Help at home: costs explained
Providers charge more for admin despite changes
by Judy Skatssoon July 1, 2020
A survey has found home care providers are charging more for administration than they were before the introduction of the new pricing transparency regime, and care management costs are going up as well.
The pricing transparency changes, introduced last April, meant administration costs could no longer be charged separately but needed to be factored into prices for care and services. Instead, providers are able to charge for package management, which can include preparing monthly statements, managing funds and meeting compliance and quality assurance standards. They can also charge for care management, which can take in plan reviews and scheduling of services.
This is somewhat surprising given that if anything, package management would be expected to decline as a result of the pricing transparency system.
https://communitycarereview.com.au/2020/07/01/providers-charge-more-for-admin-despite-changes/
https://hellocaremail.com.au/mp-calls-cap-exorbitant-home-care-admin-fees/
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Home Care Packages (HCP) If you are eligible for a Home Care Package, you may have to pay:
Home Care Package Calculation of your cost of care form (SA456)
Use this form to give us your income details. We’ll use these details to assess how much you need to pay for a Home Care Package.
You only need to complete this form if you don’t get a means tested income support payment from the Department of Human Services.
18 July 2019
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New Aged care means assessment forms
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has released the new Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care (SA486) digital form. Your clients can fill it in online, print and sign it and send it to DHS with their supporting documents. The digital form uses dynamic questions tailored to the customers’ individual circumstances.
For clients who would prefer to use our simplified paper forms, they are as follows:
These forms are all available on the DHS website. Tips on how to download the digital form can be found here.
Aged care means tests: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/aged-care-means-tests
We assess your financial details to work out how much you need to pay towards aged care.
Customers commencing a Home Care Package don’t need to fill in a form if they get a means tested income support payment from Centrelink or DVA.
Customers entering Residential Care don’t need to fill in a form if they:
It is important to make sure their income and assets are up to date when they enter into care to ensure their assessment can be completed automatically. They can do this by accessing their Centrelink online account or by calling Centrelink on 132 300or DVA on 1800 555 254.
Department of Health
13 August 2019
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New standardised home care pricing Schedule
To improve transparency for senior Australians, all home care providers will need to publish their pricing information in a new standardised pricing comparability Schedule (the Schedule) on the My Aged Care Service Finder.
As everyone’s care needs are different, there are four levels of Home Care Packages with different funding amounts. These cover basic support needs through to high care needs.
How much does the government contribute?
The Australian Government contributes a different amount for each level of Home Care Package. The government subsidy for each package level is as follows:
Home Care Package level Daily government subsidy rate Yearly government contribution
Level 1 $24.73 $9,026.45
Level 2 $43.50 $15,877.50
Level 3 $94.66 $34,550.90
Level 4 $143.50 $52,377.50
The government contribution changes on 1 July every year; these figures are up to date as at 1 July 2021.
The government contribution is paid directly to the home care provider you choose. You work in partnership with the provider to determine the care and services you need, within the package budget. The funds won’t affect your pension, because they don’t count as income.
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What is the income-tested care fee?
The income-tested care fee is an extra contribution that some people may be asked to pay because they can afford to do so, as determined through an income assessment. This fee is different for everyone. It’s based on individual income including your pension. However, full pensioners do not pay an income-tested care fee.
You could pay up to $15.24 per day, if you:
You could pay between $15.25 - $30.49 if you:
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: From 20 March 2022
This page provides the latest updates to aged care fees and charges.
[i] Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
[ii] This rate applies to residents who enter residential care within this time period but not to those who were already in care prior to this time period. The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate applicable for the calculation of a resident’s daily payments is fixed either at their date of entry to care (for a low means resident) or the date they agree to a room price (for a resident who is not eligible for government assistance with their accommodation costs).
and do remember that the daily care fee IS negiotable.
The Australian Government pays for the bulk of aged care in Australia. But as with all aged care services, it's expected you'll contribute to the cost of your care if you can afford to do so. You will never be denied the care you need because you can't afford it.
Home care providers may be able to access further funding supplements – to ensure you receive the care you need.
These include:
How to Get Started - What Happens...
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1426/f/documents/01_2017/my_aged_care_consumer_brochure.pdf
What is the Aged Care Assessment (ACAT) Team?
The ACAT assess people’s eligibility for Home Care Packages and other residential care services. They are professional health and community care clinicians who visit you at home to assess your needs. They do a comprehensive assessment for your eligibility for a Home Care Package, residential respite care or permanent residential care.
Comprehensive Assessment (ACAT only)
A Comprehensive Assessment, undertaken by the ACATs, builds on the information collected in the contact centre screening and Home Support Assessment (if applicable) and in a suitable face-to-face context (preferably in the client’s usual accommodation setting) to determine a client’s eligibility for care types under the Act. It encompasses the same client information as the Home Support Assessment at a deeper level.
Types of Assessment: You are looking at page 10.
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/06_2018/my-aged-care-assessment-manual-june-2018-v1-1.pdf
The assessor will comprehensively assess:
The assessor and client will work together to establish a support plan that reflects the client’s strengths and abilities, areas of difficulty, and the support that will best meet their needs and goals. This will include the consideration of formal and informal services as well as reablement and/or restorative pathways.
Where a care type under the Act is identified as the most appropriate type of support to meet the client’s needs, and the client meets the eligibility criteria, the assessor will make a recommendation for approval. A client may be approved for a Home Care Package, Residential Care, Residential Respite Care or Flexible Care (Transition Care Program [TCP] or Short-Term Restorative Care [STRC]). Clients may also be referred to Commonwealth Home Support Program services where appropriate.
08 August 2019
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Find the help you need with My Aged Care
Find out how My Aged Care can help you find help at home through our phone line and web site.
Go to www.myagedcare.gov.au or call 1800 200 422.
“$50,000 Should Not Translate To Just Nine Hours Of Care,” Royal Commission Hears
by Caroline Egan. https://hellocaremail.com.au/home-care-delivered-hours-care-royal-commission/
Home care was under the Royal Commission’s spotlight on Monday, as the second set of hearings began.
19 March 2019
"Some Providers Charging High Case Management, Administration Costs”
The Aged Care Minister The Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP told HelloCare that home care operators that do not publish their fees online could face funding penalties.
New standardised home care pricing Schedule
To improve transparency for senior Australians, all home care providers will need to publish their pricing information in a new standardised pricing comparability Schedule (the Schedule) on the My Aged Care Service Finder.
"Another key source of confusion is around the mandated requirement by government that all approved providers must publish the prices they charge for certain common care and services in a standard format on My Aged Care, she says."
“Administration and Case Management are no longer separate categories and the model of charging a percentage of a home care package for these is no longer possible,” Ms Poulos says."
“There are two new categories – Package Management and Care Management – that have very clear definitions and requirements to validate charges made to a consumer’s package of care."
“Providers will also be required to attach to the Notice a copy of their full price list or a link to the full price list on their own website."
“Government has indicated that compliance with the new legislation will be monitored for ‘reasonable’ charges however there is no real guidance about what would be considered as ‘reasonable’.“
02 July 2019
Since 1 July 2019 home care providers will need to publish their prices in a new standardised home care pricing Schedule on the My Aged Care website. This transition to the new pricing structure may be an opportune time to analyse their current pricing policies and determine if they (the Provider) need to change their prices.
TO COMPARE $ PRICES in Home Care
From 1 July 2019 home care providers needed to publish their prices in a new standardised home care pricing Schedule on the My Aged Care website. This transition to the new pricing structure may be an opportune time to analyse their current pricing policies and determine if they (the Provider) need to change their prices.
The Schedule will provide information on the common services and costs under a home care package.
This will better support senior Australians to understand and compare home care pricing information, and make a more informed decision about which provider is best placed to deliver your care.
01 July 2019
STEP 1: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/find-a-provider
STEP 2: Click on "Help at Home"
STEP 3: Select your Suburb
STEP 4: Click on "Home Support Services" to get a list of Providers
OR “Home Care Package” Level 1, 2, 3 or 4
You can then click on the Providers name for their details
OR Just click on COMPARE – up to 3 at a time
and COMPARE ONE PROVIDER $ AGAINST ANOTHER... Just scroll down.
You are looking at:-
Case Management - approximate number of hours per fortnight
Price for Common Services - shown as $ per hour
Other costs:
It's quite an Eye-opener!!!
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"Home care providers have cut their prices following the government’s introduction of compulsory fee reporting on the My Aged Care website, saving the government up to $1 billion."
https://hellocaremail.com.au/home-care-prices-fall-reporting-fees-becomes-compulsory-aged-care/
10 June 2019
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Update on quality standards
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission 1800 550 552 regarding a Commonwealth-subsidised residential or home-based aged care service
https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/about-us
Minister Wyatt announced that the Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency will form part of the New Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in January 2019. "I am confident the new Commission will better target sub-standard care. It will be a central point to identify failures, highlights quality concerns and have them rectified,” he says.
The Commission replaces the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner. Combining these functions into one independent agency strengthens the focus on consumers, streamlines regulation, supports better engagement with consumers and providers, and promotes transparency.
The new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission had begun on January 1st, 2019.
Who do the Act and Rules apply to?
What changes can services and providers expect?
The new Rules look quite different due to the combined functions under the Act. However, while the Rules have combined a number of previously separate legislative instruments, the core processes are preserved.
Factsheets & FAQs
Aged Care - Flexible
Aged Care – Home and Community
Aged Care – Residential
Assessing services
Tuesday, 8 January 2019
It will have a budget of almost $300 million over four years, employing dozens of additional senior compliance officers. The new Commission will immediately absorb the roles of the current Aged Care Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and, from January 2020, also take over the Department of Health's aged-care compliance responsibilities.
Key Changes under the new Commission Act and Rules.
