Principles of choosing a review period

Awards of disability assistance do not have a fixed end date after which an individual has to re-apply. As all our awards are ongoing, most awards will be reviewed to ensure that the individual continues to receive the right amount of assistance. You should schedule the review for a time where it is most likely that the individual’s needs will have changed.

Generally, review periods range between 2 and 10 years. Some conditions or their impact on the individual are likely to change in the short to medium term, so a shorter review period may be appropriate to ensure that the individual remains on the correct rate of Child Disability Payment in the future.

For conditions unlikely to see significant changes in overall impact, this might suggest a longer period between reviews (i.e. 5 to 10 years) may be appropriate. You should consider other factors that may impact on the individual’s level of need to determine what review period would be appropriate. For more information, read the Relevant considerations for setting a review period page.

Individuals who have a terminal illness will not have a scheduled review of their entitlement.

Individuals entitled to CDP and who are aged between 16 to 18 years of age, will not have a scheduled review of their entitlement. Their entitlement to CDP will continue until they are 18 by which time they will have been invited to apply to ADP. See the Age section of the page 'Relevant considerations for setting a review period'.

In all other instances, when making a determination of entitlement for Child Disability Payment, a you must choose to do one of the following:

• set a review date 
• not set a review date, so that the individuals' entitlement will end at their 18th birthday, by which time they will have been invited to apply for ADP

Small changes in the individual’s needs might have an impact on their level of entitlement to Child Disability Payment. This should not prevent you from setting a longer review period, as there is still a responsibility to report changes in the individual’s circumstances. This would then trigger an unscheduled review ahead of any rescheduled review date.

You should factor in time for recovery and adjustment. For example, if the individual has surgery planned for the near future which would be expected to impact their level of need, a review at a point following the anticipated recovery period after surgery might be appropriate. Depending on the condition and treatment or surgery, the length of the recovery period will differ. For more information refer to the guidance on planned treatment or surgery.

Individuals do not need a formal diagnosis of their condition or disability that causes their needs, for those needs to be relevant to their entitlement. 

The start date of any review period must always be the date of the determination, rather than the date of the application. For example, an individual applies for Child Disability Payment on 15 April 2024. You make a determination of entitlement on 20 October 2024 and set a review period of five years. The individual’s next review will be on 20 October 2029. 

You must justify your review period in the individual’s decision letter, including setting out any specific updates we are likely to need about the individual at their next scheduled review to make a determination.

For more information, read the guidance for inputting the review date onto the review period screens and the guidance for processing a scheduled review on SPM.