NDIS Letters of Support — Equipment, Housing and Therapy Evidence

A Letter of Support is a focused, single-purpose piece of clinical evidence written specifically to support one funding request — most commonly equipment, housing modifications or a specific therapy. A Letter of Support is shorter than a full FCA and is designed to be delivered fast when a specific funding decision needs additional clinical justification.

Letters of Support do not replace a Functional Capacity Assessment — they sit alongside an existing FCA and bring focused justification to a specific support that the FCA may have introduced but not fully evidenced.

Where the participant requires a specific piece of equipment — wheelchair, hoist, communication device, environmental control, vehicle modification, complex pressure care, sensory tool — the funding request typically needs:

1) A clinical justification linking the equipment to the participant's functional need; 2) Comparative options analysis demonstrating why the chosen equipment is the most cost-effective solution; 3) A maintenance and replacement schedule.

Our equipment Letters of Support address all three. They are routinely paired with an Assistive Technology Assessment where the AT is complex (Level 3 or Level 4) and requires standalone justification.

Where the participant requires home modifications — ramp access, bathroom modifications, ceiling track hoists, kitchen modifications, environmental controls — the funding request needs functional justification linking the modification to the participant's daily function and safety profile.

Our housing Letters of Support provide this functional evidence. They complement the design submission produced by a building practitioner or AT-trained OT. Where the modifications are extensive — or the participant is also considering SDA — we recommend pairing the letter with our SDA assessment pathway.

Where the participant requires increased or sustained therapy supports — Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, Psychology, Positive Behaviour Support, Exercise Physiology — a Letter of Support can articulate the clinical rationale, expected outcomes, recommended hour quantum and projected duration.

Therapy Letters of Support are most commonly used when the participant's current therapy funding is insufficient, when a new therapy stream is being introduced, or when the NDIA has questioned the necessity of a therapy line in the participant's plan.

An FCA establishes the functional foundation — the *why* a participant needs significant supports. A Letter of Support addresses the *what* in detail for one specific request. Together they form a coherent evidence package: the FCA establishes the impairment, the Letter establishes the specific solution.

Where the participant does not yet have a current FCA, we will recommend the FCA and Letter of Support be issued together so the funding decision has full evidentiary support. Where a current FCA is in place, the Letter of Support typically references the existing FCA rather than duplicating it.