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Application For a Variation of Conditions of Allocation For Residential Care Places For Combining Homes

An Approved Provider may apply to combine two (or more) adjacent residential aged care services.

You may download these documents in PDF and Word format:

PDF printable version of the Application For a Variation of Conditions of Allocation For Residential Care Places For Combining Homes (PDF 84 KB)
Word version of the Application For a Variation of Conditions of Allocation For Residential Care Places For Combining Homes (Word 786 KB)

PDF printable version of the Information For Approved Providers Applying to Combine Australian Government Funded Residential Aged Care Services (PDF 78 KB)

This application form should be used by approved providers to apply for a variation of the conditions of allocation for residential aged care places as it relates to combining residential aged care services. To fully complete the application form providers need to read the document, 'Information for approved providers applying to combine Australian Government funded residential aged care services' (Information Document).

Combining residential aged care services is the administrative process whereby two or more residential aged care services located adjacent to each other (with all their approved places) and operated by the same provider are combined into one aged care service using one of the existing Residential Aged Care Service (RACS) ids. For the purposes of combining aged care services, adjacent is taken to mean, to be on the same site or share a common boundary. A combined residentail aged care service is not treated as a new service; it is a variation of an existing service.

There are a number of advantages that may be achieved by combining residential aged care services. These include:

• the need to only submit on monthly claim form for Australian Government subsidy for care recipients in approved residential care
• simplifying the claim and payment process
• the need to have only one Certification assessment for a single service rather than individual assessments for more than one service
• the need to have only one Accreditation site audit over the entire service rather than audits against more than one service
• no need to discharge and re-admit residents when moving from low to high level care if they remain in the same aged care service
• no need to have new Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessments completed for residents when they move from low to high level care if they remain in the same aged care service.

Providers may need to seek independent advice on the effects of combining homes.

If approved providers wish to apply to vary a condition of allocation that relates to residential, community and flexible aged care places otherwise than in order to combine residential services they should use the form, 'Application for a variation of conditions of allocation – residential, community and flexible care places'.

If providers wish to vary a condition of allocation that relates to residential respite, please use the form, 'Application for a variation of conditions of allocation - residential respite'. If providers wish to apply for a variation of conditions associated with a provisional allocation of places, please use the form 'Application for a variation of a provisional allocation of places'.

Under section 17-2 of the Aged Care Act 1997(the Act), an approved provider to whom a place has been allocated may apply in writing to the Secretary to vary the specific conditions to which the allocation is subject under section 14-5 of the Act.

Specific conditions relate to the location and the name of the aged care service in respect of which places are allocated. They may also cover a range of other matters, including the level of care and the proportion of care to be provided to particular groups of people. All allocations of places to an approved provider are subject to general conditions under section 14-6 of the Act. They cannot be varied.

The questions in this form reflect the provisions of Division 17 of the Act and Part 8 of the Allocation Principles 1997 (the Principles).

The application must be made no later than 60 days before the proposed variation day. If providers wish to lodge this application in less than the 60 day period, providers should first read the Information Document before they discuss this application with the Department and then complete Attachment 1. If approved, the proposed day of variation specified in the application to the Department becomes the variation day. The approved changes cannot be recognised by the Department to have taken effect before the variation day. Providers who subsequently find that they require a different variation day to the one specified on the application will need to contact the Department and advise the Secretary in writing of the proposed change.

If further information is needed to assess the application, the Secretary may give a notice to the applicant under section 17-3 of the Act, requesting that the further information required be provided within 28 days.

Additional Forms Providers May Need to Complete

Approved providers may need to complete some or all of the following forms in conjunction of their application to combine their residential aged care services:

• Application for a variation of a provisional allocation of places, if a residential service is to be closed in the aged care payment system (SPARC) and it has a provisional allocation of places.
• Authorised signatory form for payments of subsidy under the Aged Care Act 1997, if providers wish to update their list of authorised signatories for the 'combined' service. This form needs to be submitted to Medicare Australia.
• Approved provider - notification of changes to key personnel form, if providers wish to update their list of key personnel for the 'combined' service.

If you are having problems downloading these PDF files please send an email to: acc@health.gov.au for a copy to be sent to you.
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