Assistive technology repair and maintenance in your plan
Like other equipment, your assistive technology may need repairs.
If your item isn’t of acceptable quality, fit for purpose, or doesn’t work properly when it is first delivered to you, you should contact your AT assessor or the AT supplier to let them know and work out how they can fix the problem.
All your AT will have a warranty that covers these problems. If the problem can’t be quickly fixed, you can ask your provider for a refund or replacement.
Whether you have leased the AT or purchased it, Australian Consumer Law gives you rights if something is wrong with the equipment or supporting services. Read about your consumer rights.
We’ll include funding for repairs and maintenance in your plan for all assistive technology items that you are currently using.
You don’t need an assessment to have these funds included, it is based on whether you have reasonable and necessary mid or high cost AT that you use.
- For small repairs like a tyre puncture, we include funding in your Core – Consumables budget
- For major repairs like a regular service, we include funding in your Capital – Assistive Technology budget.
If you have remaining funds available after you've purchased your AT, you can also spend these on repairing and maintaining your AT.
You can tell us how much funding you need for repairs in a planning meeting or we can calculate this for you. The Assistive technology – Guide for funding of annual repairs and maintenance funding (DOCX 65KB) shows how the NDIA works out what to include in your plan.
If your plan has funding for repairs, you can get repairs and maintenance done as necessary. You should always ask for a quote from the repairer so you know how much it may cost.
Please discuss and agree with your chosen AT maintenance / repair provider about maintaining your AT and providing repairs (including after hours).
This will help you know what to do if your AT needs to be fixed unexpectedly.
You should let us know if your repairs are expensive, or if you need them frequently. We may be able to discuss if a different AT support should be explored to meet your needs better. Get in touch with your local area coordinator, planner, or AT advisor.
Even though your new assistive technology has a warranty, we’ll still include funding for maintenance and repairs you may need due to things like accidental damage, which will generally not be covered by your warranty.
Refer to Our Guideline, Assistive technology for more information:
- if you don’t have enough funding left in your current budget for repairs
- if you need repairs for a powered mobility device
- if you need urgent repairs outside business hours.
Keeping your AT working for you – and preparing for the unexpected
AT usually requires regular maintenance and care to keep it working well and minimise breakdowns. You should develop a maintenance schedule based on the manufacturer’s advice and arrange for this to be carried out with either the supplier (if they provide this service) or another suitable AT provider.
If you need your AT repaired because it has been damaged in a natural disaster, this would be an urgent repair.
Sometimes it makes more sense to replace the assistive technology if it’s old or badly damaged.
When you need assistance,
- if your plan is NDIA-managed, set up a service booking with your provider
- if your plan is plan-managed, confirm with your plan manager that sufficient funds are available and for them to provide details to your chosen repair provider on how to submit the repair invoice,
- if your plan is self-managed, have an arrangement with your provider. Find out more about making a service agreement.
You are encouraged to consider a back-up plan for times when your AT is being repaired or there is a delay in your provider completing the repair. This is really important if you don’t have an alternate support for AT that you cannot live safely without (e.g. a ventilator, transfer hoist or power wheelchair).
You should discuss this with your planner or LAC when your plan is being developed, including:
- who to call if you cannot contact your repairer
- whether friends or family can assist if needed
- access to loan equipment while AT is being repaired.
What to do if you need your AT repaired
1. Contact your AT repair provider
If you hire or lease AT, the organisation who provides it will normally repair your equipment.
If you have purchased AT, you should contact your preferred AT repair provider.
If you don’t know who to contact you can:
- find a registered provider on the myPlace portal
- speak to your LAC or support coordinator
- phone the NDIS Contact Centre.
2. Get a quote, if required, and arrange payment
If your repairs are going to cost more than $1,500, you usually need to supply a quote to the NDIA before a payment request can be accepted. Your planner or the NDIS Contact Centre can let you know when this is required.
For self-managed participants
You should pay the provider directly and then make a claim to be reimbursed for the repairs from your NDIS budget.
If this does not work or there are not enough funds in your plan, please phone the NDIS Contact Centre to seek a pre-claim authorisation approval.
Once the authorisation is processed, the NDIA will reimburse you for the total cost of the invoice.
For plan-managed participants
Your plan manager can make a service booking for the repairs on the myPlace portal. They will claim from your plan once they receive an invoice for the completed repairs.
If this does not work or there are not enough funds in your plan, your plan manager should phone the NDIS Contact Centre to seek a pre-claim authorisation approval.
Your plan manager will need participant name, NDIS number, and date of birth to get authorisation.
Once the authorisation is processed, the NDIA will pay your plan manager the cost of the invoice. Your plan manager will then pay for the repairs.
For NDIA-managed participants
The provider can make a service booking for the repairs on the myPlace portal. They will claim from your plan once they have completed the repairs to your satisfaction.
If this does not work or there are not enough funds in your plan, your provider should phone the NDIS Contact Centre to seek a pre-claim authorisation approval.
Your provider will need participant name, NDIS number and date of birth to get authorisation. You should be available to talk to the NDIS Contact Centre if they need you to give permission to talk to your repair provider about your plan.
Once the authorisation is processed, the NDIA will pay your provider for the repairs.
3. Have your AT repaired
Your provider can then make repairs to your AT. If a loan or interim AT support is needed while repairs are being done, discuss this with your AT repairer.
If you don’t know if you have enough budget in your NDIS plan, you can phone the NDIS Contact Centre.
They can help you check your budget, and if necessary, give authorisation for payment for urgent repairs.
What to do if you need your AT replaced
If you need to replace your assistive technology, we’ll help fund it as soon as possible.
Assistive technology may need replacing when:
- it doesn’t work anymore, or keeps breaking down
- it’s dangerous to keep using
- a child has outgrown their assistive technology
- it’s broken beyond repair.
We can include some funding for replacements in your Capital – Assistive Technology budget and a full assessment may not be required for higher cost AT replacement where it is like for like. This happens during the planning process.
We generally only replace items you got through the NDIS (or another Scheme) that is in your NDIS plan. We also need to know that you were recently using it. You can send us a tax invoice, receipt, or report from a repairer stating the item’s condition.
If your plan is already in place and you don’t have enough funds for a replacement, you need to ask for a change to your plan.
Please refer to our AT Operational Guideline for more information on:
- what you’ll need to show us
- plan reassessments
- replacements more than $15,000
- using AT replacement funding.