This guide explains how to describe needs that may be missed in a short appointment, choose relevant records, clarify the assessment process, and avoid the traps that can understate what you need. It is for participants, families, carers, support coordinators and referrers preparing for those conversations.
Note: the examples in this article are fictional and are included for illustration only. They do not describe a real participant, VennCare client or assessment outcome.
Summary of Content
- An FCA describes function, it does not decide anything. The written outcome is an OT FCA report, and it is one input into an NDIA decision rather than something that settles it.
- Not everyone needs one. An FCA is not required to be eligible for the NDIS. Ask what question a proposed assessment is meant to answer, and what is still unclear in the records you already have.
- Describe the help, effort and recovery around a task, not only whether you can complete it.
- Familiar help becomes invisible. Support that has been part of a routine for years often stops being described as help at all, most strongly in personal care.
- Capacity varies, so offer a range. An easier day, a harder day, a typical week, how often the harder days come around and how long recovery takes.
- Do not change your routine for an assessment. Keep using your usual supports, equipment and medication as directed by your treating professionals.
- Settle the practical terms before booking — purpose, method, likely appointments, fees, travel, report timeframe and access arrangements.
- Before a plan exists, the cost falls to you. A support letter is often enough at the access stage, and a fuller assessment can wait until there is a plan that can fund it.
- Check the report for factual accuracy. Factual corrections go to the provider who wrote it, and are different from asking for a changed opinion.
- Review deadlines are short. Generally three months to ask the NDIA for an internal review, and 28 days to apply to the ART after one.
- No one can predict the outcome. The NDIA decides funding, so no provider or coordinator can promise a result.
What is an occupational therapy functional capacity assessment
An occupational therapy functional capacity assessment looks at how everyday activities are completed and how disability affects daily life. The written outcome is called an OT FCA report, and that is the term you will see in most requests. The NDIA’s guide to functional capacity assessments explains its general role.
The label matters less than the question behind it. Two assessments with the same name can look quite different depending on what the report is meant to answer, who asked for it and where it will end up. Clarifying that early is worth the time, because it shapes which parts of your daily life the OT will want to explore and how much detail each one needs.
Whatever the purpose, the same raw material is useful. When preparing for an assessment, it can help to describe:
- What you do independently
- What is difficult
- The help, equipment, prompting or supervision you use
- How long an activity takes and whether you can do it safely and repeatedly
- What happens afterwards, including fatigue, pain or recovery time
Include your strengths, usual strategies and preferences. You do not need to exaggerate difficulties or hide what you can do. The aim is to help the OT understand what everyday life is actually like for you.
How to prepare for an OT functional capacity assessment
Preparing for an OT functional capacity assessment is straightforward. In short, bring a few real examples of everyday activities to share with your OT. Explain the help, equipment, prompts, time, safety concerns and recovery involved. Note how your capacity changes across days, gather relevant records, and clarify the assessment’s purpose, fees, report timeframe and access arrangements before booking. Keep using your usual supports where funding allows, and never put yourself at risk to demonstrate a difficulty.
Traps that can skew the outcome
An account of everyday function can be skewed without anyone intending it. A common reason is familiarity: help that has been part of a routine for years stops registering as help at all, and gets described as something the person simply does.
For example, someone may prepare a simple lunch only because a family member plans the meal, a support worker sets out the ingredients and stays nearby, and they rest afterwards. Asked whether they can cook, they may reasonably answer yes, because that is their experience of the task.
Saying only “I can cook” leaves out the help, effort and recovery that make it possible. An experienced OT will usually ask follow-up questions rather than take a short answer at face value, but describing the whole routine yourself gives the most accurate picture.
A meal is an easy example to picture, but the effect is usually strongest in personal care. Someone who has had help with showering, dressing or continence management for years may describe themselves as managing, because that help stopped being something separate from the task a long time ago. These are also the hardest things to raise with a stranger, which makes them the easiest to summarise away in a single word.
Familiarity is not the only thing that can flatten an account. What you can manage also shifts from one day to the next, and a single appointment may happen to land on a good one.
Explaining needs that change across days
One appointment may show only part of your ordinary routine. You might prepare lunch with little help on one day and need much more on another. Pain and fatigue can also affect what you manage afterwards.
Because of that, a single snapshot can be misleading in either direction. The most useful thing you can offer is range rather than a single answer.
Describe an easier day, a harder day and what a typical week looks like. Where relevant, explain the effects of pain, fatigue, sensory overload, distress, concentration changes, medication effects or disrupted sleep. Say how often the harder days come around and how long it takes you to recover from one.
