How to access the program
To access a Home Care Package, a person needs to:
- register with My Aged Care
- be referred for an assessment to check eligibility
- if eligible, be assigned a package – we will tell the person the level they have been approved for and their priority level.
How people are assessed
Older people are assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), which are teams of medical, nursing and allied health professionals. They are specially trained to assess people with complex needs who may need aged care services.
Older people may have to wait for an assessment because of high demand for aged care services.
As of 1 July 2024, the Integrated Assessment Tool is the new tool used to assess a person’s eligibility and recommend services tailored to individual aged care needs.
Read more about:
How we assign packages
We assign Home Care Packages to people – not providers. This means a care recipient can:
- choose a provider in their area that best meets their needs
- change providers at any time.
National Priority System
There is a lot of demand for Home Care Packages and there are limited packages. A person may need to wait before we have a package available to assign to them.
Through the assessment process, we prioritise people in our National Priority System (NPS), based on:
- their assessed priority (either medium or high)
- the date of their approval.
The NPS allows for the fairer allocation of packages to older people, based on their individual needs and circumstances, regardless of where they live.
A person will receive a letter from My Aged Care when they are assigned a Home Care Package. The letter includes their referral code and the timeframe to enter into a Home Care Agreement.
Package levels
There are 4 levels of Home Care Packages:
| Package | Needs |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Basic care |
| Level 2 | Low-level care |
| Level 3 | Intermediate care |
| Level 4 | High-level care |
Each package level receives a different subsidy rate. View the daily basic subsidy rates in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.
An ACAT assessment will determine which package level will best meet a person’s individual aged care needs.
A care recipient can be reassessed if they need to upgrade to a higher-level package.
How the program is funded
The total amount of funding in a care recipient’s Home Care Package budget is made up of:
- a government subsidy, including supplements (if eligible)
- fees paid by care recipients.
Read more about funding for Home Care Packages.
Who provides the services
Approved providers work with care recipients to plan, organise and deliver Home Care Packages.
Find out:
- what to do before you can provide Home Care Package services
- your responsibilities once you are approved as a provider.
How services are delivered
An approved provider can deliver Home Care Package services directly or subcontract third-party organisations to provide services.
Providers must:
- work with the care recipient to plan their care and services
- use a consumer-directed care approach when providing services
- deliver care management to ensure services are safe, high quality and based on care recipients’ needs goals and preferences
- manage package administration, including
Package fees and charges
Care recipients are expected to pay fees to help with the cost of their government-subsidised Home Care Package services.
How this works depends on whether they entered the program:
- from 1 July 2014
- before 1 July 2014 – care recipients can opt-in to the current fee arrangements when transferring providers.
Read more about fees for Home Care Packages.
How prices are set
Providers set prices for each of their Home Care Package services, which should be reasonable and in line with legislation and consumer law.
Providers use a care recipient’s funding to pay for the cost of the services. They must make sure the care recipient’s individualised budget:
- has enough funding to cover the cost of the planned services set out in their care plan
- gets the full benefit of their Home Care Package.
Exiting care recipients
A care recipient exits your service if:
- they no longer want or need home care
- they are deceased
- they change providers
- they move into permanent residential aged care.
Read about the steps you must follow to exit a care recipient from your care or accept a care recipient into your care.