FAQs

Yes, there is the option to take leave from your Home Care Package in certain situations. For example:

• For a hospital stay.
• For transition care – which may follow a hospital stay.
• To receive respite care.
• For social reasons.

If you take a temporary leave from your Home Care Package, your funding will continue for up to 28 days at your regular basic subsidy rate. However, after 28 days the subsidy will decrease to 25% of the basic subsidy rate.

Once you accept your Home Care Package, if you are already receiving Commonwealth Home Support Programme services, they will cease.

This might seem daunting but there is no need to stress. If there’s a service that you loved from your CHSP, you can just find a replacement service and get it funded directly from your HCP.

This means you won’t even have to pay the subsidised rate out of your own pocket. Your services will be 100% covered by your Home Care Package funding.

We want you to get the maximum benefit from your Home Care Package funding. That’s why we generally there is a large difference in the fees we charge.

Unlike traditional Providers who can often take up to 50% of your package funds, we keep it simple and charge one low flat fee of 26%, and that’s it, no more to pay.

This provides our Home Care Package holders with more funds left in their package for much needed care and support services.

That’s why we don’t charge our clients extra fees such as a set-up fee, an exit fee, a daily care fee, surcharges for making phone calls, surcharges for choosing support workers of your choice and more. These are fees that Providers will often choose to avoid mentioning, so it’s really important to ask about them. We are about complete transparency.

Our one low 26% flat fee leaves you with maximum funds to spend on the care you want and need.

It’s all about value for money and this is what we provide.

To apply for a Home Care Package, you need to call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask for an assessment. During the initial call you will be asked a series of questions over the phone to determine if you will proceed to the next step in the process which is an in-person assessment from the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).

To find out if you are eligible for a Home Care Package you will need to do assessment with My Aged Care. During the assessment process there will be a range of things looked at to ensure you receive the care and support you need. This includes:

1. Your age – to be eligible you need to be an older Australian (generally 65 years or older) or a younger person with an ageing related illness (like early onset dementia).
2. Your living arrangements and the support you currently receive from family and friends.
3. What help or support you may require in order to continue living independently.
4. What are the different Home Care Package Levels?

There are four levels of Home Care Packages for different support and care needs:

• Level 1 – for basic care needs
• Level 2 – for low-level care needs
• Level 3 – for intermediate care needs
• Level 4 – for high-level care needs

Each month you will receive something called a Monthly Activity Statement.

This statement will list the amount of your funds that were spent, and what they were spent on each month. It will also include your incoming funds and the remaining balance.

We would definitely recommend asking the Providers you are considering, for an example of their Monthly Activity Statement to make sure that you are able to easily understand it.

Confused about which Provider is right for you? It’s overwhelming, there are so many to choose from! That’s why it’s a great idea to have some questions ready to ask them. We’ve put together a FREE Guide which includes 7 MUST ASK QUESTIONS to ask Providers.

When you accept your Home Care Package the money will not be sent directly to you.

Every month the Government will send your chosen Approved Provider your monthly amount of funding.

Instead of being paid in a lump sum for the year, your Provider will receive it as a monthly payment. Additionally, if you are eligible for a Home Care Package supplement this will be paid in addition to your basic subsidy.

You have 56 days from the day you get assigned your Home Care Package to choose a Provider. If you have difficulty finding an approved Home Care Package Provider and have not entered into a Home Care Agreement within the 56 days, or need more time to make a decision, you can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. They can grant you an extension of a further 28 days. If you haven’t chosen a Provider in the allotted time you will lose your Home Care Package and it will be given to the next person waiting in the national queue.

If you leave your Home Care Package the unspent funds will be reimbursed in proportion to where they initially came from.

For example, let’s say you were paying an Income Tested Fee of 10% of your Package and the government were paying for 90%. If you had $2,000 of unspent funds, the money would be reimbursed to both you and the government in relation to the percentage initially paid by each. So, in this case, you would get 10% of $2,000, so $200, the government would get the 90% which is $1,800.

If you aren’t happy with the Provider you choose you have the ability to switch. Because of something called Consumer Directed Care (CDC) that was amended at the start of 2017, you now have full freedom to choose the Provider that best suits you.

