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Home care

The Department of Health and Aged Care is responsible for aged care means assessments for home care recipients assessed under pre 1 July 2014 assessment rules.

Residential care

Before 1 July 2014, an aged care means assessment was known as a Residential Care Assessment (RCA). The RCA covered 2 different types of assessments:

• Residential Care Income Assessments (RCIA); and
• Residential Care Assets Assessment (RCAA)

The income and assets assessment components of an aged care means assessment are processed by Services Australia, or where applicable, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).

Residential care income assessment

• Can only be processed after entry to care
• Applies only to care recipients who first entered residential care before 1 July 2014 and have not:
• had a break in care greater than 28 days since 1 July 2014
• opted in to post 1 July 2014 assessment rules
• Can be completed via data matching (for means tested income support recipients) or via an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form
• Is used to determine the income-tested fee (ITF)

Residential care assets assessment

• Can be processed either before or after entry to care
• Applies only to care recipients who first entered residential care before 1 July 2014; and have not had a break in care greater than 28 days since 1 July 2014; and have not opted in to post 1 July 2014 assessment rules
• Initiated only by the care recipient lodging an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form
• Is used to determine resident status for accommodation costs

The Resources page contains FAQs from customers.

From 1 July 2014, to determine eligibility for government assistance with aged care costs:

• For home care - an income assessment is required
• For permanent residential care (residential care) - a combined assets and income assessment is required

Combined assets and income assessments are processed by Services Australia, or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) where applicable.

A combined means assessment application can be processed either before or after entry into care in circumstances where a:

• care recipient has entered residential care, or is considering entering residential care after 1 July 2014
• care recipient entered residential care before 1 July 2014 and wishes to estimate their fees under the post 1 July 2014 assessment rules if they move aged care services (opting-in)
• residential care recipient was previously receiving residential care and has had a break in care of more than 28 days
• previous combined means assessment was undertaken however the assessment is no longer valid

The Resources page contains FAQs from customers.

DVA is responsible for completing assessments for the following care recipients:

• Veterans, War Widow(er)s and partners receiving an Income Support Payment from DVA. This includes:
• Service Pension
• Veteran Payment
• Income Support Supplement (ISS)
• Age Service Pension
• Self-funded retirees (and partners) in receipt of DVA Disability Pension with Qualifying Service
• War Widow(er)s in receipt of DVA War Widows Pension with Qualifying Service
• Veteran Ex-Prisoners of War (POWs)

The Resources page contains:

• FAQs from customers
• a link to the DVA Aged Care website, and
• Aged care means assessment - preliminary checks:
• Aged care DVA referral process
• Responsible departments for aged care assessments

A home care means assessment is an income assessment and may be required where a care recipient first entered into:

• residential care before 1 July 2014 and moves to a home care service after 1 July 2014
• home care before 1 July 2014 and moves to a new home care service with a break in care less than 28 days, and has 'opted in' to the post 1 July 2014 arrangements

An income assessment can be initiated via:

• Completion of an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form
• Verbally, for means tested income support care recipients only
• Care recipients who receive a means tested income support payment may be eligible for an automatic assessment

See Aged care means assessment to help determine when a calculation of your cost of care form is required.

The Aged Care - Calculation of your cost of care forms are available from the Services Australia website. The Resources page contains a link to the forms.

A residential care means assessment is a combined assets and income assessment and may be required in the following circumstances where a care recipient entered:

• permanent residential care after 1 July 2014, or
• residential care before 1 July 2014 and are seeking an estimate of fees as they are considering opting in to the post 1 July 2014 assessment scheme
• residential care before 1 July 2014 and is opting in to the post 1 July 2014 assessment scheme for a move to a different residential care service

A combined assets and income assessment can be initiated via:

• Completion of an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form
• Verbally, for both non-homeowners and homeowners who receive a means tested income support payment
• Non-homeowners who receive a means tested income support payment may be eligible for an automatic assessment

See Aged Care means assessment to help with determining when a calculation of cost of care is required.

Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care forms are available from the Services Australia website. The Resources page contains links to the forms.

As part of the 2021-22 Budget, the Australian Government announced it was implementing an aged care reform package. The reform package aims to build an aged care system that provides high quality and safe care for older Australians.

As a result of this reform a new aged care general service offer is being made available in all Services Australia service centres and aged care contact centres (Health Service Delivery Division – Care recipient and Provider Payments teams). See My Aged Care General Service Offer (MACGSO) for more details.

From 5 December 2020, Centrelink correspondence nominees are able to enquire, update and act on a care recipient's behalf for both Centrelink payments and services and aged care costs.

Completing an 'Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf form (SS313)' allows the appointment of:

• one payment nominee (for Centrelink payments only)
• one correspondence nominee
• the same nominee for both payment and correspondence nominee arrangements
• one person permitted to enquire (PPE)
• one person permitted to update (PPU)

PPE and PPU appointments are only viewable on the care recipient's Centrelink record. If a care recipient wants more than 1 PPE or PPU, a SS313 form needs to be lodged for each appointment. Each PPE/PPU’s identity must be established before the ‘Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf (SS313)’ form is processed. See Person Permitted to Enquire (PPE) or Update (PPU) authority.

When a Centrelink customer becomes a care recipient, the correspondence nominee arrangement is automatically applied to the aged care record.

DVA care recipients can have a different DVA nominee to their aged care nominee.

Note: DVA care recipients use the Aged Care Request for a nominee for Department of Veterans' Affairs customers form (AC019). The Resources page has links to forms. See Aged care request for a nominee or executor.

Note: My Aged Care use the term ‘representatives’. If someone is a ‘nominee’ for a customer at Services Australia, it does not mean they are also representatives for the same person at My Aged Care. See My Aged Care General Service Offer (GSO).

Aged care skill tagged staff handling enquiries require access to the following systems:

• Customer First
• See Customer First for information on requesting access
• Process Direct (PD)
• See Process Direct for information on requesting access
• See Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions for information on using the common screens and generic functions in Process Direct
• Aged Care Management and Payment System (ACMPS)
• See the 'Requesting access to ACMPS' user guide in the Aged Care Management Payment System (ACMPS) for details about requesting access
• See the 'ACMPS User Guide' in Aged Care Management Payment System (ACMPS) for details about using ACMPS
• Aged Care Staff Portal (ACSP), see Aged Care Staff Portal (ACSP) – access and using various menus in the home page for details about requesting access and using ACSP