The new commissioners of the Royal Commission in to Aged Care Quality and Safety has written to the nation’s top 100 aged care operators, asking them to self-report on details of their operations. The request for information is the first step in the Royal Commission’s information gathering process. The deadline for providing information is January. Smaller operators will also be contacted, and will be given a later deadline.
The letters mark what will be a huge information-gathering process involving every aged care facility in Australia, and also begins a process of review for all operators of their own individual systems and processes.
08 January 2019
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Self Service
You can do most of your Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support business using our Express Plus mobile apps, online accounts or phone self service.
Soon myGov will be the only way you can access your Centrelink online account. Start using myGov now.
Login to My Aged Care using myGov
My Aged Care client record
When you call My Aged Care, our contact centre staff will ask you a number of questions to help us understand your needs. The contact centre will also seek your consent to create a personalised client record which will hold information on your needs and any services put in place. The record will mean you won’t have to retell your story on multiple occasions to the contact centre, assessors and service providers.
If you have a client record with My Aged Care you can access your client record using myGov. The client record allows you to:
For more information, please read the My Aged Care Client Portal User Guide (PDF, 3.2Mb).
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/view-your-my-aged-care-client-record
Log in to My Aged Care using myGov
If you have a client record with My Aged Care, you can access your client record using myGov. The client record allows you to:
If you have been approved for a Home Care Package, you will be able to see your letters and how long you may need to wait.
For more information, please read the My Aged Care Client Portal User Guide.
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Once you’ve chosen your preferred provider, they will offer you an agreement before you start to receive services. Each type of care has a different type of agreement.
Set up your New Service - services are delivered in two ways: through the Commonwealth Home Care Programme, and through Home Care Packages (Consumer Directed Care).
Note: It is the Government's intention to integrate the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Packages program into a single care at home program from July 2020. This was put back a few years recently.
The funding program or package through which you access aged care services at home will determine how much you will need to pay. Any fees will be discussed and agreed upon with your service provider before you receive the relevant services. Do be aware that Case management and advisory fees can be charged on top of admin charges and will vary depending on the level of involvement of the consumer and their carer. Keep an eye on your Monthly Statement.
Note: Often you don’t know what you don’t know. What help can you ask for? You can decided that you would rather pay a private cleaner and get exactly what you want for how long you want. Many have rejected the packages because of the admin fees, the daily fee and so on.
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/manage-your-home-care-package-services
Some consumers are choosing to spend their built-up funds on one-off capital items or services that offer little or in some cases no margin to providers. Remember, it is Your Choice...
https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2018/04/12/key-considerations-when-negotiating-cdc-package-spending/
The Department of Health says the types of care and services provided under a home care package will depend on the person’s assessed care needs.
A package should help older people to stay at home, provide tailored services and cover a person’s care and safety needs.
If a package is used to contribute towards the cost of items within a consumer’s home, the impact on a person’s individual budget, capacity to deliver other care and services and responsibility for any maintenance should be considered, the department says.
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Since 27 February 2017, if a home care package client decides to leave their provider’s care, the provider will need to reconcile the client’s package to determine if there will be an unspent home care amount. The unspent home care amount is the total amount including the total subsidy, any supplements and home care fees paid for the period of care that have not been spent or committed to the client’s care and services.
It is important to note that:
If a client has paid their fees in advance, this amount is not considered an Unspent Home Care Amount and cannot be included in the calculation.
An exit amount cannot be charged if the client does not have an unspent amount (i.e. the client cannot go into debt due to an exit amount charge). The unspent home care amount is calculated when a care recipient leaves home care (eg they move to another provider, pass away or move to residential aged care).
Maximum exit amounts are now published on My Aged Care since 27 February 2017 to ensure consumers are aware of the maximum amount they may be asked to agree to when they are choosing a home care provider.
The unspent home care amount is worked out for the period that begins on the later of:
1 July 2015, or the day the provider started to provide home care services, and
to the day they cease to provide home care services (known as the ‘cessation day’).
Do be aware too, that the Department of Health has released a new Unspent Home Care Amounts and Exit Amounts that your Provider needs before exit amounts can be used on contracts can be charged to clients when they leave a Service after 27 February 2017. Your Provider needs to get YOU, the consumer signed up to new agreements or amendments to existing agreements.
Any exit amount Must be disclosed in the Home Care Agreement:
If you wish to apply an exit amount, the amount must be included in the client’s Home Care Agreement and agreed to by the client. This ensures that clients are aware of the maximum exit amount that may be deducted from their unspent home care amount if they change providers or leave home care. If the exit fee is not in the original Home Agreement/Amended Home Agreement, you can negotiate hard with your Home Care Provider Before you go to your New Provider. In practice, this Exit Amount MUST already be part of your Agreement. Do check!
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If you need help, an advocate can be made available through ADA AUSTRALIA
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia (ADA Australia) is a not-for-profit, independent, community based advocacy and education service with more than 25 years’ experience in supporting and improving the well being of older people and people with disability.
CONTACT
Brisbane - Head Office
121 Copperfield Street, Geebung, QLD 4034
Tel: (07) 3637 6000
Fax: (07) 3637 6001
Email: [email protected]
TOLL FREE: 1800 818 338 Monday to Friday 9.30 to 4pm. .
Step by Step calculation of Unspent Funds for Consumer Directed Care (CDC) Home Care
November 2, 2016
The Department of Health has released a Step by Step guide on how to calculate unspent funds. More detail is required than most expect.
Read the full report
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1426/f/documents/11_2016/mai_example_-_calculation_of_unspent_home_care_amounts_-_.pdf
Since 27 February 2017, the Home Care Package goes Directly To YOU, not the provider. SO do check out and compare various Providers, do go to www.myagedcare.gov.au and click on their improved search facilities. Once you have chosen some likely Providers, hit the "Compare" button. Note that one of the items gives the $ Exit Fee that particular Provider will charge should you exit* their services. Some have $4,153.00; other Providers have $0.00.* The average maximum was $417.00. 16 March 2017
Do check though, that some Providers with zero exit fees are enforcing lengthy notice periods Before the client can actually exit the package. SO, if they are enforcing a notice period of eg. 4-6 weeks, the provider could collect for themselves more than the average $400. over that time i.e. getting their exit fee this way which is not being advertised or mentioned to the consumer.
Since 27 February 2017, the package (Level 1, 2, 3 or 4) goes to YOU. You choose your own Provider and the Government then gives them the $ to spend on what YOU Want. Do be aware that some Providers are charging joining, upgrade or exit fees for their in home health and wellbeing services. This is Not Mandatory, and should any Provider place these restrictions in your New Home Care Agreement, Do NOT sign it. You do NOT have to pay for these. Only those things which YOU have agreed to can be placed in your new Home Care Agreement. If this is happening to You, do not sign and immediately look around and choose another Provider.
* As there is no legislation mandating a particular time before YOU can exit their services - it is whatever is jointly agreed between You and your Provider. Note though, that a new responsibility is now included for a consumer to tell the approved provider and their staff of the day the consumer intends to cease to receive services.
To help YOU, the consumer, there are now other new fields on the My Aged Care service finder include language, religion and cultural specialties, special needs groups supported, specialised services offerings, applicable surcharges for weekend or evenings and pricing schedule information.
If you do not feel comfortable approaching a new Provider, you can ask My Aged Care to send an electronic referral through the provider portal.
Even the bare bones home care management services still have management fees. These include administration and case management amounts that in some cases exceed 20 per cent of the funding. However, this is still significantly below an approximate industry average of 30 per cent with some operators charging above the 50 per cent mark.
As a potential Customer, do be aware of what your Home Care Agreement ACTUALLY says: Do Not Sign it until you have had it all explained to you AND YOU UNDERSTAND IT.
A potential Home Care Provider needs to bear in mind when offering your Home Care Agreement:
As a provider of home care you will want to promote your business so that you can compete for customers. But you also have to make sure that you don’t break the law by saying things to consumers that might mislead or confuse them. When you offer home care services to consumers it is important that you present information (whether it be written or verbal) to a consumer accurately, clearly and honestly. This allows consumers the opportunity to make decisions with all the facts. Under the ACL, businesses that do not do this are likely to be engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct.
Misleading and deceptive conduct can include practices such as:
Home Care Agreements need to be clear and easy to understand so that consumers are able to make informed decisions. Make sure that your Home Care Agreements are transparent, in plain language and highlight important terms, especially key information such as:
Example: A term in a Home Care Agreement says “you agree to allow the provider to place a caveat over your home to enable the collection of any unpaid fees”. This would likely be an unfair term as it is not reasonably necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the business in relation to government funded home care services and would cause significant detriment to the consumer if it were relied upon.
Download your own copy from the ACCC website:
https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/home-care-services-your-business-rights-obligations
Home care services - your business rights & obligations.
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Change to pure self-management in the industry is no longer an if, rather a when. Developments in the industry are already visible with:
24 May 2018
For the first time, My Aged Care will also capture and display data on the average percentage of packaged funds a provider will make available to consumers, which will help older people to more easily compare average administration and case management charges.
Changes to the approved provider process mean existing residential aged care or flexible care providers can now opt-in to deliver home care without having to submit a new application. Note that previously there was a two year lapse period. Since 27 February 2017, this no longer applies. Thus, once approved provider status has been granted it will no longer lapse, whether the approval is for home care, residential care or flexible care.
Costs for home support services If you have been receiving your services through the Home and Community Care (HACC) program (for those over 65 years of age), National Respite for Carers Program or a Day Therapy Centre, you may now be asked to pay a small fee. This fee contributes to the cost of delivering services such as staffing or for equipment costs. This fee varies between different organisations, states and territories. To find out specific costs, you should contact your service provider.
