NDIS Plan Review Template: What to Include

The plan review is the single most consequential moment in a participant's NDIS cycle. It determines their funding for the next one to three years, which supports they can access, and ultimately their quality of life. As a support coordinator, your plan review report is often the most influential document in that decision.

This guide provides a complete template and checklist for preparing plan review reports that lead to better outcomes for your participants.

Understanding the Plan Review Process

A plan review (officially called a "plan reassessment" under the NDIS reforms) can be triggered in several ways:

• Scheduled review: When the current plan is nearing its end date (most common)
• Participant-requested review: When the participant believes their plan no longer meets their needs
• NDIA-initiated review: When the agency identifies a need to reassess
• Change of circumstances: A significant life change that affects support needs

Regardless of the trigger, the preparation process is largely the same. You need to demonstrate what has happened during the current plan, what has changed, and what the participant needs going forward.

Plan Review Report Template

Section 1: Participant Details

Section 2: Current Plan Overview

Provide a clear summary of the current plan including all funding categories and budgets. Present this as a table for easy reading:

• Support category name
• Allocated budget
• Amount spent to date
• Percentage utilised
• Remaining funds
• Brief note on utilisation (e.g. "on track", "underspent due to provider waitlist", "overspent -- requested top-up")

Section 3: Goal Review

For each goal in the current plan, document:

1. Goal statement (exactly as written in the plan)
2. Status: Achieved / Partially achieved / In progress / Not commenced / No longer relevant
3. Evidence of progress: What has changed since the plan started? Use measurable indicators wherever possible (e.g. "now walks 200m independently, up from 50m at plan start")
4. Supports that contributed: Which services and providers worked toward this goal?
5. Barriers encountered: What got in the way? Provider issues, health episodes, personal circumstances?
6. Recommendation: Should this goal continue, be modified, or be replaced?

Section 4: Service Delivery Summary

List every provider engaged during the plan period:

• Provider name and registration number
• Service type and frequency
• Period of service (start and end dates)
• Outcomes achieved
• Any service delivery issues
• Whether the participant wants to continue with this provider

Section 5: Changed Circumstances

Document anything that has changed since the plan was created:

• Changes in disability or functional capacity (improvements or declines)
• Changes in living situation (moved house, carer health issues, family breakdown)
• Changes in informal supports (carer burnout, family member moving away)
• New diagnoses or health conditions
• Life transitions (school to work, ageing out of paediatric services)
• Changes in goals or aspirations

Section 6: Participant Voice

This section is critical and often overlooked. Include direct quotes or a summary of what the participant (and/or their nominee) wants from their next plan. The NDIA places significant weight on the participant's own expressed goals and preferences.

Section 7: Recommendations

This is where your professional expertise adds the most value. For each funding category, provide a clear recommendation with justification:

• Maintain funding: "Current allocation of $28,500 for Core -- Daily Activities is appropriate. Utilisation at 78% indicates good alignment between funding and need."
• Increase funding: "Request increase in CB -- Employment from $0 to $15,000 to fund a School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) programme. Supporting evidence: OT functional assessment dated 01/03/2026, participant's expressed goal, and employer consultation report."
• Decrease funding: "Recommend reducing CB -- Daily Activities from $12,000 to $8,000 as OT sessions are stepping down from fortnightly to monthly based on progress achieved."
• New category: Provide thorough justification with supporting evidence for any new funding categories requested.

Evidence Collection Checklist

Start collecting evidence at least six weeks before the plan review date. Use this checklist to ensure you have everything:

• All case notes from the current plan period
• Progress reports from every allied health provider
• Support worker shift summaries or reports
• Functional capacity assessments (recent -- within 6 months)
• Medical reports or specialist letters (if relevant to changed circumstances)
• Budget utilisation report from the NDIS portal or your software
• Quotes for any new services being recommended
• Letters of support from treating professionals
• The participant's own written or verbal statement about their goals
• Photos or other evidence of progress (with participant consent)

Timeline for Plan Review Preparation

• 8 weeks before review: Check plan end date. Request provider reports. Begin compiling evidence.
• 6 weeks before: Meet with participant to discuss their goals for the next plan. Review all gathered evidence.
• 4 weeks before: Draft the plan review report. Request any missing evidence from providers.
• 2 weeks before: Finalise report. Review with participant and/or their nominee. Submit to the NDIA.
• 1 week before: Prepare participant for the review meeting. Ensure they know what to expect and what to say.

Tips for Better Plan Outcomes

• Start early: Rushed reports lead to poor outcomes. Begin preparation two months before the review date.
• Quantify everything: "Improved mobility" is weak. "Walks independently for 200 metres, up from 50 metres at plan commencement" is strong.
• Link funding to goals: Every dollar requested should be clearly connected to a specific goal.
• Include the participant's voice: Direct quotes carry significant weight with planners.
• Be honest about barriers: If supports did not work, explain why. This is not a failure -- it is evidence that a different approach is needed.
• Provide comparisons: Where possible, compare the participant's current functioning with their functioning at plan start. This demonstrates the impact of NDIS funding.

How CordoCare Auto-Generates Plan Review Reports

CordoCare tracks all the data you need for plan reviews throughout the plan period, then compiles it into a structured report automatically. Instead of spending days pulling together information from different sources, CordoCare generates a draft report that includes:

• Participant details and plan summary pre-populated from your records
• Budget utilisation tables with visual charts
• Goal progress summaries compiled from your case notes and goal tracking
• Service delivery timeline with provider details
• A recommendations section you can customise

You review, refine, and add your professional commentary -- but the heavy lifting of data compilation is done for you.