When life changes suddenly or significantly, your NDIS plan might need to change too. That’s where a Change in Situation (COS) and SDA comes in. A COS reflects a major, ongoing shift in your life, such as a loss of informal supports, a decline in functional capacity, or a change in living arrangements. These shifts can impact your ability to live safely, independently, or with dignity.
Importantly, reporting a Change of Situation can trigger a full plan reassessment under Section 48 of the NDIS Act, opening the door to updated funding, supports, or even Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in urgent or crisis situations. In part 3 of this guide, we’ll break down what qualifies as a COS, the evidence needed (especially in emergencies), and how to make a strong case when your needs can’t wait.
A COS typically leads to a full plan reassessment under Section 48.
This applies when there’s been a substantial ongoing change in:
- Functional capacity
- Informal supports (e.g. a parent has gone into aged care and is no longer able to help the participant in the future, this is different to if an informal support has gone into hospital for a short time)
- Living arrangements (e.g. you’re unable to live in a shared home due to behaviours or privacy needs)
- Major, ongoing life transitions (e.g. someone moving from the educational system needing extra support to join the workforce)
This can also apply for Housing and support needs related to SDA (e.g. you’re exiting hospital or rehab and can’t return to your previous home due to accessibility or safety issues, or your current housing is no longer suitable despite all reasonable alternatives being explored)
Tip: If you’ve had a medical event that now requires 24/7 support or you’re exiting hospital and can’t return to your previous home, this change may justify SDA funding under a COS reassessment.
Evidence for SDA & Crisis Funding
To access SDA – especially in a time-sensitive or emergency, it’s not enough to just tell the NDIS what support you need and the implications of not receiving that support. You must also explain why other options won’t work. The NDIS won’t assume that because you have a disability you automatically require a particular type of support. You need to show that all reasonable alternatives have been considered and ruled out.
You also need to provide evidence from a specialist-type the NDIS has approved. You can find the list of accepted evidence in this handy document. The NDIS also has an explainer for how they develop participant plans, you can read that here.
For example:
- If you’re requesting an electric wheelchair, you must explain why a manual one isn’t suitable based on your physical function and daily life.
- If you need a different type of SDA funding, you’ll need to show why home modifications or in-home support won’t meet your needs – perhaps because your living situation is unsafe, unstable, or not adaptable.
To strengthen your case, make sure your evidence:
- Links your diagnosis to your functional impairments
- Demonstrates how these impairments affect your housing needs
- Shows how other solutions have been tried (or assessed as unsuitable)
- Includes assessments from appropriate professionals (e.g. an Occupational Therapist for housing or mobility needs)
- Follows NDIS templates and guidance where available (e.g. for assistive technology or housing needs)
Examples of Crisis/Emergency Needs:
- Your accessible home has been damaged in an environmental event, and temporary housing isn’t suitable
- You’ve experienced a sudden functional decline and now require equipment or support not previously funded
- Your informal supports have been hospitalised, leaving you at immediate risk if you remain in your current living situation
Evidence for SDA & Crisis Funding
To access SDA in a time-sensitive or emergency, you’ll need to:
- Link your diagnosis to your functional impairment
- Call the NDIS daily to check on your application – even if there is no news, it’s important to ensure your application has reached the correct hands
Tip: The NDIS has moved from a participant centred language to a deficient language. While this is disappointing, it’s important to remember rather than talking about what you can do, focus on what you can’t.
- Provide assessments from the correct professionals (e.g. OT for housing needs) You can find the list of approved specialists for requests on the NDIS website here:
- Demonstrate that alternatives (like home mods or in-home supports) are not suitable (e.g. you might live in a rental and not be able to implement a home modification.)
- Clearly outline risk if immediate action isn’t taken (e.g. being trapped in a non-accessible home in a fire risk zone)
Tip: When engaging with the NDIS, it can feel disheartening to realise that the system often prioritises risk mitigation over enhancing someone’s quality of life. While the scheme was created to support people to live with greater independence, dignity and inclusion, many find that their support requests are only taken seriously when they highlight how dangerous it would be not to provide them.
Examples of Crisis/Emergency Needs:
- Your accessible home has been damaged in an environmental event, and temporary housing isn’t suitable
- You’ve experienced a sudden functional decline and now require equipment or support not previously funded
- Your informal supports have been hospitalised, leaving you at immediate risk if you remain in your current living situation
If you or someone you support is experiencing a significant change — especially one that affects safety, housing, or independence — don’t wait!
Understanding the difference between a COC, COD and Change in Situation and how it relates to SDA can help you advocate effectively, provide the right evidence and access vital supports like SDA faster. You can find our part one and part two blogs on Change in Circumstances and Change of details here.