After you lodge your application
We will write to you to confirm that we have received your application:
If we have all the information we need to start your review, we will tell you what will happen next.
If there is any information missing from your application, we will ask for that information. Please read this letter carefully, as you may need to reply to us before a certain date. The date will be in the letter.
Someone from one of our registries may also contact you if you are not represented to:
- give you information about what is likely to happen during your review
- talk about the best way to contact you and communicate with you
- ask for contact details of any person helping you with your application
- find out what help you might need to participate in the review process
- give you some ideas about how you can find a disability advocate if you need one
- refer you to places that can provide you with free legal advice about your matter.
We will write to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to tell them that we have received your application.
You can also watch our video guide on what happens after an application is lodged.
What if we cannot review the decision?
We will write to you and give you an opportunity to tell us why you think we can review the decision. If you do not respond or cannot show us that we can review the decision, we might dismiss the application. Sometimes a hearing is held to decide if we can review the decision.
T documents (Section 37 documents)
The NDIA will send you or your representative a copy of the decision they made along with all documents relevant to the review of the decision by the AAT. This will occur within 28 days after the NDIA is told the decision is being reviewed by us.
These are referred to as the T documents or the Section 37 documents.
The NDIA will also send us a copy of the T documents.
You can ask for the T documents to be sent to you earlier if a delay would cause you hardship. You must complete the request for order to shorten time for lodging documents form. We will notify the NDIA of your request, consider your application and tell you our decision.
Case events and listing notice
Each new application is scheduled for a case event. We will schedule the most appropriate type of case event for your application from the options below:
We will send you a listing notice telling you the date and time of your case event.
The case event might be in person, by telephone or by video using Microsoft Teams. Tell us as soon as possible if you need an interpreter so that we can book one for you.
Listings information about case events is generally publicly available unless we make an order to keep this information confidential.
Confidentiality orders
In limited circumstances, we can order that:
- the hearing is held in private
- the name or address of a party or witness, or other information that we hold, be kept confidential
- a written decision is not made public.
You or the NDIA can ask for a confidentiality order at any stage of the review by telling us in writing what it is that you want to be kept confidential and why. We may send a copy of your application to the NDIA. If we do, they have 14 days to tell us if they oppose the application.
We will only make a confidentiality order if we are satisfied there is a good reason for doing so.
For applicants under the age of 18 we may make a confidentiality order without being asked to do so. We will generally order that:
- the applicant’s name is kept confidential
- any hearing is held in private.
We will send you a copy of the order.