If everything is going to plan with the Provider you choose and you’re happy there is no need to switch. But luckily, if you aren’t satisfied with the service you are receiving you now have the option to find a better suited solution.

Decided to switch Providers? There are a few things you have to do. Make sure to check your previous Home Care Agreement to see if there is an exit fee or other special requirements. In your previous Agreement your notice period will also be specified. This indicates how long you must stay with your Previous Provider before your package can be transferred to your new Provider.

Try not to let an exit fee deter you from switching, generally you will be able to accumulate your funds back quickly and it’s still a good decision to make the switch.

Please note that not all Providers will charge an exit fee. There are many that do, but it’s worth considering why they are charging one if they trust they will do a good job of managing your Home Care Package. At Trilogy Aged Care Packages we don’t charge an Exit Fee. We want our clients to have full freedom and choice. If you want to switch Providers, that choice is yours.

If you are paid a pension that is means-tested, you will not need to lodge an income assessment form as the Department of Human Services (DHS) or Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) will have sufficient information to work out your eligibility to pay an Income Tested Fee.

If you are paid a pension that is not means-tested or if you are a self-funded retiree, you will need to lodge an Aged Care Fees Income Assessment form with either the DHS or the DVA.

It’s not mandatory to do an Income Assessment, but it should be noted that if you decide not to complete one, you can be asked to pay the maximum income-tested fee.

For home care, the assessment is based on entirely on your income and does not include the value of your home or any other assets.

You can ask for an assessment on the My Aged Care website.

There is also a Fee Estimator on the My Aged Care website, that allows you to generate the approximate fee you may be required to pay if you receive a Home Care Package. You can access the fee estimator here:

https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator

Some people are more comfortable knowing the care or service provider is part of their local community and familiar with their local area. While this is a personal choice, we do consider local carers for our team simply because they know the area well and can assist the client with local topics and queries. We also have much quicker access to local staff, especially in emergency situations should they occur.

Having care services are local to you can make costs more affordable because there is less travel time involved. We have a large list of local service providers, which enables us to keep our costs down and charge our clients a competitively low flat fee.

Still confused? We don’t blame you, lots of people get confused between the Income Tested Fee and the Daily Care Fee, so let us clear it up for you!

Income Tested Fee:

• Determined and required by the Government
• Based on an income assessment
• If you are a self-funded retiree or on a part-pension you may be required to pay this
• The Provider cannot waive this fee

Daily Care Fee:

• Determined and required by the Provider
• Not based on your income or if you are on a pension
• The Provider can choose whether or not to charge this fee (we don’t)

The ‘Income Tested Fee’ is based on an assessment of your financial situation and is a contribution from the Home Care Package holder towards their funding.

If you are part-pensioner or a self-funded retiree and the government assesses that are required to pay an Income Tested Fee, then you must pay this when you accept your Home Care Package. No Provider is able to waive this fee.

If you have any further questions about the ‘Income Tested Fee’ or whether you would be required to pay it, you can give us a call to explain it in more detail.

The ‘Income Tested Fee’ is based on an assessment of your financial situation and is a contribution from the Home Care Package holder towards their funding.

If you are part-pensioner or a self-funded retiree and the government assesses that are required to pay an Income Tested Fee, then you must pay this when you accept your Home Care Package. No Provider is able to waive this fee.

If you have any further questions about the ‘Income Tested Fee’ or whether you would be required to pay it, you can give us a call to explain it in more detail.

If you’ve decided to switch Providers, your remaining funds will be transferred to the Provider you are switching to. Your previous Provider has up to 70 days to make the existing funds transfer. Keep in mind if you have an exit fee, this will be charged from your unspent funds.

With us, we will let you use 80% of your unspent funds with your previous Provider prior to them even transferring over. We do this to ensure that you have a consistency of care and aren’t out of pocket while you are waiting for the funds to come over. You can easily access your balance information by checking your monthly activity statement with your previous Provider.

Unlike the Income Tested Fee, a Daily Care Fee is a fee that Providers have the option of charging their clients.

