SDA & NDIS glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms you will come across when looking at Specialist Disability Accommodation and NDIS housing. Each one links to the official NDIS source and to our fuller guides.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is specially designed housing funded through the NDIS for a small number of participants with an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.Maximum Reasonable Rent Contribution (MRRC)The Maximum Reasonable Rent Contribution (MRRC) is the cap on the rent an SDA provider can ask a resident to pay towards the home, on top of the SDA funding the NDIS pays the provider.Reasonable Rent Contribution (RRC)The Reasonable Rent Contribution is the rent an SDA resident pays towards their home, capped at the Maximum Reasonable Rent Contribution and paid on top of NDIS SDA funding.Onsite Overnight Assistance (OOA)Onsite Overnight Assistance (OOA) is an extra room in some SDA homes where a support worker can stay to be available through the night; it is a staff room, not a resident or family bedroom.Supported Independent Living (SIL)Supported Independent Living (SIL) is NDIS funding for the day-to-day support workers who help a participant live in their home; it is separate from SDA, which funds the dwelling.Appendix H (shared living arrangements)Appendix H is the part of the NDIS SDA pricing rules that sets how the SDA payment is adjusted when a participant shares their enrolled home with other people, including people who do not have SDA funding.Improved Liveability (SDA design category)Improved Liveability is one of the four SDA design categories: housing with a reasonable level of physical access and features that improve liveability, such as better lines of sight and easier movement.Fully Accessible (SDA design category)Fully Accessible is one of the four SDA design categories: housing with a high level of physical access for people with significant physical impairment, including step-free access and accessible bathrooms.High Physical Support (SDA design category) (HPS)High Physical Support is one of the four SDA design categories: housing with a very high level of physical access for people with significant physical impairment and very high support needs, often including a ceiling hoist and assistive-technology readiness.Robust (SDA design category)Robust is one of the four SDA design categories: housing that is very durable and designed to reduce the risk of harm to the resident, other people, and the home itself.
These definitions are general information, not advice. NDIS rules and pricing can change; always confirm the current details with the NDIS, your planner or support coordinator, and the provider for a specific home.