If you are over 65 and need coordinated services to help you stay in your home, you are eligible to apply for a Home Care Package.

There are four levels of Home Care Package and each one provides a different subsidy amount. This amount is paid to your chosen approved provider (South West Community Care) and contributes to the total cost of your services and care. The table below shows the *approximate subsidy amount of each package level.

Package Level 1 – Basic Care Needs – $8000

Package Level 2 – Low-level Care Needs – $14,500

Package Level 3 – Intermediate Care Needs – $32,500

Package Level 4 – High-level Care Needs – $49,500

You may be required to pay a basic daily fee, up to 17.5% of the Aged Pension ($10.17 per day), depending on your care needs. Not all clients are required to pay the maximum amount so please talk to us about your needs. We’ll design a individual budget for you, so you know exactly how much it will cost right from the outset.

If you are a self-funded retiree, your assets and income will also be assessed by Centrelink, to determine if you need to pay a portion of the subsidy amount yourself.

The current services you receive through HACC will continue. From your perspective, nothing will change.

A Home Care Package is generally assigned to someone who has higher level needs than the entry-level CHSP provides. As such the amount of funding provided under the CHSP is considerably less than under Home Care Packages.

Under the CHSP, you are assessed only to receive certain services so your choice is reasonably limited compared to a Home Care Package.

You will not pay a daily fee or income-assessed fee as a CHSP client. Instead, you just pay a contribution for the services you use.

Under the CHSP, you can ‘dip in and out’ of the services, as you like. If you are a Home Care Package recipient, you are limited to how long you can ‘suspend’ services without having your funding reduced.

Your assessment for the CHSP is carried out by the Regional Assessment Service (RAS) whereas assessment for a Home Care Package is conducted by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).

Approval and service commencement for the CHSP will be reasonably speedy. Conversely, long wait times can be experienced with Home Care Package allocations. If required, you may access the CHSP while you wait for a Home Care Package to be allocated.

CHSP clients are expected to pay a contribution towards the cost of their care, of approximately 15% of the total cost to provide the service.

Of course, if you are experiencing hardship, South West Community Care can approve a fee reduction or waiver until you find your feet.

To find out if you’re eligible for a Home Care Package or any other help at home services, call South West Community Care on 9782 4000.

We will help you navigate the system and refer you for an ACAT assessment.