Introduction to My Aged Care - Q & A

On 27 October at 7:30pm, the Home Care Team produced ran the introduction to My Aged Care webinar for volunteers and the Board. It was conducted in Cantonese with a view to run this publicly for prospective clients and their representatives in the future. The webinar offered a platform for questions from participants.

About My Aged Care

Q: Would access to nursing homes require going through My Aged Care?

A: Yes, all Government funded aged care services are accessed through registration for My Aged Care

Q: Is it possible to get ring up My Aged Care to get an Aged Care Number if you don’t have any need for it at this point in time?

A: a.Yes, as long as you are over 65, you can simply call up and request for a number for future use.

b. You can also reflect on things that you may occassionally like assistance with, for example, cleaning, meals or someone to take you to an appointment, then ask for access to these services.

Q: Which way is better, to apply for My Aged Care online or to ring them?

A: a. Generally, if you can speak English well and are able to articulate your needs, you can give them a call straight away.

b. It is good to be prepared and know what information they will need from you to make an effective assessment. Going through the online process for registration may be helpful. Once you submit your information, they will contact you to continue the process.

Q: How can a GP make a referral for me?

A: a. A GP can make a referral via your electronic medical record, by completing an online form or faxing a referral. More information is available here. https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/health-professionals

b. A GP referral is an efficient and effective way to get My Aged Care assessments done, as they understand your needs and are able to communicate it to My Aged Care effectively.

Costs

Q: Are nursing home costs supported by the Government?

A: Yes, the Government funds most or some of the costs depending on your capacity to pay. This is assessed by measuring the value of your assets and how much income you earn. For example, as a full pensioner, you will pay 84% of your pension towards nursing home fees. The Government will pay the rest.

Q: For Home Care fees, do you pay per month or per year?

A: If you are required to contribute to the fee, then you will need to pay per fortnight. Otherwise, the Government allocates funds on a monthly basis for paying for services you receive. The service provider will claim against these funds for the services they provide to you.

Q: For the admin fee and case management fee, do they need to be paid upfront?

A: No, these fees prorated and are deducted on a monthly basis from the package itself. No extra expenditure is incurred by the client.

Q: Do Private Health Funds or Medicare provide any Aged Care services?

A:They do not provide Home Care specific services. It is important to note, however, that Home Care Package funds are not to be used for services that Medicare or Private Health Funds would usually cover.

Q: When I get assessed by My Aged Care, do I also get my assets and income assessed at the same time?

A: a. No, when you are assessed by My Aged Care, they only look at your health and wellbeing needs.

b. You will undertake an assets and income test only when you decide to proceed to receive the services you are approved and assigned for.

c. There is no income/asset tests that apply for CHSP services; you will only have such tests if you are approved for Home Care Packages and Residential care.

Q: I earn an income, but it is very little. Do I still need to charged an Income Tested Fee (ITF)?

A: There is a minimum threshold before you are charged an ITF. For example, if you are a single and earn less than $29,000 per year, you will not need to pay an ITF. Your package will be fully funded by the Government.

Services

Q: What is the difference between Commonwealth Home Care Package (CHSP) and Home Care Package (HCP)?

A: a. CHSP gives you access to specific services which you can use when you want. You will make a small contribution each time you use the service. E.g. meals on wheels, domestic assistance, transport, and many more.

b. Home Care Package is a lump sum of money which you can spend on services that keeps you independent living at home.

Q: How do you graduate from CHSP to Home Care Package?

A: Give My Aged Care a call and let them know your needs have changed.

Q: If you are granted Home Care Package, does that mean you cannot access CHSP anymore?

A: a. Yes, that is generally the case. If you are receiving the Home Care Package level you are approved for, you cannot seek CHSP services on top of that.

b. However, in many circumstances, you will need to wait to receive the Home Care Package level you are approved for. During this time, you will be able to access CHSP services as a top-up whilst you wait in the queue to get the Home Care Package.

c. For example, you might be approved for a Level 3 HCP, but have been assigned a Level 1 in the interim. You will be able to access CHSP services until you are assigned a Level 3 package, which can take between 3 to 12 months.

