Aged care means assessment - Support at Home post-entry 065-18082138

When a care recipient enters a Support at Home care service, then ACSP:

• 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 if required

From 12 October 2024 onwards, Process Direct 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 the individual contributions a care recipient needs to pay for their Support at Home (SaH):
• Post 2014 scheme - means assessment based on income only
• Post 2025 scheme - means assessment based on income, assets, relationship status if they are homeowners or non-homeowners
• The care recipient and nominee (if applicable) receive a letter with the contribution rates which includes a summary of the income and/or assets used to calculate the rate
• The Service Provider get a letter to advise of the contribution rate they can charge the care recipient, no financial information is included

Means assessments may be completed:

• as an automatic means assessment when:
• 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
• as a verbal means assessment
• by completing an online Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form
• as a paper form (SA456)

To check if an application is needed, see Determining when an application for a calculation of your cost of care is required for Support at Home in Aged care means assessment.

A care recipient who was first approved for home care on or prior to 12 September 2024, will be classified as a Support at Home grandparented care recipient and assessed under the Post 2014 scheme.

• Means assessment based on income only
• Zero contributions if they were not liable to pay an Income Tested Care Fee (ITCF) under home care rules
• Special rates of contributions if they were liable to pay an ITCF under home care rules

A care recipient who was first approved for home care after 12 September 2024 will transition to standard Support at Home contribution rates and be assessed under the Post 2025 scheme.

• Means assessment based on income and assets
• No zero contribution for dependent child/ren