NDIS vs Support at Home: Which Scheme Funds Your Mobility Aids and Home Modifications?

NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) funds assistive technology and home modifications for Australians who meet the access requirements (including being under 65 at the time of applying and having disability caused by a permanent impairment) and whose requested supports meet the “reasonable and necessary” criteria. NDIS assistance is not means tested.

Support at Home funds assistive technology and home modifications through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme for people eligible for government-subsidised aged care (generally aged 65+, or 50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or 50+ if homeless/at risk). Eligibility and any fees are handled through My Aged Care and income and assets assessment.

Both schemes can fund common mobility and safety supports (for example, wheelchairs and walkers as assistive technology, and bathroom rails/ramps as home modifications), but eligibility, assessment pathways, approval thresholds, and cost-sharing rules differ.

Eligibility: Who Qualifies for NDIS vs Support at Home

NDIS eligibility requires meeting age, residence and disability/early intervention requirements, including being under 65 when you apply and having an impairment that is (or is likely to be) permanent and results in substantially reduced functional capacity (NDIS eligibility and early intervention FAQ; Am I eligible?). Impairment can arise from birth, disease, injury or accident—what matters is whether it causes permanent impairment and significant disability (NDIS eligibility and medical conditions FAQ).

Once accepted into NDIS before age 65, you can continue receiving NDIS supports after 65 unless you leave the Scheme (for example, if you move permanently into certain aged care arrangements for the first time after 65) (Leaving the Scheme).

Support at Home eligibility is assessed through My Aged Care and is based on your care needs and situation. To qualify for an aged care assessment you generally need to have care needs and be aged 65+, or 50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or 50+ if homeless/at risk (Should I apply?). Support at Home is then delivered within the program’s structure (including ongoing classifications and budgets) (Support at Home program – classifications and budgets).

The Gap: People Who Fall Between Both Schemes

Some people can still fall between both systems—for example, someone in their early 60s who doesn’t meet NDIS access requirements but is also not yet eligible for an aged care assessment under My Aged Care age rules (Should I apply?). In that situation, people often rely on other pathways (community health, hospital OT services, or state-based aids/equipment programs—e.g. in Victoria, the Victorian Aids and Equipment Program (VA&EP)) until they become eligible for aged care assessment or their disability impacts change.

What Each Scheme Funds: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications

Both NDIS and Support at Home can fund similar categories of equipment, but they apply different approval processes and thresholds.

NDIS Assistive Technology is funded when it meets the reasonable and necessary criteria and is linked to the participant’s disability support needs. The NDIA uses different processes depending on the cost and risk of the item, with cost groupings commonly described as low cost, mid cost and high cost (and differing evidence requirements) (Providing assistive technology; Assistive technology explained).

NDIS Home Modifications are described as minor (including categories under $10,000 and $10,000–$20,000) and complex modifications, with different evidence and governance requirements (Home modifications explained; Providing home modifications). NDIS generally funds standard modifications/fittings, and participants can choose to pay extra for upgraded finishes that achieve the same outcome (Home modifications explained).

Support at Home AT-HM provides separate access to assistive technology and home modifications so participants don’t need to save from their ongoing services budget (AT-HM scheme). AT-HM funding is organised in tiers with caps and time limits (for example, low/medium/high caps shown on My Aged Care), and higher-cost items may be available where there is a prescribed need (Support at Home costs and contributions; AT-HM scheme). An overview of what’s available sits within My Aged Care’s assistive technology and home modifications information.

Assessment Pathways: How You Request Funding

To access NDIS assistive technology, the participant (often with an OT/physio) identifies the right item, documents how it meets the participant’s disability needs and goals, and provides evidence based on the item’s cost and risk category (Providing assistive technology). All requested items still need to meet the reasonable and necessary criteria.

To access Support at Home AT-HM, you request an aged care assessment through My Aged Care. If approved for AT-HM, your funding tier(s) and entitlements are set out in your program documentation, and your provider can organise any required health professional assessment for more complex items or home modifications (AT-HM scheme; Support at Home costs and contributions).