The Daily Care Fee is usually around $10 per day and is used to supplement the amount of funding you are already receiving from the government.

At Trilogy Aged Care Packages, we never charge this fee. We believe Home Care Package holders should never be forced to pay anything extra from their pocket, unless it’s a government requirement.

There are a range of supplements that you may be eligible for in addition to the basic subsidy you recieve from your Home Care Package. These include:

The Dementia and Cognition Supplement:

• This supplement provides additional funding in recognition of the extra costs of caring for people with cognitive impairment associated with dementia and other conditions.
• The supplement offers you an additional 11.5% of the home care basic subsidy you already receive.
• To be eligible you will need to complete an assessment with a nurse or medical practitioner.

The Veteran’s Supplement:

• This supplement provides additional funding for veterans with a mental health condition accepted by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) as related to their service.
• The supplement offers you an additional 11.5% of the home care basic subsidy you already receive.
• Eligibility is determined by the DVA.

Oxygen Supplement:

• This supplement is paid to care recipients with a specified medical need for the continual administration of oxygen.
• To be eligible you must have an ongoing medical need for the administration of oxygen.
• The equipment used to provide the oxygen must be hired, temporarily attained or owned by the Provider.
• You will need a certificate from a medical practitioner stating your particular requirements and continual need for the administration of oxygen to be eligible.

Enteral Feeding Supplement:

• This supplement is paid to care recipients with the specified medical need for enteral feeding.
• To be eligible you will need all of the following documentation to claim the supplement.
  • Written certification by a medical practitioner that the care recipient has a medical need for enteral feeding.
  • Written certification by a medical practitioner or dietician that the dietary formula prescribed is nutritionally complete.
  • Details of the care recipient’s particular enteral feeding requirements. These can be detailed in the medical certificate, the care recipient’s care plan, and hospital discharge papers or in the dietician’s enteral feeding instructions.

Viability Supplement:

• This supplement is paid to the providers of your care services on behalf of care recipients in recognition of the higher costs of providing services in rural and remote areas.
• The supplement must be included in the individual budget of eligible care recipients.
• Eligibility is based on the suburb and postcode of the location where the care recipient receives care and services.

Hardship Supplement:

• This supplement is available to Home Care recipients in genuine financial hardship.
• To be eligible home care recipients need to prove they have no income to pay their costs of aged care due to circumstances beyond their control.

During your in-home assessment visit, the ACAT/ACAS assessor (usually a nurse, social worker, or other health care professional) will ask you questions about how well you are managing your day-to-day life. They will give you some advice about the different types of care services that may help you to stay at home.

This assessment will determine if you are eligible for a Home Care Package and if so, which level. You have the option to have a family member or advocate present at the assessment.

As time goes on, it is likely that your care needs may change. If they do, you have the option to be assessed for a higher level of care.

If you decide this is necessary, the process is very similar to the one you undertook when you first applied for a Home Care Package. You simply give the My Aged Care team a call on 1800 200 422 and ask for a reassessment.

If you’re a client with us, we can definitely help you with this process.

When you sign up with your Provider they will develop an individualised budget that details the finances you have available to you. This will include Government subsidies, supplements and the fees or contributions you pay yourself.

You will work with your Provider to ensure that your budget explains how these funds are going to be used.

When you sign-up with a Provider they are required to supply you with something called a Care Plan. This is designed to explain your goals and assessed care needs as determined by your ACAT assessment. You and your Provider will work together to create this document. The goal of the Care Plan is to explain in detail your needs and services you require, to remain living at home.

Your Provider must send you this Care Plan within 14 days of entering into your Home Care Agreement.

The Care Plan should be a guide for what products and services we can organise to best support you.

When you sign up with a Home Care Package Provider they will be required to issue you with something called a Home Care Package Agreement.

The Agreement details your rights as a consumer and the Provider’s rights, including fees you will charged. If your Provider charges an exit fee it will need to be listed in your Home Care Package Agreement.

The Home Care Package Agreement is legally binding.

A Home Care Package (HCP) is funding given to older Australians through a government-subsidised program with the aim of providing support to individuals who want to continue living independently at home.