*Please note that since 1 July 2015, the HACC services you were receiving - often for years, ended. In its place is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). Click here for a more extensive look at the New CHSP services and what they will mean for YOU. Don't worry. Your Provider will explain it all to you over the next few months. Just ask :-)
Costs for Home Care Packages
As you take up a Home Care Package, Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: from 1 January 2020. Case management and advisory fees can be charged on top of admin charges and will vary depending on the level of involvement of the consumer and their carer.
31 January 2020
How much does the government contribute?
The Australian Government contributes a different amount for each level of Home Care Package. The government subsidy for each package level is as follows:
Home Care Package level Daily government subsidy rate Yearly government contribution
Level 1 $24.73 $9,026.45
Level 2 $43.50 $15,877.50
Level 3 $94.66 $34,550.90
Level 4 $143.50 $52,377.50
The government contribution changes on 1 July every year; these figures are up to date as at 1 July 2021.
The government contribution is paid directly to the home care provider you choose. You work in partnership with the provider to determine the care and services you need, within the package budget. The funds won’t affect your pension, because they don’t count as income.
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https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/home-care-package-costs-and-fees
These packages provide similar services to the HACC programs you are used to, but through the Provider, you will be connected to a co-ordinator who can co-ordinate and manage* the care services into a personalized package that meets your needs.
* This fee contributes to the cost of delivering your services. The number of available home care packages will increase with time. There is now a national 'prioritized queue' to access these services, depending on YOUR relative needs and circumstances, and the length of time you have been waiting.
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: From 20 March 2022
This page provides the latest updates to aged care fees and charges.
[i] Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
[ii] This rate applies to residents who enter residential care within this time period but not to those who were already in care prior to this time period. The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate applicable for the calculation of a resident’s daily payments is fixed either at their date of entry to care (for a low means resident) or the date they agree to a room price (for a resident who is not eligible for government assistance with their accommodation costs).
and do remember that the daily care fee IS negotiable.
DISTRIBUTION OF HOME CARE PACKAGE LEVELS 2018
There are four levels of home care packages to help meet the different levels of care needs, which are determined by the outcome of an aged care assessment (Table 1).
Table 1: Home care package annual subsidy
on Page 5
Package level Aged care services for people with: Annual amount ($) paid by the Australian Government up to the approximate value of
1 Basic care needs $8,800
2 Low-level care needs $15,500
3 Intermediate care needs $33,700
4 High-level care needs $ 51,100
Note: The maximum Government contribution increases each year. The amount will depend on a client’s income during the year.
Aged Care Subsidies and Supplements New Rates of Payment from 1 July 2019. Home Care Subsidies and Supplements. These rates are applicable from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.
Home Care Package team
"The Assessment Officer is the first Home Care Package team member to have contact with prospective new consumers, carers and families. They arrange and attend consumer assessments, introduce CDC and the BSL model, compile initial paperwork and then hand the consumer over to one of the 26 case managers. This ensures consistent messages to new consumers and uniform, accurate paperwork. These activities were previously the responsibility of each case manager.
A consumer next meets their allocated Case Manager whose role is to collaborate with them to design their package and agree on their capacity to self manage. This entails using the BSL Enhancing Capabilities approach to develop a care plan (MyPlan) that articulates the consumer’s aspirations for living a life that they value, the relevant goals, the available budget, the appropriate level of autonomy and an action plan with a service schedule. Case managers provide support, information and referrals and monitor the quality of service delivery and consumer wellbeing, in a way that optimises the consumer’s capabilities and opportunities to live a meaningful and fulfilling life of their choosing. Do be aware that Case management and advisory fees can be charged on top of admin charges and will vary depending on the level of involvement of the consumer and their carer. Carefully check your monthly statement.
The Service Coordinator is the third member in the chain of consumer contacts. Once a consumer’s autonomy level and budget have been agreed and initial activities and home care services organised, the Service Coordinator is responsible for liaising with consumers, case managers and direct care service providers around scheduling and monitoring services and activities, keeping consumer records up to date and related administrative tasks. The consumer’s autonomy level influences the extent of the Service Coordinator’s administrative input."
with sincere thanks for giving a 'readable' version of CDC to those consumers and Carers who are finding all of this overwhelming and somewhat confusing. Many thanks. For further reading - Bonnie Simons, Helen Kimberley & Nicky McColl Jones 2016, "Adjusting to Consumer Directed Care: the experience of Brotherhood of St Laurence community aged care service users", Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, Vic.
http://library.bsl.org.au/jspui/bitstream/1/9054/4/Simons_etal_Adjusting_to_Consumer_Directed_Care_2016.pdf
Be aware that these Packages may generally only provide on average 5 - 14 hours of direct care per week. So while they can help you delay the move into residential care, they are only likely to suit you if you have family members or friends to support you to live in your own home for all the other hours of the week.
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What is CDC? Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is a way of delivering services that allows consumers to have greater control over their own lives by allowing them to make choices about the types of care and services they access and the delivery of those services, including who will deliver the services and when. Under a CDC approach, consumers are encouraged to identify goals, which could include independence, wellness and re-ablement. These will form the basis of the Home Care Agreement and care plan.
The consumer decides the level of involvement they wish to have in managing their package, which could range from involvement in all aspects of the package, including co-ordination of care and services, to a less active role in decision-making and management of the package. There should also be ongoing monitoring and a formal re-assessment by the provider (at least every 12 months) to ensure that the package continues to be appropriate for the consumer".
The final stage of home care reform has been put back until July 2020, when the Home Care Packages program and the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) are combined. The change is expected to open the way for consumers to choose small independent providers or deal directly with carers to make the most of their funding. Do note though, that this date has been put back.
Strong competition will now come come from labour hire companies that currently supply staff to aged care, home care franchise groups and residential care providers not yet delivering community care. Under the 27 February 2017 changes, existing residential care providers can 'opt in' to provide home care as part of a simplified process. The number of home care providers has grown by 40 per cent in the last financial year as new entrants flood the deregulated marketplace, new figures reveal.
Financial changes to Home Care Packages
Costs for Home Care Packages:
Since 1 July 2014, if you take up a Home Care Package, your service Provider may ask you to pay one or both of the following:
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: From 20 March 2022
This page provides the latest updates to aged care fees and charges.
[i] Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
[ii] This rate applies to residents who enter residential care within this time period but not to those who were already in care prior to this time period. The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate applicable for the calculation of a resident’s daily payments is fixed either at their date of entry to care (for a low means resident) or the date they agree to a room price (for a resident who is not eligible for government assistance with their accommodation costs).
and do https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/schedule-of-fees-and-charges-for-residential-and-home-care remember that the daily care fee IS negiotable.
How much can a pensioner have in assets before affecting their payment?
For those residents entering, or consumers commencing a home care package from 1 July 2014, the following Schedule applies:
Currently, if you're single, the first $51,800 of your financial assets has the deemed rate of 1 per cent applied. Anything over $51,800 is deemed to earn 3 per cent even if the money might be in a term deposit earning just 1 per cent.
The higher deeming rate is being reduced by a quarter of a percent to 3.00 per cent for singles with financial investments over $51,200 and couples with financial investments over $86,200. The lower deeming rate is reducing by three quarters of a percent to 1.00 per cent for financial investments under these thresholds.
New look Payment and Service Finder is now available
Scroll down a bit...
A great new way to help you find, estimate and compare payments, and locate services.
We’ve combined the previous Payment Finder, Service Finder and Centrelink rate estimators into one tool.
Answer some simple questions, like your age and income, and the new Payment and Service Finder will suggest options for you to explore.
Payment and Service Finder can also help you work out what a change in circumstance might mean for the payments you currently get from the Department of Human Services.
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click here for "Residential Care and Home Care Frequently Asked Questions". You will find Home Care Q and A at the end.
16 July 2019
If you believe you would face financial hardship in paying the required fees and payments, you can ask to be considered for financial hardship assistance. Each case is considered on an individual basis.
You should apply for financial hardship assistance as soon as you experience financial difficulties. Department of Human Services consider financial hardship applications from the date your application is received by them. They may backdate the application if there are special circumstances.
If you believe you will face financial hardship in paying your aged care costs, you can ask to be considered for financial hardship assistance.
for Financial hardship assistance for Home Care and Residential Respite Care form (SA462)
10 July 2019
Use this form and guide to test your eligibility to receive financial hardship assistance with your fees and charges in Home Care, or Residential Respite Care - this is assistance for the Basic Daily Care Fee.
Note: This assessment is NOT relevant for permanent Residential Aged Care. To apply for financial hardship assistance for your permanent residential aged care fees and charges, please use a Claim for Financial hardship assistance – Residential Aged Care form (SA461).
10 July 2019
When you submit the financial hardship assistance form, you will need to provide written evidence of your:
You will be asked to provide your asset details when you complete the relevant financial hardship assistance form, if you are:
If financial hardship is granted, the Government will pay a hardship supplement of an amount determined in each individual case.
for more information on fees and charges or Financial hardship assistance (in Residential Care), call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/
10 July 2019
Fee/ Charge/ Thresholds
Everyone taking up a Home Care Package can be asked by their service provider to pay the maximum basic daily fee.
The maximum basic daily fee is 17.5% of the single basic age pension - $10.63 per day.
Fee/ Charge/ Thresholds Rates
Maximum Basic Daily Fee
Home Care - Level 1 package $9.52
Home Care - Level 2 package $10.07
Home Care - Level 3 package $10.35
Home Care - Level 4 package $10.63
Residential Care (i) $51,63
(i) Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
Income-tested care fee
Maximum Basic Daily Fee - 1 January 2020
Home Care $10.63
Depending on your income, you may be asked by your service Provider to contribute more to the cost of your care. This extra amount is known as an 'income-tested care fee'. Annual income up to these amounts is excluded from the income test component in home care. To calculate the equivalent fortnightly income divide by 26.
Income Thresholds (annual amount) Home Care Income Test
Consumers with incomes above these amounts are subject to the second cap when calculating the daily income tested care fee in home care and are also subject to the higher annual cap that applies in Home Care. To calculate the equivalent fortnightly income divide by 26.
