Capital Supports Budget: Home Modifications

Of all your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) budgets, the Capital Supports budget has the least flexibility. These are stated supports, meaning you cannot use them to fund anything outside of what has been outlined in your plan.

That is because your Capital Supports are allocated for larger investments such as assistive technology over $1,500, vehicle modifications, or as we discuss in this article, Home Modifications. These are higher-cost, one-off purchases designed to improve your quality of life; therefore, the NDIS likes to do its due diligence to ensure the investment is reasonable and necessary in your specific circumstances.

Other Capital Supports include Assistive Technology and Specialist Disability Accommodation, which are again usually higher-cost items.

Related: Capital Supports Budget 101: Everything You Need to Know!

Does NDIS pay for home renovations?

The NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) does not pay for general home renovations for NDIS participants. It would not fund restoration or repairs not related to your disability support needs. These are costs everyone must pay as a homeowner regardless of ability, so they don’t qualify as NDIS supports under home modifications.

However, the NDIA may fund disability-specific home modifications if these are deemed reasonable and necessary for your unique needs.

Related: Reasonable and Necessary Supports Under the NDIS

Home Modifications Explained

NDIS Home Modifications is a subcategory of the Capital Supports budget. It may fund changes to the structure, fittings or layout of your home in order to make it safer and easier for you to use. These modifications can promote independence and enable you to live more comfortably while going about your daily tasks.

As line items in the ATHM and Consumables Code Guide, the modifications list is split into three areas: Minor Home Modifications (MHM), Home Modifications (HM), and Complex Home Modifications (CHM). You may have a combination of line items approved if your circumstances require funding home modifications at different levels of complexity, or you could only need minor adjustments.

1. Minor Home Modifications

Minor Home Modifications are lower risk, straightforward, and usually only impact one or two areas around the home. 

Generally speaking, minor modifications are also non-structural and cover the retrofitting of things like lever-style door handles, non-slip flooring, accessible light switches or power points, and hand-held shower heads and rails. Minor modifications budgets are based on current market prices; these are updated periodically.

2. Home Modifications

These items are structural; think assistive equipment like stair climbers, ramps, or ceiling hoists. Unlike MHM, these would typically need some kind of building consent or relevant permissions before the changes could be made in your home environment.

Home Modification (HM)-coded line items also include things like design consultation with a builder, certification and compliance approval, and building works project management.

3. Complex Home Modifications

As the name suggests, Complex Home Modifications need a greater level of certification, detailed specifications of work, and up to two (2) quotes. They involve structural changes. Complex home modifications include funding for a building construction practitioner (BCP) to determine the best options for making your home accessible, and to help navigate the complex home modifications process.

Assistive equipment funded as part of complex home modifications will be home-based; other technology for mobility and recreational inclusion (like wheelchairs, custom prosthetics or vehicle modifications) would be categorised under Core Budgets: Assistive Technology.

How do I get Home Modifications funded?

You’ll need to request home modifications from the NDIS, via your ‘my NDIS’ contact. You will have to provide sufficient evidence to help the NDIS decide if they can fund your application. What this evidence needs to be will depend on the complexity of the modification.

All home modification support needs must first be assessed by an Occupational Therapist (OT) or an otherwise qualified home modification assessor. Each support, and the whole package of your Home Modifications funding, needs to meet NDIS criteria.

The NDIS may ask:

• Does this relate to your disability needs?
• Will it help you to pursue your goals?
• Will it be effective and beneficial for you?
• Will the home modification help you to better take part in social or work life?
• Is it legal, and is it safe?
• Is the home modification an NDIS Support?
• Is it value for money?

Related: NDIS Eligibility – A Complete Guide on How to Apply for Funding

Do you need permission to modify your home?

You may need to provide written permission to the NDIS, from the homeowner or other relevant bodies:

• If you rent your home, you will need permission from your landlord and confirmation on whether the modifications would need to be removed at the end of your tenancy.
• If you own your home and have a mortgage, you should check with your mortgage provider if they need to approve modifications.
• If you own a home in a shared ownership complex (an apartment block or residential community), you’ll need permission from your governing body – your body corporate, owners corporation, or community association.

If you own your home outright, and don’t have a mortgage or any obligations to a body corporate or similar, you won’t need this third party permission.

Funding customised home modifications

The NDIA will cover only what is reasonable and necessary to make your home accessible. If you would like to include extra features, or personalise any finishes, you will have to pay for these additional costs yourself (beyond the standard modifications the NDIA has agreed to fund).

Keeping track of budgets with Plan Management

One of the common foils for the unwary when it comes to home maintenance funds is the potential for crossover with other categories, sometimes resulting in mistakenly claiming twice. Say you claimed a handrail from your Consumables budget – you can’t claim this as part of Minor Home Modification costs (or vice versa). But if you are self-managing your plan, figuring out where things fit and tracking your past claims can be tricky.

This can lead to non-compliant claims being rejected by the NDIA, or in some cases having to pay the NDIA back after your claim was initially accepted. Not a headache you want to have either way! 

If you are spending too much time and energy self-managing your NDIS plan, then Plan Management may be the better option for you. You can hand the stress of your plan’s financial administration over while retaining control over your support choices.

NDSP: Your Plan Management Specialists

Having transparency and visibility over your NDIS budgets is invaluable. With NDSP, you have anytime access to our user-friendly Nappa portal. This gives you a look at your NDIS budget in real time and on any device. You can always see exactly what is happening with your NDIS funds, budgets and invoices, in detail.

We also have a free participant toolbox on our site so you can brush up on all things NDIS. And if you’re not sure about anything, our friendly team is available for a chat on 1800 63 63 77 – we have a deep understanding of the NDIS environment, including the latest regulatory updates.

Our priority is to support you in your NDIS journey by managing the financial aspects of your plan. We handle the admin, record keeping, budget tracking, and provider invoices so you can get on with what you really enjoy doing.

Why not contact NDSP today to find out how we can help. We’re more than happy to assist you with your queries!