The RAS/ACAT Assessment Process

Information to help guide you through the government aged care process.

How to apply for government funding and aged care?

Based on the information you give during your call to My Aged Care, you may be referred for a face-to-face assessment to better understand your support needs. There are two types of assessment that work out your care needs and what types of care you may be eligible for:

  • A home support assessment with a Regional Assessment Service (RAS), for low level support to stay independent in your home.
  • A comprehensive assessment with an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) for Home Care Packages; short term care options, and aged care homes.

If you find the process daunting, you’re not alone. To help you navigate this process, we’ve provided a simple overview of how it works below.

Aged Care

You can also contact us if you need help or advice; alternatively, fill in the online enquiry form below and one of our friendly staff will contact you.

Step 1: Register with My Aged Care

To register your details:

Call 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au

The information My Aged Care will ask for during this process includes:

  • Your Medicare details (have your card handy)
  • Your aged care needs
  • Your health care concerns
  • Any medical assessments and service referrals you’ve had to date
  • Any aged care services you already receive
  • How you’re managing around the house
  • Any health and safety concerns you have around the house
  • Other questions to help determine your aged care support needs.

If you’d like someone to contact My Aged Care on your behalf, you’ll need to give your consent for them to represent you. My Aged Care can also provide interpreters for you if you need one.

Once My Aged Care has registered your details, they’ll refer you to your local Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) for an assessment. ACAT assessors are usually nurses, social workers or other health care professionals employed by the Australian Government to help you determine the level of support you require – from home care services to residential aged care.

Your ACAT assessment may cover you for both the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) and a home care package (HCP), so you can receive government funding for aged care from the CHSP while you’re on the waitlist for a HCP. This takes place at the assessors’ discretion.

Note: If you only need basic support to remain living at home, you may be referred to a Regional Assessment Service (RAS) instead of an ACAT. The RAS will assess your eligibility for the CHSP and low-level aged care support services, and refer you to your local ACAT if your needs turn out to be more complex

Step 2: Arrange your income and assets assessment

At this stage of the ACAT process, it’s a good idea to arrange your income and assets assessment too.

This is a separate assessment to determine if you’re eligible for government assistance with your aged care costs. Without this assessment, you’ll be charged the maximum rates or fees for your residential aged care and home care services.

It can take some time to complete the forms involved and up to six weeks to get confirmation of your eligibility, which is why we recommend starting this process early.

Income and assets assessments are done by the Department of Human Services (DHS) unless you’re an eligible member of the veteran community, in which case they may be done by the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA).

Visit DHS or call 1800 227 475 to arrange this.

Step 3: Your ACAT assessment

Soon after you register with My Aged Care, you’ll be contacted by your local ACAT to arrange an assessment.

ACAT will book a time to visit you at your home (or in hospital, if you’ve been admitted) to assess your health, mobility and aged care needs, and recommend the aged care services that will suit you best.

Your ACAT assessor will come to your home or hospital with your client record, including the information you gave when you registered with My Aged Care. It’s a good idea to a family member, carer or friend with you during your assessment, so they can support you and clarify things you may not understand.

Your ACAT assessor will ask you for a wide range of information, including:

  • If you agree to have the assessment
  • What support you already have, including care provided by family members
  • Your health and lifestyle
  • Any memory issues you may have
  • How you’re coping at home now
  • Whether any safety improvements could be made around your home
  • Permission to speak to other people involved in your care, such as your GP and family members.

This is also a good opportunity for you to ask ACAT about aged care in your local area – including what services are available to support you and your carers, who provides them, and how much they cost.

Step 4: Receive the outcome of your ACAT assessment

My Aged Care will write to you after your ACAT assessment to let you know the outcome. What happens next will depend on what type of aged care you need.

Residential Aged Care 

If your assessment shows you need residential aged care, you’ll receive an approval letter and support plan from your ACAT that outlines the care you’ve been approved to receive. Your support plan will include a unique referral code that you’ll need to give to your residential aged care home.

If you’re not approved for residential aged care, your letter will explain why, and outline what other types of aged care you’re eligible to receive.

 

Home care package 

If you’re eligible for home care services, your letter will outline what funding you’re approved to receive. This will depend on your home care package level:

Level 1 is for people with basic care needs, such as help around the home.

Level 2 is for people with low-level care needs, which can include help around the home, grocery shopping, social outings or visits, home podiatry or gardening assistance.

Level 3 is for people with intermediate care needs, which can include all of the above plus services such as personal care, meal preparation, and help with medication.

Level 4 is for people who need high-level support, such as personal or nursing care once or twice daily.

If you’re approved, you’ll join the national queue or waitlist.

It can take six to 18 months for a home care package to become available and you can receive your funding. 

When this happens, My Aged Care will write to you with your unique referral code. You’ll then have 56 days to choose your aged care service provider and enter a Home Care Agreement.

 

Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) 

If you need home care services while you’re on the waitlist, you can use the CHSP to pay for them. The CHSP is designed to give you immediate access to basic or low-level aged care services, which can include:

  • Help around the house
  • Home modifications and maintenance
  • Social support for individuals, such as visits or outings
  • Social support groups (Healthy Living for Seniors)
  • Seniors gyms
  • Respite care.

CCA is an approved provider for the CHSP so contact us to find out how we can help you.

Step 5: Book a care conversation with us

If you haven’t already, contact us to discuss your aged care needs and find out how we can help.

If you’re interested in choosing us for some or all of your aged care services, we’ll work with you to find the right residential aged care home or home care services for your needs. You’ll need to enter an agreement with us before we can start providing you with aged care.

Each month, your support advisor will check in with you to see if your needs have changed, and adjust your services if so. We can also help you arrange another ACAT assessment if your aged care needs change significantly.

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