About package management
Package management is a service that supports the delivery of Home Care Packages. This service involves:
- establishing and managing individualised budgets
- coordinating services (such as scheduling services and workers or arranging respite care)
- preparing monthly statements
- responding to enquiries about invoices
- organising third-party services, including managing invoices
- responding to enquiries about invoices
- buying equipment (such as mobility aids)
- arranging allowable home modifications (such as bath rails)
- submitting claims to Services Australia
- maintaining and updating Home Care Package fees
- completing paperwork for exiting people from your home care service
- storing and maintaining records
- ensuring staff are suitable (such as with police checks and immunisation checks)
- training and educating staff
- conducting quality improvement, compliance, and assurance activities
- completing financial reporting
- maintaining vaccination and any other compliance documents.
Package management does not include:
- business overheads or costs
- administration and communication or marketing costs (include these in direct service prices as needed)
- care management tasks
- charges for delivering care and services.
Charging for package management
Package management charges must be reasonable and justifiable. They are capped at 15% of the Home Care Package level. We monitor that providers are meeting requirements.
Find out how to charge and comply with price caps.
Individualised budgets
An individualised budget sets out the funds available in a care recipient’s Home Care Package and how the provider will use the funds.
Find out what to include in the budget and how to develop it with your care recipient.
Monthly statements
As an approved provider, you must give an itemised monthly statement to each of your care recipients to show:
- their available funds
- how the funds are being spent
- the amount of unspent funds.
Find out what to include in a monthly statement and when to provide it.
Managing unspent funds
Unspent funds are any remaining amounts of Home Care Package subsidy and fees that have not yet been spent on a care recipient’s care.
Find out why unspent funds build up and how to better manage packages and budgets.
Temporary leave
Care recipients can take leave from their Home Care Package services for any reason.
Find out how temporary leave affects subsidies and fees depending on the type of leave they take, how long the leave is for and when they entered the program.
Managing third-party services
You can use third-party services to meet the needs of your care recipients if you cannot provide them yourself. You are responsible for ensuring the third-party service meets all legislative requirements and they process and pay invoices in a timely manner.
Find out more about managing third parties, charging for their services and invoicing.
Submitting claims
The Home Care Package subsidy is paid in arrears. To receive this payment, you must submit a monthly claim to Services Australia through the Aged Care Provider Portal.
Find out more about how to claim the Home Care Package subsidy.
Compliance
When managing Home Care Packages, you must always meet your compliance responsibilities.
If the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission finds that you are not meeting your responsibilities, they will take action.
Learn more about regulation and compliance in the program.