There are four different levels of Home Care Package that you could be eligible to recieve. Each level has a different amount of funding. You are assigned a level based on an assessment of your physical and cognitive care needs. The lowest level, Level 1 will give you around $8k per year, whereas with a Level 4 those with the highest care needs will be eligible to receive over $50k per year.

Your Home Care Package funds can be used to purchase hours of care and other support services and items that suit your care needs and enable you to continue living at home independently.

When you receive your Home Care Package, you must choose a Provider to administer the funds on your behalf. This is a government requirement. Your Home Care Package Provider will receive your funds from the government, and you will work with them to decide how they should be spent to ensure you are able to live at home for as long as possible.

When you are assigned your Home Care Package, you are required to choose an Approved Home Care Package Provider to host your package. Approved Providers are required to become registered with the Department of Health and have satisfied both legal and social requirements. This ensures that they are certified to administer packages on behalf of consumers.

The other type of Provider, is a Service Provider. This describes any company that delivers your actual support services or hours of care, such as physio, gardening, cleaning, personal care etc.

The confusing part is that there are Approved Home Care Package Providers that also act as Service Providers and employ their own direct care staff. Some of these Providers will also suggest that you only use their own services. It’s good to look for a Provider that will allow you to use external Service Providers as well, without a surcharge.

A Referral Code is a unique number (1- number) that you receive when you are assigned a Home Care Package.

When you get your Referral Code you will need to give it to your chosen Provider so they are able to trigger your funding. It will also allow your Provider to access the details from your ACAT/ACAS assessment and ensure that they are the best fit for your specific care needs.

We ask for your Referral Code prior to accepting you because we believe it’s important to know your unique situation and care needs to ensure that we are able to cater to them.

A Provider can use your Referral Code to view your documents without accepting you as a client. We won’t accept your code until we are sure we are the right solution for you, and you are keen to come onboard with us.

Your Referral Code is a unique code. Whether you have just received your Home Care Package or have been with another Provider and are wanting to switch, you will need a code. But depending on your situation, the way you access it will be different.If you have a new Home Care

Package you can find your Referral Code on the letter you received from My Aged Care assigning you your package. If you can’t find your letter, you can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and simply ask for them for it.

Whereas, if you’re switching Providers, you will need to get your code reactivated. This is because when you signed with your previous Provider they would have activated your code. Luckily, it’s super easy to get your code reactivated. All you have to do is call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask them to do it.

There are various types of Respite. Essentially respite care offers support for carers so they are able to get relief from their role of caring. This could be to allow them to go on a holiday or participate in everyday activities while establishing alternative care for the person they usually look after.

You do have the ability to pay for Respite with your Home Care Package funds, but there are guidelines:

1. You need to have the funds available in your package to fund this.
2. You can only use your funds to pay for Residential Respite if the facility has private beds.
3. You need to ensure there is a bed available at the facility of your choice.

Because there are various types of Respite, it’s definitely worth chatting with your Provider to see if the type you are considering is eligible to be paid from your Home Care Package funds.

The Commonwealth Support Programme (CHSP) is another government subsidy seperate from the Home Care Package. Often older Australians will be allocated CHSP services prior to being assigned their Home Care Package.

CHSP offers older Australians specific services at a subsidised rate to give them extra support to continue living at home.

It is generally for consumers that need a little bit of support in the interim to needing a Home Care Package.

For example, you may be allocated gardening once a fortnight for $10 an hour.

All of our services can be viewed here.

This depends on your specific situation. But if you’re looking for a general list of what can be accessed, check those out here.

At Trilogy Aged Care Packages when we are looking at which services and items to approve, we will always have the goal of ensuring that you are able to live at home safely and happily for as long as possible

We cover the complete set-up of your Home Care Package. That means we hire and schedule your care and support services for you and ensure that everything is running smoothly. Your fee also covers the necessary ongoing administration of your package, including mandatory government compliance and financial reconciliation. You will also have access to a Care Manager who will be there for you throughout the whole process, to help you along the way.

The HCP and CHSP both give you support to stay living at home. In saying this, there are significant differences between the programs.

