more likely to fit when it:

• relates directly to the participant's disability

• answers a question about how cognition affects everyday function

• will be used to shape disability-related supports, therapy or support planning

• is the most appropriate way to answer that question

It is less likely to be NDIS-funded when:

• The main purpose is diagnosis or treatment. The NDIA's Would We Fund It? guidance on mental health supports says clinical assessment, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of a mental health condition are the responsibility of the health system.

• Another system already pays. NDIS funding cannot pay for a service another system already funds, or cover Medicare gap payments.

• A compensation scheme covers the injury. If a motor accident, lifetime care or workers compensation scheme covers the person's injury, the NDIA says it cannot fund supports the scheme already provides.

Two examples side by side

Likely to fit NDIS funding

A participant with an acquired brain injury has an NDIS plan. Since moving into a new home, they keep missing medication, leave the stove on and cannot keep to a weekly routine. Their Support Coordinator wants to know why, so supports can be set up properly. The referral asks: "Which cognitive difficulties are driving these problems, and what strategies, prompts and level of support will help them manage at home?" The assessment is about function, linked to disability, and the findings will directly shape supports.

Unlikely to fit NDIS funding

A person's family has noticed memory changes over the past year. Their GP wants to know whether this is early dementia, a mood condition or something else. The question is diagnostic, so the assessment would usually go through the health system, a specialist referral or private payment. If the person later becomes an NDIS participant, a function-focused assessment may then be a different conversation.

Before you refer: a quick checklist

• Write the everyday problem in one or two sentences, not just "please assess cognition"

• Say how the findings will be used, such as adjusting support hours, therapy goals or living arrangements

• Link the question to the participant's disability and plan goals

• Check the plan has capacity building funding available and confirm how it is managed

• Check whether a compensation scheme is involved before anything is booked

• Gather the current plan, recent reports and a short note on which tasks are proving hard

For referral wording, see When Should a Support Coordinator Refer to Neuropsychology?

What about people who are not yet NDIS participants?

Without an NDIS plan, there is no NDIS funding to use. People applying to the NDIS usually rely on existing reports from treating professionals, or arrange assessments privately or through the health system.

Next step

This article is general information, not individual NDIS or clinical advice. Funding decisions depend on each participant's plan and circumstances.

Check whether neuropsychology suits the participant or learn more about CARED's neuropsychological assessments. For the full picture, read NDIS Neuropsychology: Assessments, Reports and Support.