What Disabilities Qualify for the NDIS?

Is there a list of eligible NDIS disabilities?

While the NDIS recognises certain medical conditions as more likely to meet eligibility requirements, this isn’t the only thing the agency looks at. They look at impact, permanency and your support needs – not just your medical history.

However, the NDIS does still need evidence to prove your eligibility, showing:

• Your disability is caused by an impairment that is likely to be permanent. It doesn’t matter if this came about through birth, injury, accident, or disease. 
• This impairment “substantially reduces” your functional capacity – i.e. your ability to move around, communicate, work, study, socialise, or take care of yourself.
• You’re likely to need NDIS support for your lifetime.

Related: Does the NDIS Cover Psychology for Autism?

NDIS disability lists explained

The NDIS uses certain lists to guide their decision-making, but they’re not absolutes.

You may see List A or List B mentioned in the NDIS guidelines regarding eligibility. While these indicate what is likely to meet the NDIS criteria for disability requirements, you’re not automatically guaranteed access to the NDIS or funded supports. Find out more about how to apply for NDIS funding.

List A

Medical conditions on List A are “likely to meet the disability requirements”. This is because these conditions are almost always considered to be permanent, and to significantly impact your functional capacity.

Broadly speaking, List A covers:

• Intellectual disability: Diagnosed and assessed as moderate, severe, or as profound.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Diagnosed and assessed as Level 2 or Level 3 under DSM-5 criteria.
• Cerebral palsy: Diagnosed and assessed as Level 3, 4 or 5 on the GMFCS.
• Sensory loss: Permanent blindness (< 6/60 visual acuity), permanent bilateral hearing loss, or deafblindness.
• Genetic conditions resulting in “permanent and severe” intellectual and physical impairments.
• Spinal cord injury or brain injury resulting in paraplegia, tetraplegia or quadriplegia.
• Hemiplegia: Severe or total loss of movement and strength in affected limbs.
• Amputation or congenital absence of two limbs; e.g. 2 arms, 2 legs, or a leg and an arm – but not a leg and a hand, or an arm and a foot.

List B

List B covers conditions that are likely to result in permanent intellectual or learning impairment, meaning they are likely to impact you or your loved one for a lifetime. Some conditions may change in severity or come in episodes, but still be considered permanent if the overall impact continues over your lifetime.

This includes many conditions that are the same as List A, but of lesser severity. Examples include:

• Intellectual disability.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Chromosomal abnormalities that result in permanent impairment, but aren’t specific on List A.
• Conditions primarily resulting in neurological impairment, such as Alzheimer’s dementia, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia.
• Physical impairments such as amputation or congenital absence of limbs, juvenile arthritis.
• Cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes.
• Sensory or speech impairments.
• Conditions resulting in multiple types of impairment.

Other NDIS lists

You might see it mentioned in some places, but NDIS List C isn’t actually functional anymore. This was a list designed to fast-track participants in former Western Australian government disability programs, which have now been transitioned into the NDIS or other more appropriate programs.

NDIS List D is for specific, permanent disabilities or conditions in children under 7. This would include things like global developmental delay, muscular dystrophies, Niemann-Pick disease, deafblindness or other conditions resulting in neurological, sensory and/or speech impairment (or a combination of these).

What if your disability isn’t listed?

If your disability isn’t specified on the lists, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re not eligible. You can still apply for the NDIS – if you have strong evidence of functional impact, you may be eligible for funding.

What if the NDIS says no?

If you apply for funding from the NDIS and aren’t approved, you’ll receive a decision letter telling you why. From there, you can:

• Ask questions or request an internal review.
• Apply again later (if you ask for an internal review of your application, you’ll need to wait for this to be completed before you can apply again).
• Ask to be connected to other community or government supports, or early connections for children under 9.

The NDIS as a program needs to stay focused on its mission so that it doesn’t balloon out. Sometimes when you apply for NDIS funding, you may find out there’s another avenue for support that suits your situation and needs better.

NDIS eligibility explained

To be able to apply for NDIS funding, you must be:

• Aged 9-65 (children and people over 65 have other supports available)
• An Australian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Special Category Visa Holder.
• Meet NDIS disability requirements, early intervention requirements, or both.

Does the NDIS change eligibility criteria?

The basic criteria listed above likely won’t change, but the NDIS does regularly update its guidelines, application process, evidence required and how this is assessed. It’s best to check the latest NDIS guidelines on their website, to make sure you’re acting on the latest information.

For example, recent changes have been announced as part of wider NDIS reform:

1. The new I-CAN NDIS assessment system will be rolled out from mid-2026 to help make the process fairer and more accessible for everyone.
2. The Thriving Kids program will start to be phased in from mid-2026 as well, which means children aged 0-8 with “low to moderate” support needs will be able to access more supports through existing systems (like GPs, health services and schools) instead of having to apply for the NDIS.

This will have an impact on people applying for the NDIS for the first time, or people renewing their plans after mid-2026.

The NDIS also regularly updates their Price Arrangements and Price Limits guide (PAPL), which confirms things like what an NDIS support is, who can supply it, and how much providers can charge for specific supports.

5 tips for applying to the NDIS

If you’re looking to apply or need more support than your current plan provides, here are some tips to help you feel more confident and prepared as you go.

1.     Avoid downplaying your challenges

Don’t only describe your best days in the application or when talking to the NDIS – describe your usual or hardest days. Make sure you mention the full scope of your challenges, and what support you need to get through everyday tasks even on a bad day.

2.     Focus on how your disability affects daily life

Even with List A and List B, the NDIS currently places more weight on functional impact than on diagnosis names. You should think about:

• What you struggle to do on your own
• What you need help, prompting or assistive technology to achieve
• How your disability affects your work, study, relationships or community participation

This aligns with what the NDIS will build your plan around (which supports can increase your functional capacity, and help you live a more independent life).

3.     Get evidence from professionals who know you well

For people applying before the I-CAN changes are applied, strong evidence from treating professionals is the best way to support your application. If you’ve been working with your GP or allied health professionals for a while, they’ll have a better understanding of how your disability affects you day-to-day – and can better explain your needs as supporting evidence.

4.     Ask for help

Applying doesn’t have to be something you do on your own! If you’re thinking about applying to the NDIS, you can ask for help from people like a Local Area Coordinator (LAC), an early childhood partner (for young children), or from trusted informal supports like your family or friends.

5.     Keep copies and track your progress

You might end up talking to a lot of different people, including multiple conversations with the NDIS. It can help to:

• Keep copies of forms, reports and letters as you submit them
• Write down names, dates, and what you talked about after phone calls or meetings – if you find that tricky or awkward to do, ask a support person if they can take notes so you can focus on the conversation.
• Save emails and reference numbers so you can easily find them later.

That way you can respond quickly if the NDIS needs more information, avoid repeating conversations, and feel more confident and in control during the process.

NDSP makes your NDIS journey easier

Becoming an NDIS participant can feel a bit like stepping into a whole new world sometimes, with complex rules and a lot of moving parts.

NDSP supports plan-managed participants across Australia. We take on time-consuming things like budget tracking, financial admin and record-keeping, monthly reporting, and processing provider invoices to the NDIA, so you can focus on more important things.

Try our free online participant toolbox to get started on all things NDIS – or, contact our friendly team today to find out how our comprehensive plan management services can help you.