When a person is a member of a couple, half of the combined assessable income of the couple plus their own Age/Service Pension is assessed. The income-tested care fee will be recalculated quarterly by the DHS or the DVA and may change depending on the recipient's income.
Home Exemption Cap (applies separately to both members of a couple)
The net value of the home above this amount is excluded from the value of the resident's assets. $169,079.20
Caps on Income Tested Care Fees in Home Care
Lifetime Cap on Means Tested Care Fees in Residential Care and Income Tested Care Fees in Home Care $66,610.90
Department of Human Services (Centrelink) works out the income-tested care fee based on an assessment of your financial information. The assessment does not include the value of your home or any other assets. Go here to access the Home Care Estimator.
Your ability to contribute towards the cost of a Home Care Package will be assessed based on your income and financial assets (eg. Deposits with financial institutions; Cash, gold or other bullion; Shares, Managed investments - property, equity, case or mortgage trusts, public unit trusts such as cash, management, mortgage, share (equity) and bond trusts, unlisted property trusts, personal investment plans, insurance bonds or life office and friendly society bonds); Superannuation assets; Gifts/Deprivation).
Everyone taking up a Home Care Package can be asked by their service Provider to pay the basic daily fee.
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator
Once this cap is reached, you cannot be asked to pay any more income-tested care fees until the next anniversary of the date you first began receiving aged care. Your service provider can still ask you to pay the basic fee.
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Information you need to know about your payments for older Australians, lets you estimate the amount of Age Pension you may be able to get and compare it with other payments you may be eligible for.
If you receive a means tested Australian income support payment from Centrelink, such as the:
Income and Assets Assessment:
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator
Before you call you should have your financial information ready, especially details of your various forms of income. This will be an estimate of your fees and charges. An actual assessment will be undertaken by Centrelink when you enter your Home Care Package.
Estimate fees for aged care services The home care package and aged care homes will help you estimate the fees and payments you may be asked to pay for aged care. The Australian Government subsidizes a range of aged care services in Australia. It is expected you will contribute to the cost of your care if you can afford to do so.
The Fee Estimator and tools are provided as a guide for your general information only. The Fee Estimator will give you an estimate of fees and charges for aged care, based on the information you enter at the time.
The actual amount of the fees and charges payable will depend on your personal situation, the time you enter care, the information you provide to the relevant Australian Government Departments and your personal and financial information at the time of the assessment.
The Australian Government respects your privacy and the information you provide will not be used for any other purpose except to provide an estimate. Suggest you print or save a copy of the results from the estimator for your personal use. The Australian Government will not store the information you enter into the fee estimator. The information will be deleted once you close your internet browser.
Your information for your Home Care Fee:
The person and the care needed
Do you have a partner?
Income
Income includes:
Do not include interest from your bank accounts or financial investments. Your financial assets will be deemed to earn a certain rate of income.
For more guidance on what types of income to include, see the Income and Assets Checklist.
Do not include interest from your bank accounts or financial investments. Your financial assets will be deemed to earn a certain rate of income.
Estimated income per annum:
Financial assets include:
Net market value of the home Family Home:
include the net market value of your home. The net market value of your home is the value of the house less any outstanding mortgages on the home Retirement Villages: include the amount of any net retirement village entry contributions you will receive when you vacate the unit.
Financial assets on which the Australian Government deems income:
Click to "Estimate my fees" https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator
What if I received a Home Care Package before 1 July 2014?
The costs for Home Care Packages changed on 1 July 2014. If you received a Home Care Package before 1 July 2014, you will continue to pay the costs under the old fee arrangement.
If you were in home care on 30 June 2014 and you move to a new provider on or after 1 July 2014 (and do not spend more than 28 days outside of care, other than on approved leave), you can choose to be subject to the new fees and payment arrangements which came into effect on 1 July 2014. To make this choice, you will need to complete the Continuing Care Recipient opting into the New Aged Care Arrangements from 1 July 2014 (AC022) form.
28 June 2018
Financial advice
You may want to consult with a financial adviser about your finances. There are various government services and resources that can help you obtain appropriate financial advice. It's a good idea to do some research to see what options work best for you.
ASIC's MoneySmart website at https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/ is a comprehensive source of free, trusted and impartial financial guidance and tools to help Australians make decisions about all aspects of personal finance.
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To update yourself on Ageing and Aged Care Legislation:
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/publications-and-articles/legislation
Page last updated: 12 April 2017.
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The new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission began on January 1st, 2019.
Who do the Act and Rules apply to?
What changes can services and providers expect?
The new Rules look quite different due to the combined functions under the Act. However, while the Rules have combined a number of previously separate legislative instruments, the core processes are preserved.
Factsheets & FAQs
Aged Care - Flexible
Aged Care – Home and Community
Aged Care – Residential
Assessing services
26 June 2019
It will have a budget of almost $300 million over four years, employing dozens of additional senior compliance officers. The new Commission will immediately absorb the roles of the current Aged Care Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and, from January 2020, also take over the Department of Health's aged-care compliance responsibilities.
Background Papers 1-5 is called Navigating the maze: an overview of Australia’s current aged care system. It outlines different aspects of the aged care system, the services currently being delivered in Australia and the areas in need of substantial reform.
The Royal Commission will be accepting submissions until mid 2019 from members of the public interested in providing evidence. Submissions can be lodged online, via mail or telephone.
What the new Aged Care Quality Standards mean for you? What are the new standards?
The Australian Government has set some new Aged Care Quality Standards that clearly define what good care should look like. These new Standards have been published, and your service will have to use them from 1 July 2019.
The new Standards make it easier to check that people receive good care. Good care is not about your provider 'ticking boxes'. It’s about them caring for you and your individual needs.
Watch the video to see what the new Standards mean in practice for you.
01 August 2019
Disclaimer Statement
20 April 2022
Providers charge more for admin despite changes
by Judy Skatssoon July 1, 2020
A survey has found home care providers are charging more for administration than they were before the introduction of the new pricing transparency regime, and care management costs are going up as well.
The pricing transparency changes, introduced last April, meant administration costs could no longer be charged separately but needed to be factored into prices for care and services. Instead, providers are able to charge for package management, which can include preparing monthly statements, managing funds and meeting compliance and quality assurance standards. They can also charge for care management, which can take in plan reviews and scheduling of services.
This is somewhat surprising given that if anything, package management would be expected to decline as a result of the pricing transparency system.
https://communitycarereview.com.au/2020/07/01/providers-charge-more-for-admin-despite-changes/
https://hellocaremail.com.au/mp-calls-cap-exorbitant-home-care-admin-fees/
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Home Care Packages (HCP) If you are eligible for a Home Care Package, you may have to pay:
- a basic daily fee, or
- a basic daily fee and an income-tested care fee.
Home Care Package Calculation of your cost of care form (SA456)
Use this form to give us your income details. We’ll use these details to assess how much you need to pay for a Home Care Package.
You only need to complete this form if you don’t get a means tested income support payment from the Department of Human Services.
18 July 2019
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New Aged care means assessment forms
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has released the new Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care (SA486) digital form. Your clients can fill it in online, print and sign it and send it to DHS with their supporting documents. The digital form uses dynamic questions tailored to the customers’ individual circumstances.
For clients who would prefer to use our simplified paper forms, they are as follows:
- Home Care Package Calculation of your cost of care (SA456)
- Residential Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care (SA457)
- Residential Aged Care Property details for Centrelink and DVA customers (SA485)
These forms are all available on the DHS website. Tips on how to download the digital form can be found here.
Aged care means tests: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/aged-care-means-tests
We assess your financial details to work out how much you need to pay towards aged care.
Customers commencing a Home Care Package don’t need to fill in a form if they get a means tested income support payment from Centrelink or DVA.
Customers entering Residential Care don’t need to fill in a form if they:
- get a means tested income support payment, and
- don’t own their own home.
It is important to make sure their income and assets are up to date when they enter into care to ensure their assessment can be completed automatically. They can do this by accessing their Centrelink online account or by calling Centrelink on 132 300or DVA on 1800 555 254.
Department of Health
13 August 2019
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New standardised home care pricing Schedule
To improve transparency for senior Australians, all home care providers will need to publish their pricing information in a new standardised pricing comparability Schedule (the Schedule) on the My Aged Care Service Finder.
As everyone’s care needs are different, there are four levels of Home Care Packages with different funding amounts. These cover basic support needs through to high care needs.
How much does the government contribute?
The Australian Government contributes a different amount for each level of Home Care Package. The government subsidy for each package level is as follows:
Home Care Package level Daily government subsidy rate Yearly government contribution
Level 1 $24.73 $9,026.45
Level 2 $43.50 $15,877.50
Level 3 $94.66 $34,550.90
Level 4 $143.50 $52,377.50
The government contribution changes on 1 July every year; these figures are up to date as at 1 July 2021.
The government contribution is paid directly to the home care provider you choose. You work in partnership with the provider to determine the care and services you need, within the package budget. The funds won’t affect your pension, because they don’t count as income.
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What is the income-tested care fee?
The income-tested care fee is an extra contribution that some people may be asked to pay because they can afford to do so, as determined through an income assessment. This fee is different for everyone. It’s based on individual income including your pension. However, full pensioners do not pay an income-tested care fee.
You could pay up to $15.24 per day, if you:
- Are single earning over $27,463.80
- Are a member of a couple living together earning over $21,294.00
- Are a member of a couple living apart due to illness earning over $26,943.80
You could pay between $15.25 - $30.49 if you:
- Are single earning over $53,060.80
- Are a member of a couple living together earning over $40,586.00
- Are a member of a couple living apart due to illness earning over $52,540.80
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: From 20 March 2022
This page provides the latest updates to aged care fees and charges.