Common Scenarios: Navigating Both Systems

Scenario 1: NDIS Participant Aging Toward 65
A 58-year-old man with cerebral palsy is an NDIS participant and uses NDIS-funded assistive technology and home modifications that meet the reasonable and necessary criteria. As he approaches 65, he can continue to receive NDIS supports, unless he leaves the Scheme (including in certain circumstances involving moving to aged care arrangements for the first time after 65) (Leaving the Scheme). If his parents also need support at home and meet aged care eligibility, they access Support at Home via My Aged Care (Should I apply?).

Scenario 2: Too Old for NDIS, Needing Mobility Aids
A 66-year-old woman has severe osteoarthritis in both knees, uses a walking stick, and has fallen twice in the shower in the past six months. She cannot apply to enter NDIS because new applicants must be under 65 when they apply (NDIS eligibility and early intervention FAQ). If she meets aged care eligibility, she can request a My Aged Care assessment and (if approved) access assistive technology and home modifications through the AT-HM scheme with costs and any contributions managed under Support at Home rules (Support at Home costs and contributions).

Scenario 3: Adult Child on NDIS, Caring for an Aging Parent
A 38-year-old woman is an NDIS participant living with her 72-year-old father, who is her primary carer. The daughter accesses disability-related supports under NDIS, while the father (if eligible) accesses Support at Home services through My Aged Care. The practical challenge is coordinating home changes so they work for both people’s needs, while using the correct funding pathway for each program.

Scenario 4: Self-Funding During Wait Times
An older person is waiting for assessment and is falling frequently, needing a walker and grab rails immediately. The family buys a basic walker and temporary safety items to bridge the gap, then seeks formal assessment for longer-term solutions and appropriate funding pathways once eligibility and needs are confirmed (Should I apply?; AT-HM scheme).

Co-Contributions and Means Testing: When You Pay

NDIS assistance is not means tested. NDIS-funded supports must meet the reasonable and necessary criteria, which include that supports must relate to disability needs and must not include ordinary day-to-day living costs not related to disability support needs. For home modifications, the NDIA generally funds standard modifications and fittings, and a participant may choose to pay extra for upgraded finishes that deliver the same outcome (Home modifications explained).

Support at Home uses an income and assets assessment to determine what you may need to contribute, and many non-clinical services attract participant contributions depending on circumstances (How do aged care costs work?; Support at Home participant contributions). AT-HM tier caps and timeframes are published on My Aged Care (Support at Home costs and contributions).

Maximising Funding Without Double-Dipping

You can’t be funded twice for the same support: the NDIA will generally not fund items that are more appropriately funded by other government services (Providing assistive technology). If a support is being provided by another system, you generally can’t claim it again through NDIS (Mainstream and community supports (PDF)).

People can still receive different supports from different systems where responsibilities don’t overlap, but older participants should be aware that moving into certain aged care arrangements for the first time after 65 can trigger leaving the NDIS (Leaving the Scheme).

How Auswaycare Supports Families Navigating Both Systems

Auswaycare provides system-agnostic product advice, helping families choose mobility aids and home modifications that meet clinical needs under either NDIS or Support at Home pathways. When a family is unsure which scheme applies—such as a 63-year-old with recent stroke waiting for an eligibility determination—Auswaycare can specify equipment that satisfies both schemes’ clinical documentation requirements, reducing the need to change products if funding shifts.

For families managing both NDIS and aged care simultaneously (such as an adult child with disability caring for an aging parent), Auswaycare offers consultations that map each person’s needs to the correct funding stream, avoiding confusion and ensuring quotes are submitted to the right assessor.

For older Australians stuck in assessment wait times and facing immediate safety risks, Auswaycare supplies clinically appropriate equipment—such as a four-wheeled walker with hand brakes and seat, a freestanding toilet frame, or a basic shower chair—that can be self-funded now and then aligned with the relevant funding pathway once assessment confirms ongoing need.