It also helps to consider the effect on later activities. Attending an appointment, for example, may leave less energy for preparing dinner or completing personal care. Transport, planning and communication assistance may also be part of what makes attendance possible.
Some disabilities and impairments involve symptoms or functional capacity that vary over time. For NDIS access, the NDIA considers the legislative requirements and the evidence in the individual circumstances. A changing pattern alone does not determine whether those requirements are met. See the current NDIS Act and NDIA guidance on supporting evidence.
Keeping a short activity record
Recalling all of that at an appointment is harder than it sounds. Days blur together, and it is easy to remember the worst week or the best one rather than the ordinary run of them. If you cannot say with any confidence how much help you needed on a given day, or how often the harder days come around, brief notes over a couple of weeks can settle it.
You do not need to write much: the activity, the help involved, how long it took or how much it cost you, and what happened afterwards. Include ordinary days as well as unusually difficult ones, because a record of only the bad days is as partial as a good day at an appointment.
A record like that is only worth keeping if it describes your life as it normally runs, and the same holds for the appointment itself. Neither is a reason to change anything in the lead-up. Continue using your usual supports, equipment, medication and safety strategies as directed by your treating professionals. Do not stop medication, withdraw help or deliberately worsen symptoms for an assessment. Explain an unsafe task without attempting it to prove the difficulty.
Whether you need an FCA, and what it should address
All of the above assumes an assessment is going ahead. But before it does, it is worth checking whether you need one at all, and if so, what it is being asked to establish.
Not everyone needs a new FCA. The NDIA’s FCA guidance states that an FCA is not required to be eligible for the NDIS. It may be one source of information about functional impact, depending on the circumstances.
An OT FCA report is usually requested at particular points rather than as a standing requirement. The most common is preparing for a plan reassessment — often called a plan renewal or rollover — which the NDIA may raise as your current plan comes to an end, or which you can request yourself when your situation has significantly changed. A report may also support a request to vary an existing plan.
For a plan reassessment the NDIA asks for evidence of a significant, ongoing change in support needs, and expects that evidence to be recent: usually dated within four months of the request and after your current plan was approved. That recency expectation is often why an earlier report cannot simply be reused. See the NDIA’s plan reassessment guidance.
If an assessment has been suggested to you — by a support coordinator, a plan manager, a treating professional or the NDIA — ask what question it is meant to answer before you agree to it. Is the purpose to describe your daily support needs, to explain a change in your function, or to provide information for a particular process? Each of those leads to a different report.
It is also worth asking what is still unclear in the records you already have. If nobody can point to a specific gap, a new assessment may not be the thing that is needed.
An FCA does not determine NDIS access or funding by itself. The NDIA’s evidence guidance distinguishes providing evidence from deciding eligibility. Clarify the information needed before committing to another assessment.
Choosing an appropriate provider
Once the purpose is settled, the next question is who should carry it out. There is no single right answer.
The most appropriate professional depends on the purpose of the assessment, your disability or that of the person you support, and the functional questions involved. Discuss those questions with the provider before booking, rather than assuming any OT will suit any purpose.
Those differences are practical rather than abstract. An assessment about getting in and out of your own home is a different piece of work from one about a wheelchair, which is different again from one about how a child manages a school day. The first may call for a home visit, the second for equipment trials with a supplier, and the third for contact with the school. A provider who does one of those every week may rarely do the others.
Once you know what the assessment is likely to involve, the practical arrangements are worth settling as well. Ask about the proposed assessment method, the likely number of appointments, the setting and the communication arrangements. Confirm how you will receive the report and how to raise questions about factual details.
A provider should be able to answer all of that readily. What none of them can tell you, however experienced, is how the NDIA will decide — that sits with the agency, not with the person writing the report.
Fees and payment to clarify
Request a clear explanation of the work and fees before booking. Ask whether the quote covers appointments, travel, discussions with other people, report writing and feedback. Confirm the expected report timeframe, any external deadline you need the provider to consider, and cancellation terms.
If you intend to use NDIS funding, check your plan and current rules before incurring a cost. The answer can depend on the relevant budget, support restrictions and payment arrangements. Discuss payment with the provider and, where relevant, your plan manager or NDIA contact. The NDIA’s guide to using funding is the starting point; this article cannot confirm whether your plan can pay for an FCA.
The position is different before a plan exists. If you are applying to the NDIS, the cost of an assessment falls to you. Depending on what has been asked for, a support letter from a treating professional setting out functional impact is often enough at the access stage, and a fuller assessment can wait until there is a plan that can fund it.
