Depending on your situation you will have been provided with a Home Care Package ranging from level 1 to 4. The difference between the levels is the amount of support you require to meet your needs and the amount of government contributions provided to deliver these support services.

 

Your Care Manager will design a care plan and budget with you, in line with your needs, wants and package value. If your care needs change you can be reassessed for a higher-level package or you can work with your Care Manager to reallocate your current package spend to meet your changing needs. You can also choose to privately purchase services in addition to your package. These are often referred to as top-up funds.

 

Now you have selected a provider and received your care plan and budget, you may be wondering how your funds are managed.

 

Here are the top five things you need to know:

 

1. Payments occur after services are delivered

Providers are only paid by the government for the care, services, and goods after they have been delivered to you.

 

2. Charges must be transparent and agreed

Charges for these services must be reasonable and detailed by your provider in your Home Care Agreement and Care Plan Budget.

 

3. Unspent funds are accured  

If you spend less on your services than your monthly allocation, your unspent funds will be held in a government home care account for you until you need them. This account is set up for you by Services Australia. You can also change providers at any time and take your unspent funds with you. Some providers will charge you an exit fee, at Aunty Grace we do not.

 

4. You can't go into a negative balance

You cannot go into a negative account balance. However, you can organise with your provider to privately fund the services you may want above your package allocation.

 

5. You will be provided with a statement of your account monthly

Your provider can report the balance of funds that are available to you via Services Australia. At Aunty Grace, we will send you your monthly balance at the start of each month, including transactions for the previous month. However, you can call and request your balance at any time.

 

 

For more information or if you have a statement enquiry, please contact our friendly team.