Aged Care Eligibility Assessment

HOW ASSESSMENT WORKS?

Before you can access any government funded services, you must have a My Aged Care assessment. An assessment helps to ensure you receive the care and support you need. An assessment will work out your care needs and what types of care and services you may be eligible for.

You may feel worried about being assessed by someone you do not know but the assessor is trained to talk to people in your situation and will understand how you are feeling. You can honestly tell the assessors about your situation and any concerns you may have. You are welcome to have another person, such as a family member, friend or your carer, with you during your assessment.

AGED CARE

START BY CALLING MY AGED CARE:

You can start by calling My Aged Care, with your Medicare card ready when you call.

AGED CARE REGISTER

The assessors will request for your permission to create a Client record to register you with My Aged Care. The Aged Care Register holds:

Information about your needs;

Results of any assessments; and

Details of any aged care services you receive.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

The assessors will also ask you questions about:

Any support you are currently receiving;

Any health concerns you may have;

How you are managing with activities around the home; and

Your safety in the home.

ASSESSMENT RESULTS

Your answers will help the assessors to understand your care needs. Based on the information you give assessors, you may be referred for:

A home support assessment with a Regional Assessment Service (RAS) if you need low level support to stay independent in your home; or

A comprehensive assessment with an Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAT) if you have more complex care needs.

With your consent, the contact centre will give your My Aged Care Client record to an assessor. This saves you retelling your story. If you have immediate needs, My Aged Care may also refer you directly to services before your assessment takes place.

ELIGIBILITY FOR DIVERSE NEEDS

The Australian Government provides aged care services to help people of all backgrounds and situations to access the help they need. If you’re an older person, or you care for an older person, you may have particular needs, depending on your background and situation. There may be services available specially for you.

DIVERSE NEEDS

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE

If you are an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, there are government-funded aged care services available for you.

PEOPLE FROM CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS

If you are an older person from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background, there are aged care services available for you.

PEOPLE LIVING IN RURAL AND REMOTE AREAS

Read about accessing aged care services in rural and remote Australia.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Read about aged care services to help older people with disabilities to live independently at home.

CARE LEAVERS

A Care Leaver is a person who spent time in care as a child; in foster, or residential care or outside the immediate or extended family. This includes Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants and the Stolen Generations. Read more about available help.

VETERANS

Read about aged care services available to help support eligible veterans, war widows and widowers.

PEOPLE WHO ARE FINANCIALLY DISADVANTAGED

Read about aged care services for people who may need some financial help.

PEOPLE FACING HOMELESSNESS

For older people who do not have predictable housing or are homeless, there are aged care services available to help deal with housing problems.

NDIS ELIGIBILITY AND ASSESSMENT

HOW ASSSSMENT WORKS?

People who meet the NDIS access requirements are called NDIS Participants. NDIS Participants receive funded supports and an individual plan. If you are a person with disability and want to join the NDIS, you need to meet the access requirements.

These include availability of the Scheme where you live; your age; your residency status; your disability and in some cases your early intervention requirements. If you think you meet these criteria, you can apply to join the NDIS.

NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SERVICE (NDIS)

NDIS ACCESS CHECKLIST?

DO YOU HAVE AUSTRALIAN RESIDENCY?

To access the NDIS you must live in Australia and be:

An Australian citizen; or

A permanent resident; or

Hold a Protected Special Category Visa, that is you were in Australia on a Special Category Visa on 26 February 2001; or

Had been in Australia for at least 12 months in the 2 years immediately before 26 February 2001 and you returned to Australia after that day.

ARE YOU UNDER 65 YEARS OLD?

To access the NDIS you must be aged under 65 years. In some locations, you need to be a certain age to access the NDIS during the trial period.

DO YOU LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE THE NDIS IS AVAILABLE?

To access the NDIS right now, you must live in an NDIS area on a designated date. In some of these areas, you also need to be a certain age to access the Scheme.

DO YOU USUALLY NEED SUPPORT FROM A PERSON OR EQUIPMENT TO DO EVERYDAY THINGS FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE OF AN IMPAIRMENT OR CONDITION THAT IS LIKELY TO BE PERMANENT?

To meet the NDIS disability rules, you need to have an impairment or condition that is likely to be permanent (lifelong) and that stops you from doing everyday things by yourself. The following questions may help you decide if your answer is ‘yes’. Do you usually need support from a person or assistive equipment so you can:

Understand and be understood by other people?

Make and keep friends and cope with feelings and emotions?

Understand, remember and learn new things?

Get out of bed and move around the home and outside the home?

Take a bath or shower, dress and eat?

Do daily jobs, handle money and make decisions?

DO YOU NEED SOME SUPPORTS NOW TO REDUCE YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS IN THE FUTURE?

To meet the NDIS early intervention rules, you need to:

Have an impairment or condition that is likely to be permanent (lifelong); or

Be a child under 6 years of age with a developmental delay and the delay means you usually need more help with your self-care, communication, learning or motor skills than another child of the same age.

Early intervention supports provided by the NDIS are those not provided by any other services such as health and education. The following questions may help you decide if your answer is ‘yes’. Would early intervention supports:

Reduce the impact of your impairment or condition or developmental delay?

Stop the impact of your impairment or condition from getting worse?

Strengthen your informal supports, such as helping a carer to keep supporting you?

If You answered ‘YES’ to all of the questions above, you may be eligible for early intervention supports provided by the NDIS.

CALL THE NDIA ON 1800 800 110 IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR TO ASK FOR AN ACCESS REQUEST FORM.