The standard Seeds FCA fee is $969.95 when the agreed assessment fits the standard service. The scope and fee are confirmed in writing before you proceed.
The price needs to be read alongside what is included. A general telehealth FCA and a specialist assessment involving equipment trials are different services.
What the standard process includes
The usual process includes review of the intake information and agreed relevant documents, an OT interview, interpretation of suitable assessment information and preparation of the written report.
The interview is generally about an hour. Nisha writes and takes responsibility for the report; Nisha or another Seeds OT may conduct the interview. Appointment arrangements should be confirmed at booking.
The report describes the findings and recommendations within the agreed purpose. It does not guarantee NDIS funding or replace every other specialist assessment that may be needed.
When a different scope is needed
Some questions require more information, a different method or additional clinical work. Before booking, explain any equipment, home and living, legal or other specialist purpose, together with access and communication needs.
An hourly arrangement may be proposed at $193.99 per hour where the standard service is not suitable. The reason, expected work and estimated cost should be discussed before you agree. Further work should not be added without an agreed process for approving it.
Difficulty completing a form should first prompt a discussion about a workable assessment method. It should not be treated as a personal failure or automatically equated with clinical complexity.
Confirm the exclusions
A general FCA does not automatically include an in-person home assessment, detailed equipment prescription, home modification design, a specialist behaviour support plan or an expert witness service.
Also clarify the arrangements for questions after delivery. A factual error raised within two days of receiving the report is corrected at no charge; that is different from commissioning a new assessment of changed circumstances. The agreement should not blur those into an unlimited promise of free future work.
Payment and NDIS funding
Seeds issues an invoice before the interview. Payment may be made after the interview, with the final report released once payment is received. Confirm the invoicing arrangements when a plan manager is involved.
Seeds currently works with self-managed and plan-managed participants, but not NDIA-managed participants under this service model. That does not guarantee that an assessment can be paid from a particular plan. Check the purpose, available funding and applicable claiming requirements before booking.
Why a standard fee, and why it covers more than the interview
A standard fee gives the person booking a defined cost for an agreed scope rather than an open-ended estimate. The intake form and the documents you send are part of the method: they let the interview focus on what needs clarifying rather than on what is already written down, and if written preparation does not suit you, a different approach can be agreed before booking.
Much of the work is not visible during the call: reviewing information, interpreting findings and writing a report that distinguishes its evidence sources, explains its recommendations and names its limits. The appointment length does not represent the whole assessment. At the same time, a particular number of hours or pages is not proof of quality; the work needs to be appropriate to the question.
Before you agree
You should be able to identify the report's purpose, the assessment method, the fee, the expected delivery date and the arrangements for any change in scope. Ask for clarification where one of these is unclear.
A price comparison is useful only when the services being compared answer the same question.