[i] Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
[ii] This rate applies to residents who enter residential care within this time period but not to those who were already in care prior to this time period. The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate applicable for the calculation of a resident’s daily payments is fixed either at their date of entry to care (for a low means resident) or the date they agree to a room price (for a resident who is not eligible for government assistance with their accommodation costs).
and do remember that the daily care fee IS negiotable.
The Australian Government pays for the bulk of aged care in Australia. But as with all aged care services, it's expected you'll contribute to the cost of your care if you can afford to do so. You will never be denied the care you need because you can't afford it.
Home care providers may be able to access further funding supplements – to ensure you receive the care you need.
These include:
- Dementia and cognition supplement
- Oxygen supplement for people with an ongoing medical need for oxygen
- Enteral feeding supplement for people who need enteral feeding on an ongoing basis
- Veterans’ supplement
- Viability supplement for those in rural and remote areas.
How to Get Started - What Happens...
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1426/f/documents/01_2017/my_aged_care_consumer_brochure.pdf
What is the Aged Care Assessment (ACAT) Team?
The ACAT assess people’s eligibility for Home Care Packages and other residential care services. They are professional health and community care clinicians who visit you at home to assess your needs. They do a comprehensive assessment for your eligibility for a Home Care Package, residential respite care or permanent residential care.
Comprehensive Assessment (ACAT only)
A Comprehensive Assessment, undertaken by the ACATs, builds on the information collected in the contact centre screening and Home Support Assessment (if applicable) and in a suitable face-to-face context (preferably in the client’s usual accommodation setting) to determine a client’s eligibility for care types under the Act. It encompasses the same client information as the Home Support Assessment at a deeper level.
Types of Assessment: You are looking at page 10.
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/06_2018/my-aged-care-assessment-manual-june-2018-v1-1.pdf
The assessor will comprehensively assess:
- the client’s physical capability,
- medical condition,
- psychosocial factors,
- cognitive and behavioral factors,
- physical environmental factors
- and restorative needs.
The assessor and client will work together to establish a support plan that reflects the client’s strengths and abilities, areas of difficulty, and the support that will best meet their needs and goals. This will include the consideration of formal and informal services as well as reablement and/or restorative pathways.
Where a care type under the Act is identified as the most appropriate type of support to meet the client’s needs, and the client meets the eligibility criteria, the assessor will make a recommendation for approval. A client may be approved for a Home Care Package, Residential Care, Residential Respite Care or Flexible Care (Transition Care Program [TCP] or Short-Term Restorative Care [STRC]). Clients may also be referred to Commonwealth Home Support Program services where appropriate.
08 August 2019
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Find the help you need with My Aged Care
Find out how My Aged Care can help you find help at home through our phone line and web site.
Go to www.myagedcare.gov.au or call 1800 200 422.
“$50,000 Should Not Translate To Just Nine Hours Of Care,” Royal Commission Hears
by Caroline Egan. https://hellocaremail.com.au/home-care-delivered-hours-care-royal-commission/
Home care was under the Royal Commission’s spotlight on Monday, as the second set of hearings began.
19 March 2019
"Some Providers Charging High Case Management, Administration Costs”
The Aged Care Minister The Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP told HelloCare that home care operators that do not publish their fees online could face funding penalties.
New standardised home care pricing Schedule
To improve transparency for senior Australians, all home care providers will need to publish their pricing information in a new standardised pricing comparability Schedule (the Schedule) on the My Aged Care Service Finder.
"Another key source of confusion is around the mandated requirement by government that all approved providers must publish the prices they charge for certain common care and services in a standard format on My Aged Care, she says."
“Administration and Case Management are no longer separate categories and the model of charging a percentage of a home care package for these is no longer possible,” Ms Poulos says."
“There are two new categories – Package Management and Care Management – that have very clear definitions and requirements to validate charges made to a consumer’s package of care."
“Providers will also be required to attach to the Notice a copy of their full price list or a link to the full price list on their own website."
“Government has indicated that compliance with the new legislation will be monitored for ‘reasonable’ charges however there is no real guidance about what would be considered as ‘reasonable’.“
02 July 2019
Since 1 July 2019 home care providers will need to publish their prices in a new standardised home care pricing Schedule on the My Aged Care website. This transition to the new pricing structure may be an opportune time to analyse their current pricing policies and determine if they (the Provider) need to change their prices.
TO COMPARE $ PRICES in Home Care
From 1 July 2019 home care providers needed to publish their prices in a new standardised home care pricing Schedule on the My Aged Care website. This transition to the new pricing structure may be an opportune time to analyse their current pricing policies and determine if they (the Provider) need to change their prices.
The Schedule will provide information on the common services and costs under a home care package.
This will better support senior Australians to understand and compare home care pricing information, and make a more informed decision about which provider is best placed to deliver your care.
01 July 2019
STEP 1: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/find-a-provider
STEP 2: Click on "Help at Home"
STEP 3: Select your Suburb
STEP 4: Click on "Home Support Services" to get a list of Providers
OR “Home Care Package” Level 1, 2, 3 or 4
You can then click on the Providers name for their details
OR Just click on COMPARE – up to 3 at a time
and COMPARE ONE PROVIDER $ AGAINST ANOTHER... Just scroll down.
You are looking at:-
Case Management - approximate number of hours per fortnight
- Fully funded by Provider
- Self-managed by YOU
Price for Common Services - shown as $ per hour
- Personal Care
- Nursing
- Cleaning and Household tasks
- Light gardening
- In-home Respite
Other costs:
- Package management
- Staff travel costs to visit you
- Separate cost when you want to receive services from a different Provider
- Maximum Exit $ amount
It's quite an Eye-opener!!!
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"Home care providers have cut their prices following the government’s introduction of compulsory fee reporting on the My Aged Care website, saving the government up to $1 billion."
https://hellocaremail.com.au/home-care-prices-fall-reporting-fees-becomes-compulsory-aged-care/
10 June 2019
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Update on quality standards
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission 1800 550 552 regarding a Commonwealth-subsidised residential or home-based aged care service
https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/about-us
Minister Wyatt announced that the Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency will form part of the New Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in January 2019. "I am confident the new Commission will better target sub-standard care. It will be a central point to identify failures, highlights quality concerns and have them rectified,” he says.
The Commission replaces the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner. Combining these functions into one independent agency strengthens the focus on consumers, streamlines regulation, supports better engagement with consumers and providers, and promotes transparency.
The new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission had begun on January 1st, 2019.
Who do the Act and Rules apply to?
- Approved providers of residential aged care services, home care services and short-term restorative care services.
- Service providers of Commonwealth-funded aged care services (this includes Commonwealth Home Support Programme and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Care Program (NATSIFACP) services).
What changes can services and providers expect?
The new Rules look quite different due to the combined functions under the Act. However, while the Rules have combined a number of previously separate legislative instruments, the core processes are preserved.
Factsheets & FAQs
Aged Care - Flexible
Aged Care – Home and Community
Aged Care – Residential
Assessing services
Tuesday, 8 January 2019
It will have a budget of almost $300 million over four years, employing dozens of additional senior compliance officers. The new Commission will immediately absorb the roles of the current Aged Care Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and, from January 2020, also take over the Department of Health's aged-care compliance responsibilities.
Key Changes under the new Commission Act and Rules.
The new commissioners of the Royal Commission in to Aged Care Quality and Safety has written to the nation’s top 100 aged care operators, asking them to self-report on details of their operations. The request for information is the first step in the Royal Commission’s information gathering process. The deadline for providing information is January. Smaller operators will also be contacted, and will be given a later deadline.
The letters mark what will be a huge information-gathering process involving every aged care facility in Australia, and also begins a process of review for all operators of their own individual systems and processes.
08 January 2019
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Self Service
You can do most of your Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support business using our Express Plus mobile apps, online accounts or phone self service.
Soon myGov will be the only way you can access your Centrelink online account. Start using myGov now.
- You can find out if any of our services are unavailable by going to customer service changes.
- Centrelink online accounts and the Express Plus Centrelink and Express Plus Lite mobile apps are available 24/7.
- Medicare online accounts and the Express Plus Medicare mobile app are available 24/7.
Login to My Aged Care using myGov
My Aged Care client record
When you call My Aged Care, our contact centre staff will ask you a number of questions to help us understand your needs. The contact centre will also seek your consent to create a personalised client record which will hold information on your needs and any services put in place. The record will mean you won’t have to retell your story on multiple occasions to the contact centre, assessors and service providers.
If you have a client record with My Aged Care you can access your client record using myGov. The client record allows you to:
- update your personal details
- view your action or support plan, which outlines your assessed care needs
- view a summary of My Aged Care activities recently undertaken, such as your calls to My Aged Care
- view any referrals to service providers and their status
- update your client representatives. These are the people you have given permission to view your client record
- view your assessments and/or services.
For more information, please read the My Aged Care Client Portal User Guide (PDF, 3.2Mb).
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/view-your-my-aged-care-client-record
Log in to My Aged Care using myGov
If you have a client record with My Aged Care, you can access your client record using myGov. The client record allows you to:
- update your personal details
- view your assessment information and support plan, which outlines your assessed care needs
- view your recommendations and approvals for services
- view any referrals to service providers and their status
- view your service delivery information
- view a summary of My Aged Care activities recently undertaken
- update your client representatives. These are the people you have given permission to view your client record.
If you have been approved for a Home Care Package, you will be able to see your letters and how long you may need to wait.
For more information, please read the My Aged Care Client Portal User Guide.
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Once you’ve chosen your preferred provider, they will offer you an agreement before you start to receive services. Each type of care has a different type of agreement.
Set up your New Service - services are delivered in two ways: through the Commonwealth Home Care Programme, and through Home Care Packages (Consumer Directed Care).
Note: It is the Government's intention to integrate the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Packages program into a single care at home program from July 2020. This was put back a few years recently.