With a CHSP:

• You get access to specific services and there isn’t much flexibility.
• You pay a subsidised rate from your own pocket, for the services you use.

HCP:

• You are given an amount of funding that you can use for whatever services you require so long as they are within government guidelines and in line with your Care Plan.
• Once you have a package, it is yours until you no longer require it.
• You get to choose the services you would like to use – based on your individual situation.

Switching to Trilogy Aged Care Packages is simple! Here’s what to do:

STEP 1
Give us a call and one of our friendly and helpful Care Specialists will discuss your situation with you and help decide if the move is the right decision for you.

If you decide to transfer your package to Trilogy Aged Care Packages, it’s super easy to do so. You just need to give My Aged Care a call on 1800 200 422 and ask for your Referral Code to be reactivated. We will need your Referral Code in order to access your documents to ensure the sign up is as efficient as possible.

STEP 2
Decided to make the move to Trilogy Aged Care Packages? We will organise a time for a sign-up to get the ball rolling. This is when we will get all the necessary transfer and sign-up documents organised so we can get your care services started for you as soon as possible. We are experts at ensuring that this is a seamless process.

STEP 3

Now it’s time to kick back and relax. In the meantime, we will speak to your previous Provider and organise a date for your funds transfer and also ensure there’s no gap in your care services.

And that’s it! You are ready to go. Our team are super experienced with helping Home Care Package holders switch to a better solution. With our specialised support, we will ensure you have no worries.

After your assessment you will receive a letter from My Aged Care letting you know the outcome of your assessment. If you are eligible for support you will be approved for a specific level (1,2,3 or 4) and placed in the national queue to wait for a package to be assigned to you.

It can often take up to 18 months to be assigned a Home Care Package.

When you are assigned your package, you will receive another letter indicating your assigned level and an individual referral code. At this time, you’ll need to choose your Home Care Package Provider.

Please note that you may be offered a lower-level package while you are waiting for your higher-level package to become available. Accepting the lower-level package will have no impact on your assignment for a higher level.

We have clients nationwide.

So, wherever you live in Australia, we are able to help you get the most out of your Home Care Package funding.

We broker our services and have agreements with service providers all over Australia. If we don’t have care services already set up in your area, don’t stress. We will be able to source and set up agreements with carers and services of your choice, in your area.

At Trilogy Aged Care Packages we pride ourselves on our large list of service providers in Australia which is constantly growing. We are all about using the right care and support services for your individual situation and care needs. So, unlike other Providers who lock you into using their own staff at a premium cost, we work with you to choose the right care team for your unique situation.

We understand that who provides your support is extremely personal, that’s why we want to work with you to ensure that we find the best fit.

There is no restriction on using your own staff, at a specific rate, we work with you to make the choice and control as easy as possible for you.

If you are switching to us from a previous Provider, you also have the option to continue on with the carers you had previously. We will work with you to facilitate that transition.

While we are relatively new on the scene, Trilogy Aged Care was founded by industry specialists who have been in the Aged Care Sector for over 30 years. With our experience in the industry we saw firsthand the problems older Australians had with industry norms and strived to create the perfect solution.

With our offering, we help Home Care Package holders get the perfect balance of choice and support. See our "About Us" page on this website for more information.

Is it worth taking a package if I’m a part-pensioner or self-funded retiree? If you are on a full pension you will not be required to make any contribution to your Home Care Package.

However, if you are on a part-pension or a self-funded retiree you may be required to contribute something called the Income Tested Fee to your Home Care Package.

This fee is determined by the government and if it is determined that you are required to pay it, your Provider is required to charge it. The fee is dependent on your financial situation and based off an assessment of your income.

If you are required to contribute to your Home Care Package it is important to do calculations to determine whether or not a Home Care Package is right for you.

It’s advantageous to do your research before being deterred from accepting a package just because you may be charged an Income Tested Fee. Try getting all the facts and figures before making a decision, particularly if you’re eligible for a level 3 or 4 package. With higher-level packages especially, the funding you receive from the government will generally make it worthwhile accepting the package even if you need to pay a fee.