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Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is the only type of permanent accommodation where the NDIS funds the bricks and mortar. However, getting approval for SDA continues to be a challenge for many participants, and the number of people funded for SDA is still falling short of the NDIA’s estimated number of eligible participants. The SDA demand projections report from September 2023 estimated that 34,500 participants should be eligible for SDA. Yet the total number of people with SDA funding as of 30 June 2024 is 20,663.
So, what evidence do people need to gather to be approved for SDA in a plan?
1. Disability Requirements
To meet the SDA eligibility criteria people first need to demonstrate the impact of their disability. There are two sets of criteria that participants can choose between: the extreme functional impairment criteria or the very high support needs criteria.
For the extreme functional impairment requirements, they must establish their disability results in:
- an extreme functional impairment in the area(s) of self-care, self-management and/or mobility; and
- a very high need for support provided by another person (like a support worker) for the majority of the day
OR
For the very high support needs requirements, they must establish their disability results in either:
- very high support needs; and
- the person has previously lived in SDA-type accommodation OR
- the person has very high support needs that require support from another person (like a support worker) for the majority of the day, and:
- there either are limited informal supports available or
- without the support they would be a risk to themselves or others.
2. SDA Needs Assessment
The next step is to demonstrate how SDA can meet the person’s needs. It means showing SDA will:
- help a person to pursue their NDIS goals;
- reduce the impact of their functional impairment; and
- be value for money.
There are various sub-criteria depending on whether a person has met the extreme functional impairment or the very high support needs disability requirements. So please read the SDA rules for more detail.
Value for money can be demonstrated by showing that SDA will reduce the overall plan costs over time. For example, this may be through technology in the home that results in lower person-to-person support hours.
The NDIA doesn’t provide a template for needs assessments. However, experienced allied health professionals should know how to write one. Summer Foundation also has some useful resources on their website.
3. Design Category and Style
The final step in an SDA assessment is determining which design category best meets the person’s needs. There are four different design categories, which are described in the SDA Rules with more detail in the SDA Design Standards:
- Improved Liveability - properties with a reasonable level of physical access and enhancements.
- Fully Accessible - properties with a high level of physical access for people with physical impairments.
- High Physical Support - properties with a high level of physical access designed for people requiring high levels of support.
- Robust - properties that are strong and durable with a reasonable level of physical access.
The NDIS Review recommended removing the Improved Liveability design category, but to date the government has not responded to this recommendation. Therefore, some caution should be exercised about seeking eligibility for this category until we know more about its future.
Simultaneously, a person also needs to consider the style of housing that best suits them. The NDIS can fund different styles of homes, including: 2 and 3 bedroom houses, 1 to 3 person townhouses/villas/duplexes, and a range of apartments (excluding robust apartments). People can also be funded for 4 and 5 person group homes, however this style of housing is likely to be phased out in the future.
The final consideration is the location of the home. The NDIS categories locations through Statistical Areas (SA) regions - the statistical areas used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. SA regions divide up Australia’s total population into smaller groups. In the case of SDA, the NDIS uses SA4 regions, which are regions with somewhere between 100,000 to 500,000 people. Each region has a different location factor, which is designed to adjust to the local costs for SDA development in that location. The location factor is used to multiply the base SDA price limit. For example, in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, where land prices are sky-high, the location factor may be as high as 2. Meaning the SDA price limit is doubled. Whereas in some outer western Sydney locations, the factor may be less than 1.
For anyone looking to test their SDA eligibility or supporting someone through the process, we recommend looking at the SDA Rules to see the above criteria in its entirety.
For those wanting to learn more about SDA, check out our on-demand learning course ‘Introduction to Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).’ We also regularly run Home & Living workshops, which you can find on our Events page.
