7 Step Guide to Applying For a Home Care Package

Follow these simple steps and let The Care List guide you through this process every step of the way.

STEP 1

Contact The Care List here, and a care consultant will help you on your journey to receiving the care you need. A care consultant will ask you some questions about your current situation and direct you to organise either a RAS (Regional Assessment Service) or ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) assessment. The assessment is to identify the requirements for a person to be approved for Government-funded services.

STEP 2

ACAT will arrange a time to visit you at your home. Your care consultant at The Care List will help guide you through this process and outline what to expect and the questions they will likely ask.

STEP 3

When the ACAT assessment has been completed, the assessor will determine the home care package level that will be assigned to you. This determination is made based on your care needs and requirements. There are four support levels, Level 1 providing basic care, through to Level 4, delivering the highest available support under the Home Care Package system. My Aged Care will send you a letter of approval for funding. (If you don’t get approval, there are still options available, speak with your care consultant at The Care List to provide you with the options.)

STEP 4

Great news! You have now received your approval letter from My Aged Care and go into the queue to join the national waiting list for your home care package. It is important to note that while you have been approved, there is still a wait before you can start receiving funding for your home care package.

STEP 5

While you have been approved for a package, you must wait for a package to become available. Packages become available in various ways, such as an existing package holder moves into residential care, dies or surrenders their entitlement to a package. The number of packages available is increased each year due to the Australian Government’s extra funding. Once a package equivalent to the level you have been approved for becomes available, you will receive an assignment letter from My Aged Care. This letter will contain a Referral Code, which is vital for the next step.

STEP 6

When the home care package is assigned to you, you must enter into an agreement with a home care package provider, like The Care List, within 56 days of being assigned the home care package. You will need to provide The Care List with the Referral Code listed in the letter of assignment from My Aged Care. The Care List will issue you with a Home Care Agreement. You must enter into a Home Care Agreement before services can be provided to you.

STEP 7

Once you have signed the Home Care Agreement, a Case Manager will be assigned to you. The Case Manager will be responsible for documenting your needs and goals, your medical history, any clinical needs and types of support services you require, how often you wish to receive services and document this in a Care Plan. When you are satisfied with the Care Plan, the case manager will then be responsible for ensuring the services are organised and delivered to you as per the Care Plan.