The funding program or package through which you access aged care services at home will determine how much you will need to pay. Any fees will be discussed and agreed upon with your service provider before you receive the relevant services. Do be aware that Case management and advisory fees can be charged on top of admin charges and will vary depending on the level of involvement of the consumer and their carer. Keep an eye on your Monthly Statement.
Note: Often you don’t know what you don’t know. What help can you ask for? You can decided that you would rather pay a private cleaner and get exactly what you want for how long you want. Many have rejected the packages because of the admin fees, the daily fee and so on.
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/manage-your-home-care-package-services
Some consumers are choosing to spend their built-up funds on one-off capital items or services that offer little or in some cases no margin to providers. Remember, it is Your Choice...
- Actively managing unspent funds: This fact sheet provides information to home care providers on how to manage the accumulation of unspent funds in home care packages.
https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2018/04/12/key-considerations-when-negotiating-cdc-package-spending/
The Department of Health says the types of care and services provided under a home care package will depend on the person’s assessed care needs.
A package should help older people to stay at home, provide tailored services and cover a person’s care and safety needs.
If a package is used to contribute towards the cost of items within a consumer’s home, the impact on a person’s individual budget, capacity to deliver other care and services and responsibility for any maintenance should be considered, the department says.
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Since 27 February 2017, if a home care package client decides to leave their provider’s care, the provider will need to reconcile the client’s package to determine if there will be an unspent home care amount. The unspent home care amount is the total amount including the total subsidy, any supplements and home care fees paid for the period of care that have not been spent or committed to the client’s care and services.
It is important to note that:
If a client has paid their fees in advance, this amount is not considered an Unspent Home Care Amount and cannot be included in the calculation.
An exit amount cannot be charged if the client does not have an unspent amount (i.e. the client cannot go into debt due to an exit amount charge). The unspent home care amount is calculated when a care recipient leaves home care (eg they move to another provider, pass away or move to residential aged care).
Maximum exit amounts are now published on My Aged Care since 27 February 2017 to ensure consumers are aware of the maximum amount they may be asked to agree to when they are choosing a home care provider.
The unspent home care amount is worked out for the period that begins on the later of:
1 July 2015, or the day the provider started to provide home care services, and
to the day they cease to provide home care services (known as the ‘cessation day’).
Do be aware too, that the Department of Health has released a new Unspent Home Care Amounts and Exit Amounts that your Provider needs before exit amounts can be used on contracts can be charged to clients when they leave a Service after 27 February 2017. Your Provider needs to get YOU, the consumer signed up to new agreements or amendments to existing agreements.
Any exit amount Must be disclosed in the Home Care Agreement:
If you wish to apply an exit amount, the amount must be included in the client’s Home Care Agreement and agreed to by the client. This ensures that clients are aware of the maximum exit amount that may be deducted from their unspent home care amount if they change providers or leave home care. If the exit fee is not in the original Home Agreement/Amended Home Agreement, you can negotiate hard with your Home Care Provider Before you go to your New Provider. In practice, this Exit Amount MUST already be part of your Agreement. Do check!
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If you need help, an advocate can be made available through ADA AUSTRALIA
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia (ADA Australia) is a not-for-profit, independent, community based advocacy and education service with more than 25 years’ experience in supporting and improving the well being of older people and people with disability.
CONTACT
Brisbane - Head Office
121 Copperfield Street, Geebung, QLD 4034
Tel: (07) 3637 6000
Fax: (07) 3637 6001
Email: [email protected]
TOLL FREE: 1800 818 338 Monday to Friday 9.30 to 4pm. .
Step by Step calculation of Unspent Funds for Consumer Directed Care (CDC) Home Care
November 2, 2016
The Department of Health has released a Step by Step guide on how to calculate unspent funds. More detail is required than most expect.
Read the full report
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1426/f/documents/11_2016/mai_example_-_calculation_of_unspent_home_care_amounts_-_.pdf
Since 27 February 2017, the Home Care Package goes Directly To YOU, not the provider. SO do check out and compare various Providers, do go to www.myagedcare.gov.au and click on their improved search facilities. Once you have chosen some likely Providers, hit the "Compare" button. Note that one of the items gives the $ Exit Fee that particular Provider will charge should you exit* their services. Some have $4,153.00; other Providers have $0.00.* The average maximum was $417.00. 16 March 2017
Do check though, that some Providers with zero exit fees are enforcing lengthy notice periods Before the client can actually exit the package. SO, if they are enforcing a notice period of eg. 4-6 weeks, the provider could collect for themselves more than the average $400. over that time i.e. getting their exit fee this way which is not being advertised or mentioned to the consumer.
Since 27 February 2017, the package (Level 1, 2, 3 or 4) goes to YOU. You choose your own Provider and the Government then gives them the $ to spend on what YOU Want. Do be aware that some Providers are charging joining, upgrade or exit fees for their in home health and wellbeing services. This is Not Mandatory, and should any Provider place these restrictions in your New Home Care Agreement, Do NOT sign it. You do NOT have to pay for these. Only those things which YOU have agreed to can be placed in your new Home Care Agreement. If this is happening to You, do not sign and immediately look around and choose another Provider.
* As there is no legislation mandating a particular time before YOU can exit their services - it is whatever is jointly agreed between You and your Provider. Note though, that a new responsibility is now included for a consumer to tell the approved provider and their staff of the day the consumer intends to cease to receive services.
To help YOU, the consumer, there are now other new fields on the My Aged Care service finder include language, religion and cultural specialties, special needs groups supported, specialised services offerings, applicable surcharges for weekend or evenings and pricing schedule information.
- Since changes were introduced on 27 February 2017, the government’s My Aged Care website now enables home care providers to disclose
- the average percentage of home care package funds available for service,
- average evening and weekend surcharges and pricing schedule information. - While these fields are not mandatory to complete, the government’s intention was to increase transparency for consumers and assist them to make informed decisions in a competitive market. Note not all Providers have provided their information on the My Aged Care website as yet. Do check it out.
If you do not feel comfortable approaching a new Provider, you can ask My Aged Care to send an electronic referral through the provider portal.
Even the bare bones home care management services still have management fees. These include administration and case management amounts that in some cases exceed 20 per cent of the funding. However, this is still significantly below an approximate industry average of 30 per cent with some operators charging above the 50 per cent mark.
As a potential Customer, do be aware of what your Home Care Agreement ACTUALLY says: Do Not Sign it until you have had it all explained to you AND YOU UNDERSTAND IT.
A potential Home Care Provider needs to bear in mind when offering your Home Care Agreement:
As a provider of home care you will want to promote your business so that you can compete for customers. But you also have to make sure that you don’t break the law by saying things to consumers that might mislead or confuse them. When you offer home care services to consumers it is important that you present information (whether it be written or verbal) to a consumer accurately, clearly and honestly. This allows consumers the opportunity to make decisions with all the facts. Under the ACL, businesses that do not do this are likely to be engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct.
Misleading and deceptive conduct can include practices such as:
- false claims or statements about your home care services or the price
- false claims about a consumer’s legal rights
- not telling a consumer important information
- hiding important information in small print or disclaimers
- using overly complex language that means important information is not clear. Make sure that what you say or give to consumers is easy to understand, honest, and contains all the relevant information. Being honest and clear with your customers is the best way to promote longer relationships and grow your business.
Home Care Agreements need to be clear and easy to understand so that consumers are able to make informed decisions. Make sure that your Home Care Agreements are transparent, in plain language and highlight important terms, especially key information such as:
- what services are to be provided, by who, when and how
- costs and fees
- any conditions that may apply to the Home Care Agreement (for example termination conditions).
- Allow consumers enough time to read the Home Care Agreement, ask questions and seek assistance or advice if they need to.
- Never rush or pressure a consumer, as consumers have the right to take their time and seek financial or legal advice before signing.
Example: A term in a Home Care Agreement says “you agree to allow the provider to place a caveat over your home to enable the collection of any unpaid fees”. This would likely be an unfair term as it is not reasonably necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the business in relation to government funded home care services and would cause significant detriment to the consumer if it were relied upon.
Download your own copy from the ACCC website:
https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/home-care-services-your-business-rights-obligations
Home care services - your business rights & obligations.
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Change to pure self-management in the industry is no longer an if, rather a when. Developments in the industry are already visible with:
- New entrants. These new home care providers aren’t necessarily following the industry script around administration and case management charges. Many are simply costing in one management fee and others are charging only for administration. If case management is requested, this will be added as a cost or an independent case manager will be sought.
- Organisational cultures are changing. Many service providers are making their case managers more independent to that of their direct care staff, to the benefit of the care recipient. Providers are becoming more flexible with the ability to use other organisations where there are service and price benefits compared to in-house options.
- Home care provider duty of care is increasingly being supported by advances in technology. Some examples include online care worker verification services that provide reference, qualification and police checks, client wellness monitors via clockout processes, telehealth, personal alarm/trackers, home sensors, and carebots (friendly interactive robots).
- Software is appearing that claims full integration of home care provider administration requirements.
24 May 2018
For the first time, My Aged Care will also capture and display data on the average percentage of packaged funds a provider will make available to consumers, which will help older people to more easily compare average administration and case management charges.
Changes to the approved provider process mean existing residential aged care or flexible care providers can now opt-in to deliver home care without having to submit a new application. Note that previously there was a two year lapse period. Since 27 February 2017, this no longer applies. Thus, once approved provider status has been granted it will no longer lapse, whether the approval is for home care, residential care or flexible care.
- increased competition from new players including residential care, retirement living operators, Commonwealth Home Services Programme (CHSP) providers, private home care providers and brokerage agencies (these brokered agencies will be the biggest challenge for approved providers because they already have the systems and processes in place to provide services; they already have staff and in a lot of cases they have quite strong relationships with the clients, stronger than the approved provider)
- competition will also come from retirement village operators looking to provide services to their residents and from large GP practices
- allied health businesses were also expressing an interest in becoming approved home care providers, especially in the context of an increased focus on wellness and reablement
- strong competition would come from labour hire companies that currently supply staff to aged care
- home care franchise groups and residential care providers who are looking to deliver community care
- The number of home care providers has grown by 40 per cent in the last financial year as new entrants flood the deregulated marketplace, new figures reveal.
