Changes to Home Care Packages

You may need to change a person's Home Care Package if their care needs change, your services change or they get a package upgrade.

Changing the services in a package

You or the person receiving care can add, change or remove services in the package. This may be because:

  • their care needs have changed over time
  • your services are changing

You can make changes to services in a package, but you cannot downgrade the level of a package.

What you need to do

You cannot make changes unless the person understands and agrees to the changes. If they agree, you need to update their care plan and give them a copy.

Find out more about reviewing and changing care plans.

Changing your prices

You must charge the prices that are set out in a person’s home care agreement. If you want to change a price, you must take the following steps — even if you’re reducing a price.

What you need to do

You must:

  • discuss and agree this amount with the person
  • explain why the amount is different

If they agree, you must include the new price and reason for the change in their home care agreement.

Temporary leave from a package

A person receiving home care can take leave from services for any reason. A person’s leave can affect:

  • the subsidy amount the Australian Government pays you on their behalf
  • the fees that they pay

Find out what you must do when a person takes temporary leave and how subsidies and fees may change.

When a higher-level package becomes available

Our national priority system will automatically upgrade a person’s package when one at their approved level becomes available.

We will send a letter to the person to tell them about the upgrade. The letter encourages them to speak to you to plan their care under the new package.

We will also let you know through the My Aged Care provider portal.

What you need to do

You should:

Do not submit entry or exit information to Services Australia for a package upgrade. This may lead to the package being withdrawn.

If they do not need an upgrade

If a person decides they are happy with a lower-level package, they must opt out of the national priority system for home care. They can do this by calling the My Aged Care contact centre.

They must opt out before they get a higher-level package. We cannot downgrade packages.

They can choose to opt back in at any time to seek their approved level package. Their place on the national priority system is based on their original approval date and priority.

Exiting people from your service

A person exits your home care service when they:

  • leave home care altogether — for example, to enter residential aged care
  • pass away
  • change to a different provider
  • no longer want or need care

Find out what you need to do to exit a person from your home care service.

Date last updated:

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