This page contains information about Working Credits and the assessment of income, savings provisions, change of care type and codes used for exempting care recipient(s) from the income and/or assets assessment.
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Income assessment and Working Credits
Table 1: This table includes information about the assessment of rental income and how it can be affected by Working Credits.
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Item |
Description |
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1 |
RCA Income Assessment Summary (RIAS) screen
The Real Est/Bus field will now include rental income from the former principal home if the care recipient is in the POST2016 assessment scheme.
This will affect the TOTAL income that displays.
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2 |
Working Credits - Pre 1 January 2016 Admission Processing
Income from real estate forms part of a care recipient’s other ordinary income’, but only where the property is not identified as exempt for Income Support Payment (ISP) purposes (EXA/EXP/EX5).
Both ‘employment income’ and ‘other ordinary income’ are used when calculating the accrual of Working Credits. Working Credits are used to reduce the care recipient’s affecting employment income.
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3 |
Working Credits - Post 1 January 2016 Admission Processing
While rental income from exempt real estate will form part of a care recipient aged care ‘non-ISP income’ total, the rental income will not contribute to the accrual of Working Credits to offset any employment income.
This is because the accrual of a Working Credit balance is based on the Income Support Payment (ISP) income test rules, despite also being used for the Aged Care means assessment. Since ISPs will continue to exclude exempt rental income from the income test, the existing Working Credit accrual processing must be retained unaltered.
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Examples of savings provisions
Table 2: This table provides examples of situations where the savings provisions may or may not apply.
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Item |
Description |
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1 |
Discharge prior to 1 January 2016
A POST2014 care recipient was discharged from residential care on 15 December 2015 (prior to the legislative date), then entered another residential care service within 28 days.
They remain assessed under their POST2014 Assessment Scheme.
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2 |
Discharge after 1 January 2016
A POST2008 care recipient was discharged from residential care on 5 January 2016 (after the legislative date), then entered another residential care service within 28 days.
They remain assessed under their POST2008 Assessment Scheme.
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3 |
Discharge period exceeds 28 days
A POST2014 care recipient was discharged from residential care on 5 January 2016 then was admitted to another residential care service on 1 March 2016. The discharge period exceeds 28 days.
Their POST2014 Assessment Scheme will not be grandfathered. A new POST2016 Assessment Scheme will apply from their date of admission = 1 March 2016 (pre-entry DOE).
The same outcome would apply if the discharge date was prior to 1 January 2016 and the discharge period exceeded 28 days.
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Examples of change of care type
Table 3: This table provides examples of the effect of changes to the type of care received.
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Item |
Description |
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1 |
Residential care to home care
A POST2008 care recipient was discharged from residential care on 5 January 2016 then commenced home care on 10 January 2016. The discharge period was less than 28 days.
Since home care assessments are not affected by post 1 January 2016 business rules, the care recipient will be assessed as POST2014 from 10 January 2016 for home care purposes.
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2 |
Home care to residential care
A POST2014 home care recipient ceased care on 5 January 2016 then commenced permanent residential care on the same day.
Because the care recipient is transferring care types and they have not previously had a residential care departure within 28 days, their POST2014 Assessment Scheme will not be grandfathered. A new POST2016 Assessment Scheme will apply from their permanent residential care date of admission = 5 January 2016 (entry DOE).
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3 |
Return to residential care with an interim care period
A POST2014 permanent residential care recipient departs from care on 5 January 2016.
They commence home care for a short term from 6 January 2016, ceasing on 20 January 2016.
They then re-enter permanent residential care on 25 January 2016, which is within 28 days of their initial residential care departure.
Upon entering into home care on 6 January 2016, the care recipient is assessed under the POST2014 Assessment Scheme under existing processing.
When the care recipient re-enters into permanent residential care on 25 January 2016they retain their POST2014 Assessment Scheme for residential care. While they have had an interim period of care, this does not change the fact that their latest residential care date of admission was within 28 days of their date of discharge on 5 January 2016.
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Exemption codes used for exemption care recipient(s) from the income and/or assets assessments
Table 4: This table contains the codes used to exempt care recipient(s) from the income and/or assets assessments.
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Code |
Description |
Income/asset assessments exemption |
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EXA |
Exempt - paying indefinite accommodation charge |
Income Support Payment (ISP): Income and Asset exemption |
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EXP |
Exempt - paying periodic accommodation bond |
ISP: Income and Asset exemption |
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EX5 |
Exempt family home as asset for 5 years |
Aged Care means assessment: Asset exemption only |
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EXE |
General 2 year exemption |
ISP: Asset exemption only
Aged Care means assessment: Asset exemption only |
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