The calendar, from application to answer
These are the stages and times My Aged Care gives. They are ranges, and one person’s dates can fall outside them.
Home Care Services, all six tabs
Tab 2 · The assessment
The assessment
An aged care assessment is a conversation with a trained assessor from an assessment organisation, done in person and usually at the person’s own home, using a standard set of questions called the Integrated Assessment Tool. To have ready: a Medicare card and one other form of ID, copies of any referrals from a doctor, and contact details for the GP and other health professionals.
General information, not advice about one person’s assessment. The official place to check is My Aged Care’s page on how the assessment works.
- The application
Screening refers it to an assessment organisation with a referral priority, which sets how quickly the assessment should happen.
- A phone call
The assessment organisation calls to confirm the person’s needs and eligibility, any need for language or advocacy support, and a time for the assessment.
- Usually 5 to 40 days
The assessment, depending on how urgent the needs are.
- Up to 2 weeks after
The organisation reviews the assessment, then sends the outcome letter (the Notice of Decision) and the Support Plan.
- Within 28 days
Of receiving the Notice of Decision: the time allowed to ask for an internal review, if the person disagrees with it.
- Within 90 days
After a review request, the Department says whether the original decision stands or a new one is made.
Drawn for this guide from My Aged Care’s pages. Not to scale.
For a sense of the waits: My Aged Care reports that 140,028 aged care needs assessments were completed between 1 April and 30 June 2026, with a national median wait of 26 days, counted from referral to assessment. It also says waits depend on the type of assessment, the assessment workforce in the area, and how urgently the application was sorted.
What to have on the table
My Aged Care lists what the assessor will ask to see or need to know:
- the Medicare card and one other form of ID, such as a driver’s licence, healthcare card, passport or DVA card
- a copy of any referrals from the doctor
- contact details for the GP or other health professionals
- information on any support already received
- any information already gathered about aged care services, to discuss
It also suggests thinking about goals, needs, wishes and preferences in advance.
Who can be in the room
The person may choose to bring a family member, friend, carer or registered supporter, and can ask for an interpreter at any point in the process. An Elder Care Support worker can attend with an older Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, and a care finder may be able to attend with someone who has no one they are comfortable receiving help from. Someone supporting the person can also give the assessor information before the assessment, if the person wants that.
On the day
Before starting, the assessor asks whether the person agrees to have the assessment, and may ask permission to talk to the people who support them. The assessor already has a copy of what was given to My Aged Care, then works through the Integrated Assessment Tool: questions covering physical health, medical conditions, memory and thinking, wellbeing, safety at home, support needs and any risks, some yes or no, some multiple choice and some free text.
My Aged Care says the conversation also covers what support the person already has and whether it will continue, how they are going with daily tasks around the home, family, community and cultural activities, and speaking to their GP or other health professionals. If an answer is wrong, the assessor can change or correct it.
The Support Plan
The assessor develops a Support Plan with the person. It records their strengths, difficulties and goals, what they would like to achieve and their preferences for services. It also says which programs they are eligible for, from the Commonwealth Home Support Program and Support at Home through to an aged care home, residential respite and transition care.
The assessor may ask whether the person wants the Support Plan available on their My Health Record. They can say no, and can change their mind later by calling My Aged Care.
For Support at Home: two decisions
If the person is eligible for Support at Home, the assessment sets two things: a classification, which is how much funding they will receive, and a priority, which is how quickly they will receive care. A clinically trained delegate from the assessment organisation reviews and confirms both.
For priority, the assessor records whether the person lives alone, identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, has an assessed cognitive impairment, is experiencing or at risk of homelessness, has waited more than 6 months from first referral and lives in certain regional or remote areas, requires urgent services, or has Motor Neurone Disease. Those answers make a score, and the score sets one of four priority classifications:
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Standard
What each classification is worth, and what waits look like, are on the Support at Home tab and the costs tab.
Questions to take in
My Aged Care suggests preparing some questions. Among them, in summary:
- Which services could help the person reach their goals.
- Which services are offered nearby, and how long the waits are.
- What support is available for the carer.
- How to reach the assessor with questions afterwards.
If the outcome seems wrong
- Talk to the assessment organisation Its details are in the outcome letter, and a friend, relative or other supporter can help.
- Ask for an internal review Free of charge, within 28 days of receiving the Notice of Decision, using the Request for an Internal Review of a Decision form or a letter to the Department. A family member, friend or registered supporter can write on the person’s behalf.
- Ask the Administrative Review Tribunal If the person does not agree with the internal review’s outcome, they can ask the Tribunal for an external review. It comes only after the internal review, and there is a charge.
If needs change after the assessment, the person can apply for a Support Plan Review, where a trained needs assessor decides whether to change the existing plan or refer them for a full reassessment.