ACAT/ Eligibility
How do I know if I’m eligible for Aged Care
Eligibility is assessed via an ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team), in Victoria it is referred to as ACAS (Aged Care Assessment Service).
An ACAT assesses your eligibility for Home Care, Respite and Residential Care.
To access aged care you need to be assessed as eligible. This does not mean you have to enter care; it means you are eligible for care. It also does not guarantee you a place; you need to find a place.
What does the ACAT/ACAS assess
- Home Care Packages
- Respite
- Residential Aged Care
Home care helps you stay in your own home for longer when the day to day living activities become more challenging.
Residential Aged Care provides 24/7 care for individuals who can no longer live independently within the community. Respite is a short term care solution. Home care helps you stay in your home by providing care assistance within the community.
Referral Code – your key to access
Based on your required level of assistance with day to day living activities and your health, you will be assessed and provided with a referral code.
A referral code is unique for each individual and is formatted similar to
1- 123456789123.
Don’t get this confused with your CRN (Customer Reference Number) for Centrelink formatted as
CRN 123-123-123A
When looking for a place at an aged care facility they will request either a copy of your support plan or your referral code. Their clinical team will then make an assessment to establish if they have an appropriate bed for you.
Frequently asked questions
- Request an assessment via myagedcare 1800 200 422 or
- If in hospital ask the social worker to organise the ACAT/ACAS or
- Visit your GP and ask them to organise an ACAT/ACAS
- Check that you are assessed for the care you need.
- If your circumstances changed significantly since your ACAT/ACAS, you may need to request an undated assessment. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422
To learn more: click here
Have your Medicare card handy and call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
My Aged Care will ask you several questions to work out your care needs.
These questions include:
- Do you currently receive any support and from whom
- How well are you coping at home
- Do you feel safe in your home.
Yes, if you are over 65 you can access CHSP (Commonwealth Home Support Package). You will require an assessment (RAS). This can be organised through www.myagedcare or by calling 1800 200 422.
If when you speak to My Aged Care they determine that your needs are simple they can refer you to a Regional Assessment Service (RAS). The RAS assessor will call and arrange a meeting time.
At the RAS assessment meeting (which can be in your home) they will ask you similar questions to the questions asked by My Aged Care but in greater detail. They may need to speak to your doctor to assess your needs.
These are free assessments organised through My Aged Care.
No, a retirement village is a lifestyle choice and not a care choice. You can access care in a retirement village. It is, however, a user-pays system, as opposed to a residential aged care facility that receives government funding to provide care.
Yes, you potentially can access your home care package within a retirement village. You may need to check with the retirement village that there are no restrictions on who provides your services.