Aged Care Reviews – Residential Care Pre 1 July 2014 - processing reviews and reassessments 065-09010040

Aged Care Means Test Assessment (MTA) are provided by Services Australia under the provisions of the Aged Care Act 1997. They are a snapshot of the customer's circumstances and the value of their assets for aged care purposes at the assessment's date of effect. MTA’s are not the same as social security assets assessments and different date of effect rules apply to MTA’s.

Because the assessment is a snapshot at a particular date of effect, changes in the customer's circumstances or the value of their assets that apply from a date after the date of effect of the original MTA decision are not relevant to that assessment.

Customer initiated requests for MTA reviews must be made within 13 weeks of the MTA decision being finalised, allowing a few extra days for delivery of the notice of the assessment. A reassessment is only processed as a consequence of the review if the change of circumstances or value of assets applies at the original MTA date of effect.

If the original MTA decision is before the date the customer entered care, the customer can lodge an application for a new MTA based on what their circumstances and the value of their assets were at the date they entered care. This is not a reassessment of the original MTA; it is instead a new decision with a new date of effect, for example, the date entered care.

Customers can lodge an application for a new MTA for their current admission (based on what their circumstances and the value of their assets were at the date of admission) even if the date that they entered permanent residential aged care is more than 13 weeks ago.

MTA decisions that are incorrect can be manually revoked even if they are not reassessed.