My Aged Care: The Plain-English Guide That Should Have Come in the Box
My Aged Care is Australia's gateway to government-funded aged care services. It is also one of the most confusing, frustrating, and poorly explained systems in Australian public life.
You call a phone number. You answer screening questions. You wait for an assessment. You wait for the assessment to be processed. You get assigned a level. You wait for a package at that level. You choose a provider. You negotiate a care plan. And at every step, the language is bureaucratic, the process is opaque, and the timelines are vague. This guide translates the entire My Aged Care journey into plain English — what to say on the phone call, which assessment to ask for, how to appeal a wrong decision, and the insider knowledge that speeds up the process.
My Aged Care: 1800 200 422 | Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 10am–2pm | myagedcare.gov.au
The My Aged Care Journey: 7 Steps
Register
Same dayCall 1800 200 422 or register online. You need the person's Medicare number, date of birth, and address. A family member can call on behalf of the elderly person (with their consent). Registration takes about 20 minutes.
Screening
Same callDuring the registration call, the operator asks screening questions about daily activities, health conditions, and care needs. Based on your answers, they refer you for either a RAS assessment (basic needs) or an ACAT assessment (complex needs).
Assessment
2–6 weeks after registrationA trained assessor visits the home to evaluate care needs. RAS assessors are community-based. ACAT assessors are hospital-linked. The assessment takes 1–2 hours and covers mobility, cognition, nutrition, social connection, medication, and home safety.
Approval
2–4 weeks after assessmentThe assessor submits their recommendation. My Aged Care issues a letter of approval specifying what services or package level you're eligible for. This can take 2–4 weeks after the assessment.
Waiting
Varies — see table belowFor CHSP services, the wait is usually short (2–6 weeks). For Home Care Packages, you join a national waiting list. Level 1 may be 1–3 months. Level 4 may be 9–12 months. You can accept a lower-level package while waiting for a higher one.
Choose a Provider
1–2 weeks to set upOnce assigned a package, you choose a provider from My Aged Care's online directory. You can change providers later if unhappy (with 14 days notice). Compare: administration fees, hourly rates, service range, star ratings.
Care Plan
OngoingWork with your chosen provider to create a care plan. This specifies what services you'll receive, when, and how the budget is allocated. Review the plan quarterly. You can adjust services as needs change.
RAS vs ACAT: Which Assessment Do You Need?
| Feature | RAS (Regional Assessment Service) | ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) |
|---|---|---|
| What it approves | CHSP (entry-level support): cleaning, meals, transport, social groups | Home Care Packages (Levels 1–4), residential aged care, respite, transition care |
| Who does it | Community-based assessors (often local councils or NGOs) | Hospital-linked geriatric assessment teams (doctors, nurses, social workers) |
| Assessment depth | Basic functional assessment. 45 minutes to 1 hour. | Comprehensive geriatric assessment. 1–2 hours. May include cognitive testing. |
| Wait time | 1–4 weeks | 2–8 weeks (longer in high-demand areas) |
| Best for | Elderly person who needs a bit of help to stay home (cleaning, meals, transport) | Elderly person with complex needs, multiple health conditions, or declining rapidly |
| Can be escalated? | Yes — if RAS assessor identifies complex needs, they refer directly to ACAT | No escalation needed — ACAT is the highest assessment level |
Insider Tip: Ask for ACAT Directly
If you suspect your parent needs more than basic home support (i.e., they have multiple health conditions, are at falls risk, need personal care assistance, or have cognitive decline), ask for an ACAT assessment directly during the initial screening call. Many families are routed to RAS first, wait 4 weeks for the assessment, then get escalated to ACAT anyway — adding months to the process. You can request ACAT directly by explaining the complexity of needs.
What to Say on the Phone Call
The screening call is where the system decides what assessment you receive and how urgent it is. What you say matters. Be honest, but don't understate needs.
| Topic | What to Mention | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Falls | Any falls in the last 12 months, even minor ones. "She fell in the bathroom last month." | Falls trigger urgent assessment. One fall = high risk for a second. |
| Cognition | Any confusion, memory problems, getting lost, repeating questions. Don't minimise. | Cognitive decline flags the need for ACAT (not RAS) and may qualify for higher package levels. |
| Hospital admissions | Recent hospitalisations, emergency visits, or ambulance calls. | Hospital history increases urgency weighting in the screening algorithm. |
| Living situation | "She lives alone." These three words change the assessment urgency. | Living alone with health needs is a recognised high-risk category. |
| Medication complexity | How many medications, any errors or missed doses. | Polypharmacy (5+ medications) indicates complex needs requiring ACAT. |
| Carer stress | "I am struggling to manage." Carer burnout is a valid reason for urgency. | Unsustainable carer situations trigger faster assessments and interim support. |
| Safety concerns | Leaving stove on, not eating, not washing, hoarding, wandering. | Safety risks are triaged as urgent. Do not downplay these. |
When the System Fails: Your Rights and Options
Approved for Too Low a Level
If your parent is approved for Level 2 but you believe they need Level 3 or 4, you can request a reassessment. Call My Aged Care and explain that the care needs have increased or were understated. You can also request a priority reassessment if there has been a significant health event (fall, hospitalisation, new diagnosis) since the original assessment.
Assessment Wait Time Is Too Long
If you've been waiting longer than the expected timeframe, call My Aged Care and ask for a priority review. If the person's condition has worsened since registration, this constitutes a change of circumstances and should fast-track the assessment. In an emergency, ask the GP or hospital to make a direct referral to the local ACAT team.
Unhappy with Your Provider
You can change your Home Care Package provider at any time with 14 days' notice. Your package follows you — you don't lose your level or your place. Common reasons to switch: high administration fees (some providers charge 35%+ of the package), poor communication, services not delivered as agreed, or unspent funds being charged management fees.
Need Help Navigating
Free advocacy services exist to help you navigate the system. The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) on 1800 700 600 provides free, independent advocacy. They can attend assessments with you, help with appeals, and negotiate with providers.
How Daily Calls Fill the Gap While You Wait
Bridge the Waiting Period
The My Aged Care system takes months. Between registration and receiving services, your parent is on their own. Daily calls provide immediate safety monitoring from day one — no application, no assessment, no wait list. Start today, while the bureaucratic process runs in the background.
Build the Evidence
Daily call data builds an objective record of your parent's condition over time. When the ACAT assessor arrives, you have weeks or months of documented mood, activity, health concerns, and functional changes. This evidence supports a higher assessment outcome — because it's data, not opinion.
Complementary to Home Care
Once a Home Care Package is in place, daily calls complement (not duplicate) the services. Home care provides physical support. Daily calls provide social connection, welfare monitoring, and the between-visit safety net. Many Home Care Package budgets can include daily call services as an approved item.
Give Them Connection. Give Yourself Peace of Mind.
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