What is Reasonable and Necessary?

Reasonable and Necessary is the criteria that the NDIA uses to determine whether goods or services that an individual intends to access are in line with their plan and the NDIS guidelines. 

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What are the NDIS guidelines?

The NDIS guidelines outline the following parameters:

• must be related to a participant’s disability
• must not include day-to-day living costs not related to your disability support needs
• should be value for money
• must be likely to be effective and work for the participant
• should take into account support given to you by other government services, your family, carers, networks and the community.
• Must not cause harm to you or others
• The item or service must not be prohibited by law
• Must not be a source of income replacement

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Are there items that are never allowed?

Yes. In line with the above guidelines, there are some items and services that are not permitted to be paid for by an NDIS plan, such as:

• Food
• Weighted blankets
• Rent
• Utility bills 
• Phone bills 
• Mortgage repayments
• Groceries
• Internet bills
• Upgrades to AT with materials such as marble and leather. 

There are also some items that fall under Level 3 & 4 Assistive technology which cannot be paid out of CORE. They are considered higher risk and therefore need supporting documentation in order to be purchased e.g powered wheelchair.

If you have any concerns about any of the above, please reach out to your NDIS representative or call 1800 800 110.

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