Aged care means assessment - home care post-entry 065-18082138

When a care recipient starts a home care package, the Aged Care Management Payment System (ACMPS):

• determines if Services Australia or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) is responsible for completing the means assessment
• transmits entry details only to the agency/department responsible for the means assessment. Note: from 12 October 2024 onwards, Process Direct will receive all aged care entry and departure event notification instead of Customer First. Customer First received aged care event notification that occurred before 12 October 2024

All entry events for care recipients who started home care before 1 July 2019 are transmitted to Services Australia. If DVA is later found to be responsible for the means assessment, the means assessment is manually cancelled.

Means assessments

• Determine what fees the care recipient needs to pay for their home care package
• Only income is assessed
• The care recipient and nominee (if applicable) receive a letter with a summary of the income used to calculate the basic daily fee (BDF) and/or income tested care fee (ICTF) payable
• The Service Provider receives a letter advising of the basic daily fee (BDF) and/or income tested care fee (ICTF) they can charge the care recipient

Means assessments may be completed:

• as an automatic means assessment when
• Customer First/Process Direct completes a means assessment automatically when an entry event is received for a current means tested income support recipient, and
• the required information is available in the system
• Note: a means assessment cannot complete automatically if there is a started RCA/HOM activity on the Activity List (AL) screen. This may occur if a care recipient lodges an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care before their entry into home care
• as a verbal means assessment
• by completing an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form
• as a paper form

To check if an application is needed, see Determining when a calculation of cost of care is required for a home care means assessment.

Home care recipients do not need to provide asset information for any real estate or business interests. However, they do need to provide information about:

• rental income received from real estate (including their principal home)
• income received from a sole trader or partnership

Note: current income and assets details for real estate and businesses should already exist in Customer First where the care recipient (or their partner) receive a means tested income support payment.

Where a care recipient has an interest in a private trust and/or private company, they must:

• complete a Private Trust form (MOD PT) and/or
• a Private Company form (MOD PC)
• provide all supporting documentation

Note: these documents are needed for referral to a Complex Assessment Officer (CAO).