SIL and SDA: what is the difference?

Two acronyms come up again and again when people talk about living away from the family home with NDIS support: SIL and SDA. They are often mentioned together, and sometimes they are delivered in the same building. But they are two different things, funded in different ways, and it matters that you keep them apart.

This guide explains the difference in plain words. It is general information only, so check the details of your own plan with the NDIA, your support coordinator or your plan manager.

The short answer

• Supported Independent Living (SIL) is support. It pays for support workers to help you with daily life at home.
• Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is housing. It pays for a home that has been designed or built for people with very high support needs.

One is about the people who help you. The other is about the bricks and mortar. A simple way to remember it: SIL is the help, SDA is the home.

What SIL is

SIL is help with, or supervision of, everyday tasks in your home, such as personal care, cooking, cleaning, medication routines and building your skills. It is usually available across much of the day and planned around you and anyone you live with.

When it is included in a plan, SIL is usually funded in Core supports, under Assistance with Daily Life. SIL never pays for rent, food, bills or other living costs. You pay those yourself.

You can receive SIL in many kinds of homes: a private rental, social housing, a home your family owns, your own home, or an SDA home. Our guide What is Supported Independent Living (SIL)? goes into more detail.

What SDA is

SDA is funding for the home itself. It is for a small group of NDIS participants who have an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, and who meet the NDIA’s specific eligibility criteria.

SDA homes are built or modified to a design standard. There are four design categories:

• Improved Liveability, for people with a sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment
• Fully Accessible, for people with significant physical impairment
• Robust, built to be very durable and safe, with space for support
• High Physical Support, for people with very high physical support needs

When SDA is in a plan, it is funded in Capital supports, not Core supports. The funding goes to the SDA provider, who owns or manages the home. The tenant usually pays a rent contribution as well, from their own income. The rules on how much that contribution can be are set by the NDIA, so ask the SDA provider to explain it in writing.

Who decides SDA eligibility

The NDIA decides whether someone is eligible for SDA. It is not decided by a support provider, a housing provider or a support coordinator.

To decide, the NDIA looks at evidence about your needs, often including reports from allied health professionals such as occupational therapists. It also considers whether SDA is the right housing solution for you, compared with other options.

Most NDIS participants are not eligible for SDA. That does not mean you cannot live independently with support. Many people who receive SIL live in ordinary housing.

Separate supports, separate agreements

Because SIL and SDA are different supports, they come with different agreements:

• For SIL, you sign a service agreement with your support provider. It sets out the support you will get, when, and at what price.
• For SDA, you sign a tenancy or residency agreement with the SDA provider. It sets out your rights and responsibilities as a tenant, including your rent contribution.

These should always be two separate documents. Read each one carefully, and ask for a plain language or Easy Read version if that would help.

You can have one without the other

This is the part that surprises many people.

• You can have SIL without SDA. If you are not eligible for SDA, or you prefer another type of home, you can still receive SIL in a private rental, social housing or a family owned home.
• You can have SDA without SIL. Someone living in an SDA home might use in-home supports at set times of the day, or another arrangement, instead of SIL.

What you need depends on your support needs, your goals and what the NDIA agrees is reasonable and necessary for you.

Why keeping them separate matters

Keeping housing and support separate protects your choice and control.

If your home and your support are tied together, it can feel impossible to change either one. You might put up with support that is not working because you are worried about losing your home. Or you might stay in a home that no longer suits you because you like your support team.

When they are separate:

• you can change your SIL provider without having to move
• you can move home and ask your support provider to come with you, where that works
• nobody should be able to make keeping your home depend on using a particular support provider

If the same organisation, or two related organisations, provide both your home and your support, ask them how they keep the two separate, and what would happen if you changed one of them. A good provider will answer that question openly and in writing.

Questions to ask

If you are exploring SIL, SDA or both, it is worth asking:

• Is my plan funded for SIL, SDA, both or neither? Your plan will show what has been included.
• Who is my support provider, and who is my housing provider?
• Do I have a separate service agreement and a separate tenancy agreement?
• If I wanted to change my support provider, could I stay in my home?
• What do I pay myself, for rent, food and bills?

If you are not sure, your support coordinator or local area coordinator can help you read your plan.

Where to get help

• The NDIA, for questions about your plan, SDA eligibility or funding decisions
• Your support coordinator or local area coordinator, for help understanding your options
• Your plan manager, if your plan is plan-managed, for questions about paying providers
• The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, if you have a concern about the quality or safety of a support. You can contact the Commission at any stage.

Manora Care is a registered NDIS provider of support services, including SIL. We do not decide SDA eligibility, and support from us never depends on where you live. If you would like to talk through your options, contact us.