Q: How will we know whether we should get CHSP or Home Care Package?

A: a.When you contact My Aged Care, they will ask a few qualifying questions to determine what type of service you need.

b.They have different assessment teams that will come out depending on the result of this initial phone assessment. It is they who determine which type of service is suitabe for you.

c.It is important to not simply say what you think you need at the start, but to answer the questions to help them understand your situation as much as possible, so that they can provide you with the appropriate assessment and service type.

d. It is also important to think through the questions yourself and not go into the conversation with only the thing(s) you think you need in mind.

e. Hope Holistic Care can assist clients in this area to ensure a proper assessment is made.

Q: Do you have a choice of CHSP providers, and can you change providers if you want to?

A: a. When you are given a CHSP reference code, My Aged Care will offer to assign you to a provider. The provider will contact you to make arrangements.

b. If you wish to change CHSP service providers, you will need to find a provider that will have the service availabl and the capacity to serve you. This can be quite challenging

c. Hope Holistic Care is in partnership with Anglicare to offer clients CHSP. If you wish to change providers, please contact us to see how we can help.

Q: Is it true that the quality of services are generally not that good compared to professional services, for example, cleaning?

A: a. It is important to understand the aim of the Government funded services is to enable you to live independently at home. Whilst care workers will do their best, please keep in mind that they may not be specialists in domestic duties.

b. Sometimes the first experience with care workers can be very unsatisfactory. This is because the care worker may not be familiar with you or your home. However, the care workers are generally open to being flexible and to learn about how you want things done, so if you give them a bit more time and help them to understand you better, they will become more helpful to you.

c. Our Case manager will assist you with how to get the best out of this relationship.

Q: There are other providers advertising similar services. How are they similar or different to CHSP services?

A: They may offer similar services; the difference will be how they are funded. They may also be more easily accessed; however, they are most likely very limited in nature. In the longer term, registering with My Aged Care will give you access to more funding and services in greater duration.

Q: What happens if a person runs out of the packaged funds? Will they go to the next level?

A: a.The service provider will generally work with the client to ensure the services delivered meet or comes under the allocated package budget.

b. If a person requires more funds that is available in the Home Care Package, they will need to meet the difference with their personal funds.

c. A person will only have approval to access a higher level of care if they are re-assessed as having greater needs than the initial assessment. However, the amount is still set and may or may not be sufficient to cover the services required for the person.

Q: If I have a Home Care Package, can I go to different providers for different things?

A: You will generally go to one Home Care Provider to manage your package. However, you can engage different providers for difference services of your choice. Please bear in mind, that administration fees may apply.

Q: How does Hope Holistic Care (HHC) work with Anglicare to provide services to clients?

A: a.The client will sign an agreement with Anglicare as their provider

b.The client will then request Anglicare to have services delivered by HHC

c. Anglicare will then notify HHC of the amount of time agreed with the client on a periodic basis, as well as the service they will receive.

d. HHC will contact the client to operate the service.

e. Note that in most instances, HHC will be in regular contact with the client it refers to Anglicare to make the process as efficient as possible.

Q: When you are approved for CHSP or HCP, do you get funding per calender or financial year?

A: a.Once you have been assigned to receive the service, it is assumed the service will be ongoing; hence there will not be an end date. Changes will occur if you are assessed to be eligible for a higher level of service.

b. With CHSP, you will continue to receive the service as long as you want and pay your portion.

c. With Home Care Package, you will be given funds on a monthly basis.

Q: How is HHC different to other providers?

A: a.HHC is the only Christian Chinese organisation that delivers Home Care. All other Chinese organisations delivering Aged Care services are either privately operated or are community based not for profits. HHC’s vision and mission is what sets us apart from other providers.

b.We will engage volunteers and churches to build relationships and demonstrate Christian hope with the clients we serve.