Changes you need to know for
Support at Home program
With the new Aged Care Act now going through parliament, the Department of Health released further details on what the new Support at Home program will look like when it starts in July 2025.
Posted: 27th September 2024
From 1 July 2025, the Home Care Package program will be replaced by the Support at Home program, a key part of Australia’s aged care reforms. This new system is designed to provide better funding, improve care quality, and support an ageing population more effectively. All Home Care Package recipients will be smoothly transitioned into the Support at Home program.
No worse off principle
To safeguard your current level of support, the "No worse off" principle has been introduced. This guarantees that your funding won’t decrease when transitioning to the new program.
What does the transition involve?
The move to Support at Home ensures that individuals with a Home Care Package will retain their funding levels and any unspent funds.
For anyone receiving a Home Care Package by 12 September 2024, or those on the National Priority System or assessed as eligible for a package, the "No worse off" principle also applies to participant/client contributions. In short, if you were paying an ITF it would now be replaced by you contributing to your services. The contribution level will be determined by the government.
What are the changes for me transitioning to Support at Home from 1 July 2025?
Moving to a quarterly budget
This means the annual subsidy amount will be divided into 4 equal budgets that each cover 3 months of the year. Participants who have not spent their budget within the quarter will be able to accrue a maximum of $1000 or 10% of their quarterly budget (whichever is higher) from one quarter to the next.
A defined service list
Under Support at Home, all services will be specified on a service list with clear inclusions and exclusions that will largely mirror existing services accessed through the HCP Program.
Price caps set by government
Prices charged by service providers against participant budgets must be below price caps set by government based on advice of the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA). This list is currently being finalised, with a first high level draft being made available in the coming weeks and a more detailed version available in the first quarter of next year.
No package management fees
The package management costs will be incorporated into the unit cost of services, and not charged as separate fee. This would see providers add a ‘Clip’ to all services provided as long it is below the price cap.
Care management funding set at 10% of all quarterly budgets
This funding will be set aside for providers to use to deliver responsive care management support across all participants.
Separately funded Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme
People will be approved at assessment for a separate funding amount for assistive technology and/or home modifications.
At PlanCare, we’re navigating the same changes as you, with new rules set to come into effect from July 2025. While we don’t create these regulations, we’re dedicated to understanding them and ensuring you stay informed.
We’ll update you with the latest information as soon as we receive it, so you’re always up to date. Please visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website for more details, and if you missed the Support at Home Program Q&A session, you can view the recording here.