Specialised status
Approved providers may be eligible for specialised status if their aged care service specialises in providing care to:
- homeless people (any location in Australia)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and you are located in a remote (MMM 6) or very remote (MMM 7) location.
Eligibility for specialised status
Specific eligibility criteria apply for each specialised status category.
Specialised homeless status
To be determined to have specialised homeless status, the Secretary (or delegate) must be satisfied that the residential care service:
- has provided, or one of their key personnel has demonstrated experience in providing, or has the capacity to provide, specialist homeless programs; and
- is either providing specialist homeless programs or has given a written undertaking that the service will begin providing such programs within 3 months after the application is made; and
- on the day before the application is made, has at least 50% of its non-respite care recipients (including continuing care recipients) demonstrated complex behavioural needs and social disadvantage associated with their background as a homeless person.
In making their decision, the Secretary may have regard to any information they consider relevant (including information that becomes available after the application is made).
Specialised Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status
To be determined to have specialised Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status, the Secretary (or delegate) must be satisfied that the residential care service:
- has provided, or one of their key personnel has demonstrated experience in providing, or has the capacity to provide, specialist Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander programs; and
- the residential care service is providing Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander specialist programs, or has given a written undertaking to begin providing such programs within 3 months after the application is made; and
- on the day before the application is made, at least 50% of its non-respite care recipients (including continuing care recipients) are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons and the service is in a MMM6 or MMM7 location.
In making their decision, the Secretary may have regard to any information they consider relevant (including information that becomes available after the application is made). For detailed information on specialised status eligibility, see the AN-ACC - Specialised status guide for Residential Aged Care approved providers. The AN-ACC Funding Guide also includes information on specialised status, as well as comprehensive information about the AN-ACC funding model.
New applications for specialised status
To apply for specialised status, approved providers of a residential care service should complete either the Specialised Homeless status application form or the Specialised Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status application form and provide any evidence in support of their application. The completed application form, together with any additional supporting information, should be emailed to the Subsidies and Supplements team.
If determined, a specialised status will apply for up to 3 years, provided the residential care service continues to meet all the relevant eligibility requirements.
Revocation of specialised status
Approved providers have a responsibility to monitor their ongoing eligibility for a specialised status under the AN-ACC. The Secretary may revoke a residential service’s specialised status, and its associated Base Care Tariff (BCT), under the following circumstances:
In relation to a specialised Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status if it is determined that:
- for 3 consecutive payment periods the care percentage (being the percentage of permanent care provided for care recipients who are either an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders person as a percentage of the care provided for all permanent care recipients at the service) is less than 50 per cent.
- the service either is not providing, or did not commence providing specialist Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander programs within three months of an application for specialised status being made.
In relation to a specialised homeless status if it is determined that:
- for 3 consecutive payment periods the homeless care percentage (being the percentage of permanent care provided for care recipients meeting the homelessness care recipient criteria as a percentage of the care provided for all permanent care recipients at the service) is less than 50 per cent.
- the service either is not providing, or did not commence providing specialist homeless programs within three months of an application for specialised status being made.
If a service’s specialised status is revoked, it is important to note that a provider cannot make a new application for specialised status in relation to that service until at least three months have passed since the revocation took effect.An approved provider of a residential care service that has been granted specialised status can also write to the Secretary to request the specialised status of the service be revoked.