Case study: Functional Capacity Assessment for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).

An adult in their 20s with formally diagnosed POTS (tilt-table confirmed) and concurrent post-viral fatigue syndrome. Cannot tolerate upright activity for more than 20-30 minutes before symptom escalation (tachycardia, presyncope, cognitive slowing). Bed-bound or recumbent for 4-6 hours after each upright episode. Previous funding requests declined because POTS is poorly understood in the NDIS evidence-review context. The participant had been told by NDIA delegates that 'POTS isn't NDIS-eligible' — a misunderstanding of how disability eligibility actually works.

Orthostatic tolerance documented through structured self-monitoring (heart rate response on standing, symptom escalation timeline, time-to-recovery). COMPASS-31 anchored autonomic symptom severity. WHODAS 2.0 anchored global functional limitation. Cognitive fatigue (often missed in POTS assessments) documented through pre-and-post upright cognitive screening. Daily diary data over three weeks established the upright-tolerance ceiling and recovery cycle. We framed the eligibility question correctly: NDIS eligibility is determined by functional impact, not diagnosis.

The report reframed the eligibility question correctly: POTS itself is not on or off an 'NDIS list'. NDIS eligibility is determined by functional impact, and the functional impact of severe POTS is documented in the international medical literature and was anchored in this report through standardised scoring. The plan-review delegate accepted the framing and supports were approved.

All names, ages, locations and biographical details have been changed or removed. No real participant data is shown. Funding outcomes are illustrative — no NDIS outcome is guaranteed by FCA Reports Australia.