Recovery rarely stops when you leave hospital. Strength, movement and confidence can take a long time to come back, and some changes stay. So does the NDIS cover physiotherapy, exercise physiology and other ongoing therapy? For NDIS participants, sometimes. It depends on whether the therapy is health treatment or a disability support. This guide explains where that line sits and what to ask before you book more sessions.
Health system or NDIS: where the line sits
The NDIS Supports Transitional Rules 2024 list what is and is not an NDIS support. Clinical health treatment is generally not an NDIS support. That includes time-limited, recovery-focused therapy provided after a recent medical or surgical event, such as post-acute rehabilitation. In plain terms, rehab after an operation, an injury or a hospital admission is usually the health system’s job.
Therapy that relates to your disability and helps you build or keep your ability to do everyday things is different. Therapeutic supports are on the list of NDIS supports. The same split applies to mental health: clinical mental health treatment and clinical rehabilitation sit with the health system, while counselling can be an NDIS therapy support when it meets the funding criteria for your disability.
Physiotherapy and exercise physiology under the NDIS
For participants, therapy is usually funded in the capacity building budget under the Improved daily living category. Exercise physiology programs can also sit under Improved health and wellbeing. Both categories are part of capacity building supports, and that funding is stated, so it is set aside for the supports described in your plan.
The NDIA’s rules for therapy supports say the therapy must be evidence-based and delivered by a qualified professional, either registered with AHPRA or accredited by the relevant peak body, depending on the profession. Therapy can aim to build your abilities or to maintain them, so ongoing maintenance therapy can be funded where it fits your plan.
Ongoing therapy for a participant often includes:
- regular reassessment to check progress and spot problems that remain
- an updated therapy plan as your goals change
- learning to use equipment, assistive devices or new ways of doing tasks
- a home program you can keep up between sessions
After a hospital stay
A hospital stay can change what disability support you need. Supports before and immediately after you leave hospital, where your disability support needs have changed, are NDIS supports under the transitional rules. The treatment itself still sits with the hospital and health system.
If your needs have changed a lot and your plan no longer fits, talk to your my NDIS contact. Depending on the change, the answer might be a plan variation or an unscheduled plan reassessment. From 27 August 2026 the criteria for unscheduled reassessments are tighter, and only participants, their nominees or their guardians can request one. The Australian Government’s Securing the NDIS page sets out the timeline of changes.
Returning to a previous provider or trying a new one
Whether you go back to a therapist you have seen before or look for someone new depends on a few things.
- Continuity. A therapist you already know has your history and has seen how you have progressed.
- What they offer now. Check that your previous provider still offers the support you need at this stage.
- New needs. If your challenges now call for different skills, such as exercise physiology alongside physiotherapy, a new provider may suit you better.
- How your plan is managed. If your funding is NDIA-managed, you can only use registered providers. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can use registered or unregistered providers.
Provider24 lists providers under physiotherapist and exercise physiology and personal training, and the wider Health & Therapies group covers other therapy types.
Questions to ask your therapist
Going into the first session with questions helps you and the therapist agree on a plan that your funding can support.
- What goals will we work on, and how do they link to the goals in my NDIS plan?
- How long do you expect this block of therapy to run, and when will we review it?
- What evidence or reports will you give me for the NDIA at reassessment time?
- What can I do at home between sessions?
- Can my family or carers be involved so they know how to help?
Be open with your therapist about what has changed, what is hard and what you want to get back to. Realistic goals, set together, make progress easier to track.
For more on how therapy is funded, read the Provider24 guide to NDIS therapy supports for daily living.
If ongoing therapy is in your plan, Provider24 lists physiotherapists and exercise physiologists you can compare by state.
Frequently asked questions
Does the NDIS cover physiotherapy?
For NDIS participants, it can. Physiotherapy that relates to your disability and helps you build or maintain function can be a therapy support, usually funded under Improved daily living in the capacity building budget. It must be evidence-based and included in your plan.
Does the NDIS pay for rehab after surgery?
Generally not. Time-limited, recovery-focused therapy after a recent medical or surgical event, including post-acute rehabilitation, is a health-system support under the NDIS supports rules.
Can I use NDIS funding for an exercise physiologist?
If exercise physiology is funded in your plan, yes. It is often placed under Improved health and wellbeing or Improved daily living in the capacity building budget. NDIA-managed participants need a registered provider.
What if my support needs change after a hospital stay?
Supports immediately after discharge, where your disability support needs have changed, are NDIS supports. If the change is significant, speak with your my NDIS contact about a plan variation or an unscheduled reassessment.
Last updated October 2026.
General information, not advice. NDIS rules are changing on a published timeline, so check ndis.gov.au or speak with your my NDIS contact about your own plan.