- Increase in marketing to consumers and business tactics used by providers to ‘win’ customers.
- new information fields for home care providers to detail their services
- ability for assessors to issue referrals after finalising an assessment along with new mandatory fields for assessors recommending home care
- additional fields in the service finder and enhanced sort and filter options in all portals
- changes to service referrals for providers.
Costs for home support services If you have been receiving your services through the Home and Community Care (HACC) program (for those over 65 years of age), National Respite for Carers Program or a Day Therapy Centre, you may now be asked to pay a small fee. This fee contributes to the cost of delivering services such as staffing or for equipment costs. This fee varies between different organisations, states and territories. To find out specific costs, you should contact your service provider.
*Please note that since 1 July 2015, the HACC services you were receiving - often for years, ended. In its place is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). Click here for a more extensive look at the New CHSP services and what they will mean for YOU. Don't worry. Your Provider will explain it all to you over the next few months. Just ask :-)
Costs for Home Care Packages
As you take up a Home Care Package, Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: from 1 January 2020. Case management and advisory fees can be charged on top of admin charges and will vary depending on the level of involvement of the consumer and their carer.
31 January 2020
How much does the government contribute?
The Australian Government contributes a different amount for each level of Home Care Package. The government subsidy for each package level is as follows:
Home Care Package level Daily government subsidy rate Yearly government contribution
Level 1 $24.73 $9,026.45
Level 2 $43.50 $15,877.50
Level 3 $94.66 $34,550.90
Level 4 $143.50 $52,377.50
The government contribution changes on 1 July every year; these figures are up to date as at 1 July 2021.
The government contribution is paid directly to the home care provider you choose. You work in partnership with the provider to determine the care and services you need, within the package budget. The funds won’t affect your pension, because they don’t count as income.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/home-care-package-costs-and-fees
These packages provide similar services to the HACC programs you are used to, but through the Provider, you will be connected to a co-ordinator who can co-ordinate and manage* the care services into a personalized package that meets your needs.
* This fee contributes to the cost of delivering your services. The number of available home care packages will increase with time. There is now a national 'prioritized queue' to access these services, depending on YOUR relative needs and circumstances, and the length of time you have been waiting.
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: From 20 March 2022
This page provides the latest updates to aged care fees and charges.
[i] Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
[ii] This rate applies to residents who enter residential care within this time period but not to those who were already in care prior to this time period. The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate applicable for the calculation of a resident’s daily payments is fixed either at their date of entry to care (for a low means resident) or the date they agree to a room price (for a resident who is not eligible for government assistance with their accommodation costs).
and do remember that the daily care fee IS negotiable.
DISTRIBUTION OF HOME CARE PACKAGE LEVELS 2018
There are four levels of home care packages to help meet the different levels of care needs, which are determined by the outcome of an aged care assessment (Table 1).
Table 1: Home care package annual subsidy
on Page 5
Package level Aged care services for people with: Annual amount ($) paid by the Australian Government up to the approximate value of
1 Basic care needs $8,800
2 Low-level care needs $15,500
3 Intermediate care needs $33,700
4 High-level care needs $ 51,100
Note: The maximum Government contribution increases each year. The amount will depend on a client’s income during the year.
Aged Care Subsidies and Supplements New Rates of Payment from 1 July 2019. Home Care Subsidies and Supplements. These rates are applicable from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.
Home Care Package team
"The Assessment Officer is the first Home Care Package team member to have contact with prospective new consumers, carers and families. They arrange and attend consumer assessments, introduce CDC and the BSL model, compile initial paperwork and then hand the consumer over to one of the 26 case managers. This ensures consistent messages to new consumers and uniform, accurate paperwork. These activities were previously the responsibility of each case manager.
A consumer next meets their allocated Case Manager whose role is to collaborate with them to design their package and agree on their capacity to self manage. This entails using the BSL Enhancing Capabilities approach to develop a care plan (MyPlan) that articulates the consumer’s aspirations for living a life that they value, the relevant goals, the available budget, the appropriate level of autonomy and an action plan with a service schedule. Case managers provide support, information and referrals and monitor the quality of service delivery and consumer wellbeing, in a way that optimises the consumer’s capabilities and opportunities to live a meaningful and fulfilling life of their choosing. Do be aware that Case management and advisory fees can be charged on top of admin charges and will vary depending on the level of involvement of the consumer and their carer. Carefully check your monthly statement.
The Service Coordinator is the third member in the chain of consumer contacts. Once a consumer’s autonomy level and budget have been agreed and initial activities and home care services organised, the Service Coordinator is responsible for liaising with consumers, case managers and direct care service providers around scheduling and monitoring services and activities, keeping consumer records up to date and related administrative tasks. The consumer’s autonomy level influences the extent of the Service Coordinator’s administrative input."
with sincere thanks for giving a 'readable' version of CDC to those consumers and Carers who are finding all of this overwhelming and somewhat confusing. Many thanks. For further reading - Bonnie Simons, Helen Kimberley & Nicky McColl Jones 2016, "Adjusting to Consumer Directed Care: the experience of Brotherhood of St Laurence community aged care service users", Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, Vic.
http://library.bsl.org.au/jspui/bitstream/1/9054/4/Simons_etal_Adjusting_to_Consumer_Directed_Care_2016.pdf
Be aware that these Packages may generally only provide on average 5 - 14 hours of direct care per week. So while they can help you delay the move into residential care, they are only likely to suit you if you have family members or friends to support you to live in your own home for all the other hours of the week.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What is CDC? Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is a way of delivering services that allows consumers to have greater control over their own lives by allowing them to make choices about the types of care and services they access and the delivery of those services, including who will deliver the services and when. Under a CDC approach, consumers are encouraged to identify goals, which could include independence, wellness and re-ablement. These will form the basis of the Home Care Agreement and care plan.
The consumer decides the level of involvement they wish to have in managing their package, which could range from involvement in all aspects of the package, including co-ordination of care and services, to a less active role in decision-making and management of the package. There should also be ongoing monitoring and a formal re-assessment by the provider (at least every 12 months) to ensure that the package continues to be appropriate for the consumer".
The final stage of home care reform has been put back until July 2020, when the Home Care Packages program and the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) are combined. The change is expected to open the way for consumers to choose small independent providers or deal directly with carers to make the most of their funding. Do note though, that this date has been put back.
Strong competition will now come come from labour hire companies that currently supply staff to aged care, home care franchise groups and residential care providers not yet delivering community care. Under the 27 February 2017 changes, existing residential care providers can 'opt in' to provide home care as part of a simplified process. The number of home care providers has grown by 40 per cent in the last financial year as new entrants flood the deregulated marketplace, new figures reveal.
Financial changes to Home Care Packages
Costs for Home Care Packages:
Since 1 July 2014, if you take up a Home Care Package, your service Provider may ask you to pay one or both of the following:
- a basic daily fee, equivalent to 17.5% of the single basic aged pension. This works out to be (from 20 March 2019). ie. $10.54 per day.
- an income-tested care fee if your income is over a certain amount.
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care: From 20 March 2022
This page provides the latest updates to aged care fees and charges.
[i] Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
[ii] This rate applies to residents who enter residential care within this time period but not to those who were already in care prior to this time period. The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate applicable for the calculation of a resident’s daily payments is fixed either at their date of entry to care (for a low means resident) or the date they agree to a room price (for a resident who is not eligible for government assistance with their accommodation costs).
and do https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/schedule-of-fees-and-charges-for-residential-and-home-care remember that the daily care fee IS negiotable.
How much can a pensioner have in assets before affecting their payment?
For those residents entering, or consumers commencing a home care package from 1 July 2014, the following Schedule applies:
Currently, if you're single, the first $51,800 of your financial assets has the deemed rate of 1 per cent applied. Anything over $51,800 is deemed to earn 3 per cent even if the money might be in a term deposit earning just 1 per cent.
The higher deeming rate is being reduced by a quarter of a percent to 3.00 per cent for singles with financial investments over $51,200 and couples with financial investments over $86,200. The lower deeming rate is reducing by three quarters of a percent to 1.00 per cent for financial investments under these thresholds.
New look Payment and Service Finder is now available
Scroll down a bit...
A great new way to help you find, estimate and compare payments, and locate services.
We’ve combined the previous Payment Finder, Service Finder and Centrelink rate estimators into one tool.
Answer some simple questions, like your age and income, and the new Payment and Service Finder will suggest options for you to explore.
Payment and Service Finder can also help you work out what a change in circumstance might mean for the payments you currently get from the Department of Human Services.
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click here for "Residential Care and Home Care Frequently Asked Questions". You will find Home Care Q and A at the end.
16 July 2019
If you believe you would face financial hardship in paying the required fees and payments, you can ask to be considered for financial hardship assistance. Each case is considered on an individual basis.
You should apply for financial hardship assistance as soon as you experience financial difficulties. Department of Human Services consider financial hardship applications from the date your application is received by them. They may backdate the application if there are special circumstances.
If you believe you will face financial hardship in paying your aged care costs, you can ask to be considered for financial hardship assistance.
for Financial hardship assistance for Home Care and Residential Respite Care form (SA462)
10 July 2019
Use this form and guide to test your eligibility to receive financial hardship assistance with your fees and charges in Home Care, or Residential Respite Care - this is assistance for the Basic Daily Care Fee.
Note: This assessment is NOT relevant for permanent Residential Aged Care. To apply for financial hardship assistance for your permanent residential aged care fees and charges, please use a Claim for Financial hardship assistance – Residential Aged Care form (SA461).
