About the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme
From 1 July 2025, the AT-HM Scheme will give Support at Home participants access to assistive technology and home modifications without needing to save up funds from their Support at Home quarterly budgets.
Assessors may approve participants for an assistive technology funding tier, a home modifications funding tier, or both.
Assistive technology
Assistive technology includes items, pieces of equipment or products that are used to help a participant to do things more easily or complete activities they can no longer do independently.
Examples of assistive technology include:
- walking equipment such as walking sticks, walking frames and wheelchairs
- toileting supports including bedpans and commodes
- bathing devices including shower chairs and bath boards.
The assistive technology funding tiers are:
| Funding tier | Amount |
| Low | Under $500 |
| Medium | Up to $2,000 |
| High | Up to $15,000 |
|
The funding will cover the item as well as prescription from allied health professionals, when required, with wraparound supports to ensure the items are used safely and effectively.
Participants may access assistive technology that exceeds the maximum $15,000 with a valid prescription from a health professional.
We will provide more information before the Support at Home program commences on 1 July 2025.
Home modifications
Home modifications provide changes to a participant’s home to make it safer and more accessible, allowing the participant to live there safely.
Examples of home modifications include:
- grab rails in the shower or bathroom
- internal and external handrails
- ramps and stair lifts
- non-slip materials and mats for floors and stairs.
In some circumstances, participants may be approved for more significant home modifications including:
- bathroom redesign (for example, changes to design layout to improve accessibility)
- widening doorways and passages (for example, to allow for wheelchair access).
The home modifications funding tiers are:
| Funding tier | Amount |
| Low | Under $500 |
| Medium | Up to $2,000 |
| High | Up to $15,000 |
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) List
The AT-HM List outlines the products, equipment and home modifications that Support at Home participants can access through the AT-HM Scheme.
About the AT-HM List
The AT-HM List uses the Australian-adopted Assistive product – classification and terminology standard (AS/NZS ISO 9999:2023). It draws from subject matter experts and international human rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (2006).
The AT-HM List will be reviewed annually. This review will consider emerging technologies and align with any broader government, care and support sector developments. We will share more information on the AT-HM List review in the coming months.
How it works
The AT-HM List describes how a participant can access each item safely and effectively.
- Low risk: simple, low-cost daily living products that need no prescription or customisation.
- Under advice: items that are generally low risk but would benefit from professional advice to ensure that they are selected, installed or used effectively.
- Prescribed: these are more complex or costly products and equipment, often configured or adapted to meet participants’ individual support needs. A suitably qualified health professional must prescribe the item.
We will share more information on who may prescribe assistive technology and home modifications under the AT-HM Scheme in the coming months.
What we don’t fund
The AT-HM List excludes products and equipment that are:
- more appropriately funded by other government services
- considered a usual household or discretionary expense
- for use in a workplace
- used for mass transit
- used by children.
Some items may be available to participants through the AT-HM Scheme under specific circumstances.
National Assistive Technology Loans Scheme
We are designing a National Assistive Technology Loans Scheme (the AT Loans Scheme) for Support at Home in partnership with state and territory governments.
About the AT Loans Scheme
The AT Loans Scheme will support fast and equitable access to assistive technology through a nationally coordinated equipment loans program.
The AT-HM Scheme will have a loan-before-buy principle for assistive technology where appropriate. This means that if a participant is prescribed an item from the AT-HM List that can be loaned, prescribers will check whether the item is available through the AT Loans Scheme in their state or territory.
If the equipment is not suitable or available to loan from the AT Loans Scheme, the provider will support the participant to purchase the item. Low risk, low-cost items will not be included in the AT Loans Scheme and can be purchased using AT-HM Scheme funds. Home modifications are not available through the AT Loans Scheme at this time.
Benefits of the AT Loans Scheme include:
- providing simple and sustainable pathways for participants to get assistive technology in their local area
- delivering economies of scale, which will make assistive technology more affordable for participants
- leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise from state and territory programs
- enabling participants to change equipment as their needs change and creating sustainable use of assistive technology.
More information on how the AT Loans Scheme will work will be available in the coming months.
AT Loans Scheme trial
An AT Loans Scheme trial, in partnership with EnableNSW, commenced on 29 July 2024.
The trial is open to eligible Home Care Package Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme clients who live in these aged care planning regions:
- South West Sydney
- Riverina/Murray.
An independent evaluation will test the efficiency of the AT Loans Scheme and inform future design.