Recovery, compensation reduction amounts and special circumstances

Compensation reduction amount and your NDIS plan

The NDIS is designed to complement, not replace, existing compensation arrangements for personal injury. This means the NDIS won’t duplicate funding for the types of supports provided for in your compensation payment.

It also means your NDIS plan can focus on providing other funded supports that may not be covered by a compensation claim.
 
If your compensation payment includes funding for the types of supports that may also be funded by the NDIS, then the funding in your NDIS plan may be adjusted. 

The adjustment in your funding is worked out by calculating a compensation reduction amount (CRA).

To help you understand what a CRA is, and how it may impact the funding in your NDIS plan, please complete our Compensation Information Form (PDF 200KB). The information you provide in this form will help the NDIA work through your circumstances with you.

If you would like an estimate of what your CRA might be, use the CRA online estimator.

If you would like more information on CRAs, see: 

Recovery of NDIS amounts previously paid for supports

The NDIA may recover an amount from your compensation payment if your claim is finalised after you become a participant. 

The amount recovered won’t be more than the amount the NDIS has already paid for supports relating to your injury. This amount is calculated from the date you entered the NDIS or your date of injury (whichever is the later), until the day before your claim was finalised.

You can ask for a list of the supports the NDIS has paid for by sending an email request to [email protected]. Please allow 21 days for us to provide this information to you. 

If you tell the NDIA about your compensation claim before it is finalised, we will recover any amount owed from the compensation payer or insurer. After the compensation payer or insurer has paid the NDIA, the balance of the compensation payment will be paid to you. 

If you tell the NDIA about your compensation claim after it has finalised, and you have received the payment, we will recover any amount owed from you.

The NDIA may also make an adjustment, called a compensation reduction amount to your plan because of a compensation payment.

If you would like more information, see Recovering past NDIS amounts from compensation and Recovery from compensation payers and insurers.

    Special circumstances 

    If your circumstances are unusual, uncommon or exceptional, you may apply for consideration of special circumstances. 

    We will look at your special circumstances application and, if it is appropriate may reduce, in whole or in part:

    • the amount we recover from your compensation; or
    • the CRA.

    If you would like to apply for consideration of special circumstances, please contact the Compensation Recoveries Branch on 1800 800 110 or send an email to [email protected]. You may be asked to provide further information to support your claim.

    Read more about special circumstances and compensation.

    This page current as of
    29 September 2021
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