Describing an everyday activity clearly
Much of the assessment turns on how well a handful of ordinary activities are described. A vague account leaves gaps that get filled with assumptions; a specific one does not. It is usually better to work through a few activities in real detail than to summarise everything you do in a sentence each.
Start with something familiar: preparing lunch, getting dressed, leaving home or managing an appointment. Follow it from preparation to recovery, rather than stopping at the moment the task is technically finished.
What to include before, during and after the task
Use four hints to guide your thinking: activity → support → time or effort → impact afterwards.
Returning to the meal example: preparing lunch might involve ingredients being set out, reminders about the steps and supervision at the stove, with rest needed afterwards. Both the parts you complete and the assistance around them belong in the description.
Explain whether you can complete the task safely, reliably, repeatedly, within a reasonable time and without excessive effort. These are practical discussion prompts, not a statement that any one answer establishes an NDIS entitlement.
Include activities you avoid, cannot finish or need someone else to complete. If making one meal affects your ability to manage another meal later, describe that connection.
Describing different kinds of support
Support is easy to under-report because it arrives in so many forms, and some of it does not look like help at all — a reminder, a lift, someone staying within earshot. The table below sets out the kinds worth mentioning and what is useful to say about each.
| Support | Details to describe |
|---|---|
| Set-up assistance | Who gathers materials, lays out clothing or prepares equipment before you begin. |
| Prompts and reminders | Whether you need help starting, remembering steps or finishing. |
| Supervision | Who stays nearby, what they monitor and when they need to intervene. |
| Physical assistance | Which movements or parts of the task another person helps you complete. |
| Equipment and environmental changes | The aids or modifications you use and how they affect the activity. |
| Transport, planning and communication | Help arranging or reaching appointments, organising information, understanding questions or expressing needs. |
| Recovery and follow-on support | Rest after the activity and tasks another person takes over while you recover. |
Say who provides each support, how often it is available and what happens when it is unavailable. Describe experiences you already know about; do not withdraw ordinary support to demonstrate a problem.
Records to bring
Ask the assessor which records relate to the agreed purpose. Relevant material may include previous assessments, therapy or medical reports, an NDIS plan if you have one, equipment information and notes about current routines.
School supports, workplace adjustments, home modifications and a current medication list may also be relevant. Share information about medication effects without changing medication for the assessment.
Check whether older records still describe your circumstances. Note changes in your living arrangements, support availability or daily activities. With your consent, family members, carers or other people involved in your routine may contribute useful details.
For NDIS applications, consult the current supporting evidence guidance and guidance on gathering evidence. The appropriate evidence and professional depend on the circumstances. This preparation list is not a universal document requirement.
Everyday activities you could discuss
The NDIA’s FCA guide describes six areas: communication, social interaction, learning, mobility, self-care and self-management. Use them as prompts to consider relevant parts of your life, rather than as a checklist for deciding eligibility.
Examples may involve understanding information, maintaining relationships, learning routines, moving around, personal care, or organising appointments and household responsibilities.
You do not need to classify every example before the appointment, or arrive with something prepared for each of the six. Covering every area properly would be a substantial job, and it is not what the appointment needs from you — an experienced OT will steer the conversation and ask about whichever areas matter for the question the report has to answer. Read the list as a map of what is likely to come up rather than as an assignment to prepare or finish.
Where your goals and preferences fit in
Describing what currently happens is only half of the picture. An assessment will also ask what you would like to be able to do, and why that matters to you.
Goals explain why an activity matters to you. A goal might be to prepare a familiar lunch with fewer reminders and still have energy left for the afternoon. This describes a preference, not a predicted outcome.
Choose an activity that matters in your own life. Explain what you would like to change, the strategies you already use and what you want to keep doing independently.
If the assessment relates to a plan reassessment, check the NDIA’s preparation guidance. It asks participants to consider changes, supports, goals and preferences. A goal gives context; it does not guarantee that a requested support will be funded.
Checklist before the appointment
Shortly before the appointment, it is worth running through the following:
- The purpose, agreed work, fees, payment arrangements and report timeframe.
- A few activity examples, including strengths, assistance, effort and recovery.
- Relevant records and any changes since they were written.
- Your goals, preferences and questions.
- Communication, access, transport and support-person arrangements.
Notes are a starting point for discussion. You do not need to rehearse a particular answer or remember everything at once.
What may happen during the appointment
With the preparation done, the appointment itself is usually less formal than people expect. There is no single script, and what happens depends on what the report needs to answer.
Depending on the purpose and agreed approach, the OT may discuss routines, review records, use suitable assessment tools or observe relevant activities. Ask the provider what is proposed and how long the process is expected to take.
