How to structure an NDIS functional capacity assessment

Full participant name as it appears on their NDIS plan, NDIS participant number (9 digits), date of birth, and primary diagnosis with any relevant secondary diagnoses. Your full name, qualifications, AHPRA registration number, clinic name, ABN, and NDIS provider registration number. The date you conducted the assessment and the date you wrote the report (these are often different).

If the assessment was conducted across multiple sessions, list all dates. Planners need to know how recent the findings are.

State who referred the participant and why. Was this requested by the participant themselves, their support coordinator, their plan manager, or the NDIA directly? What specific questions does the FCA need to answer? Is this for an initial NDIS application, a plan review, a change of circumstances, or a specific support request like assistive technology? The referral context shapes the entire assessment. An FCA supporting a home modification request needs different emphasis than one supporting a general plan review.

Relevant medical and developmental history, but only what directly affects function. Current medications and their impact on daily performance (fatigue, cognitive effects, pain management). Current living situation: who the participant lives with, the type of dwelling, and existing support arrangements. Recent changes in circumstances that prompted the assessment. Previous assessments and their findings, if available, to provide context for current results.

This is not a comprehensive medical file. Three to five paragraphs of relevant context is enough. If you are spending a full page on background, you are including information the planner does not need.

List every assessment tool you used, the version number, and the date administered. Explain why you chose each tool. For example: 'The WHODAS 2.0 was selected to provide a standardised measure of disability across six domains' or 'The FIM was used because the participant had a previous FIM score from 2024, allowing direct comparison.' Describe your informal assessment methods: clinical observation, structured interview, home environment assessment, community access observation. State where the assessment took place (clinic, home, community) and any factors that may have affected the participant's performance on the day.

If the participant was unwell, fatigued, anxious, or otherwise not performing at their typical level, say so. This is not a weakness in your assessment. It is honest reporting that planners respect.

Document the participant's ability to manage personal hygiene, dressing, toileting, eating, and medication management. For each area, state what the participant can do independently, what they can do with assistance, and what they cannot do at all. Specify the type of assistance required: verbal prompting, physical guidance, full physical assistance, or supervision only. Note any equipment currently used (shower chair, continence aids, modified utensils) and whether it is adequate.

Current mobility status indoors and outdoors. Walking distance with and without aids. Stair negotiation ability. Transfer ability (bed to chair, chair to toilet, in and out of car). Falls history in the past 12 months, including circumstances and consequences. Use standardised measures where available: Berg Balance Scale score, Timed Up and Go result, 6-Minute Walk Test distance. Describe the gap between the participant's current mobility and what they need to participate in their community.

Expressive and receptive communication ability. The modality the participant uses (verbal speech, sign, AAC device, gestures, a combination). Speech intelligibility to familiar and unfamiliar listeners. The complexity of language they can understand and produce. Social communication and pragmatic skills. If the participant uses an AAC system, document the system type, access method, vocabulary level, and how effectively they use it in daily life. For standardised assessment results, include the tool, date, scores, and a plain-language interpretation.

Attention, memory, planning, problem-solving, and executive function as they affect daily activities. Behavioural presentations that affect safety or participation: aggression, self-injury, absconding, sensory-seeking behaviours. Frequency and severity of behavioural incidents. Current behaviour support strategies and their effectiveness. Cognitive and behavioural findings should be linked to specific daily activities. 'Impaired executive function' is a clinical finding. 'Cannot sequence the steps of a meal preparation task without visual prompts' is a functional description the NDIA can act on.

The participant's current level of community engagement. Do they access shops, public transport, recreational activities, employment, or education? With what level of support? What barriers prevent greater participation: physical access, transport, communication, behaviour, carer availability? Document what the participant wants to do that they currently cannot. Participant aspirations are important because NDIS goals are meant to reflect what the participant wants to achieve, not just what the clinician thinks they need.

The physical environment: home layout, access barriers (steps, narrow doorways, bathroom configuration), lighting, noise levels. The social environment: who provides informal support, how much support they provide, and whether that level of informal support is sustainable. Attitudinal factors: does the participant's family support their independence goals, or are there conflicting views? Service environment: are there waitlists or service gaps in the participant's area? Environmental factors often determine whether a participant can use their funded supports effectively. A mobility programme is less effective if the participant's home has three steps at the front door and no ramp.

This is the section that ties everything together. Write a clear, consolidated summary of how the participant's disability affects their everyday functioning across all the domains you assessed. Explicitly link each functional limitation to the participant's disability. This is not a restatement of the domain findings. It is a synthesis. The planner should be able to read this section alone and understand why the participant needs NDIS support. Keep it to one page. Be direct.

This section answers the 'reasonable and necessary' question implicitly. If the functional impact is clearly disability-related, the supports that address it are by definition disability-related.

For each recommended support: state the support type, the frequency, the total hours per year, and the NDIS support category and line item code. Provide a brief justification linking the recommendation to a specific functional limitation identified in your assessment. For assistive technology: name the item, provide specifications, include the ATSNAVI code, state the clinical justification, and attach a supplier quote for items over $1,500. For home modifications: describe the modification, provide a builder's quote, and explain how the modification addresses a specific access barrier documented in your environmental assessment. Suggested goals for the next plan should be phrased in functional, participant-centred language.

Under the October 2024 Act amendments, recommendations must address needs 'arising from impairments that meet the disability or early intervention requirements.' Make the link between the impairment and the recommended support explicit.

A signed declaration that the assessment was conducted by you personally, the information is accurate, and the report was prepared in accordance with NDIS requirements. Include your full name as it appears on your AHPRA registration, your qualifications, your AHPRA registration number, and the date of signing. Sign and date every page of the report.