The aged care assessment programs
There are 2 assessment programs that provide aged care assessment services. These programs manage, train and support aged care assessors.
Regional Assessment Services (RAS)
Under the RAS program, assessors carry out home support assessments.
Home support assessments are for people who may need entry-level support to help them stay at home. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) provides this type of support.
Home support assessments usually take place in the older person’s home.
The Australian Government funds organisations across Australia to provide RAS services.
Aged Care Assessment Program (ACAP)
Under the ACAP program, Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) carry out comprehensive assessments. ACATs are teams of medical, nursing, and allied health professionals.
Comprehensive assessments are for people with more complex needs. These assessments are for people who may need:
- a higher level of home care through the Home Care Packages Program
- residential aged care including respite
- transition care
- short-term restorative care.
Comprehensive assessments usually take place in the older person’s home. They can also take place in a hospital.
The Australian Government funds the state and territory governments to deliver ACAP.
Aged care assessments explained
Assessments work out whether an older person is eligible for government-subsidised aged care. Assessors visit the older person’s home or hospital to:
- understand the person’s care needs
- decide on the types of services they may be eligible for
- create a support plan based on their care needs.
During an assessment, the older person can also find out more about aged care services.
If you’re an older person and want to find out more about assessments, call My Aged Care.
The aims of the programs
The RAS and ACAP aim to:
- provide timely and consistent assessments
- ensure special needs groups have access to assessment services
- ensure assessments are holistic and look at physical, medical, mental, cultural, social, and wellness needs
- involve older people, their carers, representatives, service providers and others in assessment and care planning
- create support plans based on a person’s goals and care needs
- use wellness and reablement approaches
- help older people access aged care services that best meet their needs
- prevent an early or unsuitable move to residential aged care
- refer vulnerable older people to other services to help address barriers to aged care.
Becoming an assessor
You can apply directly to:
- RAS organisations to become a RAS assessor (Regional Assessment Service organisations
- state or territory governments to become an ACAT assessor.
Searchable map of RAS organisations by Aged Care Planning Regions
How aged care assessments work
All My Aged Care contact centre staff and assessors use the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). This means the way we screen and assess older people for aged care is consistent across the country.
All assessors use the IAT and the My Aged Care assessor portal to:
- access referrals for assessment
- undertake triage
- carry out the assessments
- develop support plans
- refer clients to services
- update client records
- conduct support plan reviews.
For more about screening and assessments, read the My Aged Care Assessment Manual.
Our role in the programs
We oversee and develop policy for RAS and ACAP. We also:
- manage RAS and ACAP funding
- review ACAP assessment decisions as needed.
RAS organisations and state and territory governments manage the day-to-day work of the programs. In some cases, we approve RAS organisations to provide assessment services through subcontracting.
Contact
If you have questions about the aged care assessor programs, contact us through our general enquiries form.