10 July 2019
When you submit the financial hardship assistance form, you will need to provide written evidence of your:
- aged care costs
- essential expenses, and
- unrealisable assets, if applicable
You will be asked to provide your asset details when you complete the relevant financial hardship assistance form, if you are:
- a Home Care recipient who receives a means tested income support payment, or
- a self-funded retiree who does not receive a means tested income support payment
If financial hardship is granted, the Government will pay a hardship supplement of an amount determined in each individual case.
for more information on fees and charges or Financial hardship assistance (in Residential Care), call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/
10 July 2019
Fee/ Charge/ Thresholds
Everyone taking up a Home Care Package can be asked by their service provider to pay the maximum basic daily fee.
The maximum basic daily fee is 17.5% of the single basic age pension - $10.63 per day.
Fee/ Charge/ Thresholds Rates
Maximum Basic Daily Fee
Home Care - Level 1 package $9.52
Home Care - Level 2 package $10.07
Home Care - Level 3 package $10.35
Home Care - Level 4 package $10.63
Residential Care (i) $51,63
(i) Residents in designated remote areas may be asked to pay an additional $1.06 per day.
Income-tested care fee
Maximum Basic Daily Fee - 1 January 2020
Home Care $10.63
Depending on your income, you may be asked by your service Provider to contribute more to the cost of your care. This extra amount is known as an 'income-tested care fee'. Annual income up to these amounts is excluded from the income test component in home care. To calculate the equivalent fortnightly income divide by 26.
Income Thresholds (annual amount) Home Care Income Test
Consumers with incomes above these amounts are subject to the second cap when calculating the daily income tested care fee in home care and are also subject to the higher annual cap that applies in Home Care. To calculate the equivalent fortnightly income divide by 26.
- Income Threshold (single person) - $53,060.80
- Income Threshold (Couple, Illness separated, single rate) - $52,540.80
- Income Threshold (Couple, Living together, single rate) - $40,586.00
When a person is a member of a couple, half of the combined assessable income of the couple plus their own Age/Service Pension is assessed. The income-tested care fee will be recalculated quarterly by the DHS or the DVA and may change depending on the recipient's income.
Home Exemption Cap (applies separately to both members of a couple)
The net value of the home above this amount is excluded from the value of the resident's assets. $169,079.20
Caps on Income Tested Care Fees in Home Care
- First Cap (Daily cap applying on income tested care fees where the consumer's income does not exceed the income threshold) $15.24
- Annual Cap - income not exceeding the Income Threshold (Annual cap applying to income tested care fees where the consumer's income does not exceed the income threshold) $5,550.90
- Second Cap (Daily cap applying on income tested care fees where the consumer's income exceeds the income threshold): $30.49
- Annual cap - income exceeding the Income Threshold (Annual cap applying to income tested care fees where the consumer's income
Lifetime Cap on Means Tested Care Fees in Residential Care and Income Tested Care Fees in Home Care $66,610.90
Department of Human Services (Centrelink) works out the income-tested care fee based on an assessment of your financial information. The assessment does not include the value of your home or any other assets. Go here to access the Home Care Estimator.
Your ability to contribute towards the cost of a Home Care Package will be assessed based on your income and financial assets (eg. Deposits with financial institutions; Cash, gold or other bullion; Shares, Managed investments - property, equity, case or mortgage trusts, public unit trusts such as cash, management, mortgage, share (equity) and bond trusts, unlisted property trusts, personal investment plans, insurance bonds or life office and friendly society bonds); Superannuation assets; Gifts/Deprivation).
Everyone taking up a Home Care Package can be asked by their service Provider to pay the basic daily fee.
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator
Once this cap is reached, you cannot be asked to pay any more income-tested care fees until the next anniversary of the date you first began receiving aged care. Your service provider can still ask you to pay the basic fee.
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Information you need to know about your payments for older Australians, lets you estimate the amount of Age Pension you may be able to get and compare it with other payments you may be eligible for.
If you receive a means tested Australian income support payment from Centrelink, such as the:
- Age Pension, or
- Disability Support Pension, or
- you receive from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, such as the:
- • Service Pension, or
- • Income Support Supplement you do not need to complete this form.
Income and Assets Assessment:
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator
Before you call you should have your financial information ready, especially details of your various forms of income. This will be an estimate of your fees and charges. An actual assessment will be undertaken by Centrelink when you enter your Home Care Package.
Estimate fees for aged care services The home care package and aged care homes will help you estimate the fees and payments you may be asked to pay for aged care. The Australian Government subsidizes a range of aged care services in Australia. It is expected you will contribute to the cost of your care if you can afford to do so.
The Fee Estimator and tools are provided as a guide for your general information only. The Fee Estimator will give you an estimate of fees and charges for aged care, based on the information you enter at the time.
The actual amount of the fees and charges payable will depend on your personal situation, the time you enter care, the information you provide to the relevant Australian Government Departments and your personal and financial information at the time of the assessment.
The Australian Government respects your privacy and the information you provide will not be used for any other purpose except to provide an estimate. Suggest you print or save a copy of the results from the estimator for your personal use. The Australian Government will not store the information you enter into the fee estimator. The information will be deleted once you close your internet browser.
Your information for your Home Care Fee:
The person and the care needed
Do you have a partner?
Income
Income includes:
- income support payments from the Australian Government such as the age pension or service pension
- net income from rental property
- war widow/widower pensions and some disability pensions
- net income from business, including farms
- income from superannuation income streams such as annuities and allocated pensions
- overseas pension income
- family trust distributions
- dividends from private company shares
Do not include interest from your bank accounts or financial investments. Your financial assets will be deemed to earn a certain rate of income.
For more guidance on what types of income to include, see the Income and Assets Checklist.
Do not include interest from your bank accounts or financial investments. Your financial assets will be deemed to earn a certain rate of income.
Estimated income per annum:
Financial assets include:
- bank, building society and credit union accounts
- cash
- term deposits
- cheque accounts
- friendly society bonds
- managed investments
- listed shares and securities
- loans and debentures
- shares in unlisted public companies
- gold and other bullion
- If you have gifted away assets over $10,000 in a single financial year or $30,000 over five financial years, the amounts above these limits will be included in your assets assessment. Include the amount above the limits as a financial asset.
Net market value of the home Family Home:
include the net market value of your home. The net market value of your home is the value of the house less any outstanding mortgages on the home Retirement Villages: include the amount of any net retirement village entry contributions you will receive when you vacate the unit.
Financial assets on which the Australian Government deems income:
Click to "Estimate my fees" https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator
What if I received a Home Care Package before 1 July 2014?
The costs for Home Care Packages changed on 1 July 2014. If you received a Home Care Package before 1 July 2014, you will continue to pay the costs under the old fee arrangement.
If you were in home care on 30 June 2014 and you move to a new provider on or after 1 July 2014 (and do not spend more than 28 days outside of care, other than on approved leave), you can choose to be subject to the new fees and payment arrangements which came into effect on 1 July 2014. To make this choice, you will need to complete the Continuing Care Recipient opting into the New Aged Care Arrangements from 1 July 2014 (AC022) form.
28 June 2018
Financial advice
You may want to consult with a financial adviser about your finances. There are various government services and resources that can help you obtain appropriate financial advice. It's a good idea to do some research to see what options work best for you.
ASIC's MoneySmart website at https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/ is a comprehensive source of free, trusted and impartial financial guidance and tools to help Australians make decisions about all aspects of personal finance.
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To update yourself on Ageing and Aged Care Legislation:
https://agedcare.health.gov.au/publications-and-articles/legislation
Page last updated: 12 April 2017.
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The new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission began on January 1st, 2019.
Who do the Act and Rules apply to?
- Approved providers of residential aged care services, home care services and short-term restorative care services.
- Service providers of Commonwealth-funded aged care services (this includes Commonwealth Home Support Programme and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Care Program (NATSIFACP) services).
What changes can services and providers expect?
The new Rules look quite different due to the combined functions under the Act. However, while the Rules have combined a number of previously separate legislative instruments, the core processes are preserved.
Factsheets & FAQs
Aged Care - Flexible
Aged Care – Home and Community
Aged Care – Residential
Assessing services
26 June 2019
It will have a budget of almost $300 million over four years, employing dozens of additional senior compliance officers. The new Commission will immediately absorb the roles of the current Aged Care Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and, from January 2020, also take over the Department of Health's aged-care compliance responsibilities.
Background Papers 1-5 is called Navigating the maze: an overview of Australia’s current aged care system. It outlines different aspects of the aged care system, the services currently being delivered in Australia and the areas in need of substantial reform.
The Royal Commission will be accepting submissions until mid 2019 from members of the public interested in providing evidence. Submissions can be lodged online, via mail or telephone.
- Online submission
- Mail to: Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, GPO Box 1151, Adelaide SA 5001
- Information helpline: 1800 960 711
What the new Aged Care Quality Standards mean for you? What are the new standards?
The Australian Government has set some new Aged Care Quality Standards that clearly define what good care should look like. These new Standards have been published, and your service will have to use them from 1 July 2019.
The new Standards make it easier to check that people receive good care. Good care is not about your provider 'ticking boxes'. It’s about them caring for you and your individual needs.
Watch the video to see what the new Standards mean in practice for you.
- View Sampling and use of Consumer Experience Reports on residential aged care services
- Research Reports: Consumer Experience Reports residential aged care
- Consumer Experience Reports in home and community care
01 August 2019
Disclaimer Statement
- The information provided in this document is general in nature and is not financial advice. It does not take into account a person's particular financial circumstances or needs. While all care has been taken in the preparation of this document we accept no liability for errors or omissions. The information is subject to change without notice.
- It is recommended that you consult a financial adviser who specializes in the field of Aged Care whose advice takes into account your particular financial circumstances and needs.
20 April 2022