Other Schemes & Aged Care
The NDIS is one program in a wider patchwork. For many people - older Australians, veterans, those not on a plan - the right funding lives in a different scheme entirely.
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Equipment Funding Beyond the NDIS: CAPS, DVA and More
Assistive equipment funding beyond the NDIS - CAPS, Support at Home and AT-HM, DVA's RAP, and state schemes - and how they differ from the NDIS.
Read the full guide →If the NDIS is not the right fit for your situation, these are the other programs worth checking. The point is to match your situation to the right program rather than assuming the NDIS is the only door. Each program decides its own eligibility, so check directly with the one that fits.
Each program here is separate from the NDIS, with its own rules and its own application. NDIS rules do not apply to them, and that cuts both ways: different eligibility, different processes, sometimes better fit.
Aged care: Support at Home and AT-HM
Australians who acquire disability later in life are generally served by aged care rather than the NDIS. Support at Home includes an assistive technology and home-modifications pathway, the AT-HM list, that funds equipment through tiers. The AT-HM tier checker in this pillar explains what each tier covers.
CAPS, DVA, and state schemes
The Continence Aids Payment Scheme pays an annual amount towards continence products for eligible people, entirely outside the NDIS. Veterans may be served through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and its rehabilitation appliances program. And several states run their own aids and equipment schemes with their own criteria.
Eligibility for any of these is decided by the program itself. The official program pages have the current criteria and application forms, and each funding page here links straight to them.
Choosing the right door
The funding pages in this pillar lay the programs side by side so you can see which fits: your age, your circumstances, and what you need shape the answer. Getting the program right the first time saves the longest delays of all.