Support at Home
Acknowledging the preference for older Australians to remain in the family home, the government subsidises a range of Support at Home funding for those who are eligible for residential aged care, but prefer to remain at home.
Eligibility for these packages is assessed by the aged care assessment services. The range of services provided under a Support at Home program depends on the level and types care required (as assessed by aged care assessment services). These include clinical, independence and everyday livingservices and other services to support a person living at home.
There are eight levels of ongoing services and support for short-term services which include to provide restorative care, end-of-life and for assistive technology and home modifications.
Further information can be found on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.
Individual contributions
Support at home participants must contribute to the cost of their allocated budgets. The amount they pay will depend on the category of their chosen services where they have been approved these services. The different categories will have different rates of contribution, and secondly on their means testing category and if they are a part age pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) holder, their contribution will also be based on a means test.
| Means testing category | Clinical supports | Independence | Everyday living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% |
| Part-pensioner and CSHC holder | 0% | Between 5% and 50% based on means test | Between 17.5% and 80% based on means test |
| Self-funded and non-CSHC holder and means not disclosed | 0% | 50% | 80% |
Clinical supports
These are specialised services to maintain or regain functional and/or cognitive capabilities and they must be delivered or supervised, by university qualified or accredited health professionals.
Examples include nursing care provided by a registered nurse to assess, treat and monitor clinical conditions.
The government fully funds services in this category that are within a client’s allocated budget.
Independence
These help manage activities of daily living and the loss of skills required to live independently.
Examples include attendant care to meet essential and ongoing needs such as mobility and hygiene.
A smaller contribution is expected to be made by a client for services in this category ranging from 5% to 50% depending on their means.
Everyday living
This involves assistance to keep homes in a liveable state to enable a person to stay independent in their homes.
Examples include light cleaning such as mopping, vacuuming and support to prepare meals in the home or pre-prepared meals.
A greater contribution is expected to be made by a client for services in this category ranging from 17.5% to 80% depending on their means.
Part-pensioner and CSHC holder recipients’ individual contributions are determined by a means test, with similarities to one that applies to the age pension. The income covered by this means test is based on the client’s total ordinary income, which is the same as the income used to calculate the Age Pension.
The income reduction amount is calculated at the rate of 50 per cent of income above income free areas.
| Recipient | Income free area |
|---|---|
| Individual person | $5,668 |
| Member of a couple | $4,940 |
The asset reduction amount is calculated at the rate of 7.8 per cent of assets above asset free areas:
| Recipient | Homeowner | Non-homeowner |
|---|---|---|
| Individual person | $321,500 | $579,500 |
| Member of a couple | $240,750 | $369,750 |
The maximum reduction amount is calculated based on the individual’s CSHC income limit less the individual’s income free area noted above.
| Recipient | CSHC income limit |
|---|---|
| Individual person | $101,105 |
| Member of a couple (not separated by illness) | $101,105 |
| Member of a couple (separated by illness) | $80,884 |
The input contribution rate is then worked out by taking the greater of the income reduction amount and asset reduction amount, and dividing this by the maximum reduction amount.
The individual contribution rates for the Independence and Everyday Living categories are then worked out by:
| Independence | 0.45 x input contribution rate + 5 |
|---|---|
| Everyday living | 0.625 x input contribution rate + 17.5 |
Individual contributions are subject to a lifetime cap of $135,318.69 (indexed), the same lifetime cap applies to non-clinical contributions when the participant enters into residential aged care, which applies irrespective of whether the fees are paid for the support at home program or care provided in an aged care residential facility.
Support at Home fee estimator
The calculator on the My Aged Care Website provides an estimate of the individual contributions payable by an individual for a Support at Home participant.
More Information
| Service | Phone number | Website |
|---|---|---|
| My Aged Care | 1800 200 422 | www.myagedcare.gov.au |
| Services Australia | 132 300 | www.servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing | 1800 020 103 | www.health.gov.au |
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