Explain anything that makes the appointment different from your usual routine. Prepared materials, a quieter room or extra prompts may affect how an activity unfolds. In the meal example, notes about the support around lunch can explain details a short observation might miss.
The aim is an accurate account of everyday function and support needs. Keep using usual equipment and assistance, and tell the OT about discomfort, fatigue or safety concerns.
Communication and access arrangements
Discuss your needs with the provider beforehand where possible. You might ask about written information, breaks, shorter sessions, a familiar setting, visual prompts, a communication device or an interpreter. Confirm what can be arranged.
A family member, carer or support worker may help you recall details or communicate. Discuss their attendance and role with the provider. Your own views, preferences and consent remain central.
Ask for questions to be explained when needed. If you remember something later, ask how to provide it.
Checking the report
After the appointment the OT writes the report, and you receive a copy within the timeframe agreed at booking. From there it goes to whoever asked for it, so the copy you are sent is worth reading closely before it travels any further.
Check factual descriptions of your circumstances, activities and supports. Review names, dates, living arrangements, equipment, services and statements attributed to you or someone supporting you.
In the meal example, the relevant question is whether the account includes the help around meal preparation as well as the parts you complete yourself. If a factual detail is missing or incorrect, identify the section and ask the provider to consider a correction.
Ask about the provider’s process for factual checks and feedback. A request to correct a fact is different from asking the OT to change their professional opinion to support a preferred outcome.
An OT recommendation does not determine an NDIA decision. The NDIA’s plan reassessment reporting guidance explains how reports help inform its consideration of recommended supports.
From here, two different problems can arise, and they are handled by different people on different timelines. An error in the report is a matter for the provider who wrote it. A decision you disagree with is a matter for the NDIA, and then, if it remains unresolved, for a tribunal. Each step has its own deadline.
If there is a factual error in the report
If you believe a report contains incorrect, incomplete, out-of-date or misleading factual information, raise the concern with the provider who wrote the report as soon as possible.
When contacting the provider, it can help to:
- Identify the report and relevant page or section.
- Explain which factual detail you believe is incorrect or incomplete.
- Provide the correct information or relevant document where available.
The provider can consider whether a correction, clarification, addendum or other record update is appropriate. A factual correction is different from asking a provider to change their clinical opinion, assessment findings or recommendation.
The appropriate process may depend on how the report was shared, the recipient’s requirements and the circumstances.
If you disagree with an NDIA decision
If you disagree with an NDIA decision, first check whether it is a decision that can be reviewed. The written decision letter should explain your review rights and the relevant process. If it is not clear which body you are dealing with, our explainer on the difference between the NDIA and the NDIS sets out who decides what.
You generally need to ask the NDIA for an internal review within three months of receiving the decision in writing. In an internal review, the NDIA considers whether the decision is correct under the law based on the facts and circumstances at the time of the internal review. This may include additional information or more recent evidence, such as an updated letter or report from an appropriate treating professional.
If the NDIA asks you to provide more information, check the timeframe in its request and ask about an extension as early as possible if you need more time.
The NDIA states that it aims to complete internal reviews within 60 days after receiving a request, although it does not guarantee that timeframe. For current information, see the NDIA’s guidance on requesting an internal review.
If you still disagree after internal review
If you still disagree with the outcome of an NDIA internal review, you may be able to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for an independent review.
For NDIS matters, the ART says an application is generally due within 28 days of receiving the NDIA internal-review decision. The ART may be able to consider an extension of time in some circumstances.
If the NDIA has not completed an internal review within 90 days, the ART says you may be able to apply without waiting for the internal-review outcome. Check the ART’s current NDIS review guidance and seek independent advice where appropriate.
What you can ask VennCare before booking
If you are considering an OT functional capacity assessment, contact VennCare about the assessment process. You can ask about service scope, suitability, communication or access arrangements, locations, travel, availability, fees and report timeframes. You can also read about VennCare’s assessment services.
What happens after you enquire
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Day 1
Enquire
Send an enquiry using the enquiry form, or fill out the NDIS referral form. State your need and reason for an OT FCA report.
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Within 2 business days
Response and service agreement
If the service is a suitable fit, a Service Agreement is drafted setting out scope, fees and report timeframe to review before booking. It can be viewed and signed digitally the same day, or signed on the appointment day if you prefer a physical signature.
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Book in appointment
Scheduled once the agreement is in place.
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1 to 3 weeks after
Report drafted
A general FCA report for a plan reassessment can be drafted from one week after the initial appointment. Equipment trials or extra appointments may extend this. Tell your OT if you are working to a tight deadline. An expedited report can often be arranged, and your OT will confirm what is achievable once the scope is clear.
