Aged care words, explained

Aged care has a language of its own, and nobody teaches it to you. This page explains the words that turn up on letters, invoices and phone calls, in plain English. There are 39 of them here, from A to Z.

Every figure on this page checked 26 July 2026.

You do not need to learn this language. But knowing what one or two of these words mean lets you ask the exact question, and the exact question is the one that gets answered.

Words A to Z

Showing 39 of 39 words

Browse by stage

A

ACAT also called Aged Care Assessment Team, ACAS, Aged Care Assessment Service: ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) was the government team that used to visit older people at home, assess their aged care needs, and decide what support they could access, including a Home Care Package. From 9 December 2024 it was folded into the new national Single Assessment System, and the term no longer appears in the Aged Care Act 2024 or its Rules. Today an aged care needs assessor carries out the same kind of in-home visit, and this is the assessment that leads to a Support at Home level. In Victoria you may still see the older name ACAS (Aged Care Assessment Service) on some local health services' pages, even though the national change has already happened. See also: Aged care assessment, Classification, My Aged Care
Aged care assessment: An assessor talks to the person receiving care, usually at home, about how they are managing day to day. What they write down decides two things: the funding level, and which services are approved. It is worth being there for it, and worth making sure the hard days get described, not just the good ones. See also: My Aged Care, Classification, Priority category, ACAT
Approved and released also called released, approved: This is the single most confusing thing in the system, and the cause of most of the silence families experience. Approved means the assessment is done and a level exists. Released means the funding has actually been handed over, and only then can services begin. The wait sits between those two moments, and nobody tells you that at the time. How long the wait really is See also: Priority category, National priority system
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications also called AT-HM: AT-HM is one-off funding for equipment and changes to the house. It sits outside the quarterly budget and has its own tiers and its own clock. Assessors do not always offer it, so ask for it by name. And watch the gap between an approval and the work actually being booked. What a package can and cannot pay for See also: Service list, Support Plan Review

C

Care management: Care management is the work of organising the care rather than delivering it. The provider takes a share of the budget for it, and there is a legal ceiling on that share. It is worth asking a provider to confirm their percentage in writing before signing anything. See also: Quarterly budget, Provider
Care partner: Every participant is allocated a care partner by their provider, the staff member responsible for organising care day to day and keeping the plan current. Some care partners hold a university level health qualification, such as nursing, social work or physiotherapy, and are called clinically qualified care partners. The program manual gives one example of when a provider might choose to appoint one: for everyone on the End of Life Pathway, or for everyone at classification level 6 or higher. That is an example of a staffing choice a provider can make, not a rule or an entitlement, so it is still worth asking your provider what they do. See also: Care management, Provider
Classification also called funding level, level: A classification is the level the government gives someone after an aged care assessment. There are eight ongoing levels under Support at Home. The level decides how much money is set aside for their care. It is not a score of how well someone is doing, and it is not money paid to the family. See also: Quarterly budget, Transitioned classification, Aged care assessment
Clinical supports: Clinical supports covers nursing care, allied health such as physiotherapy, and related services. It is one of the three service types. It is worth knowing that this category costs nothing out of pocket for anyone, whatever their means. See also: Independence, Everyday living, Co-contribution
Co-contribution also called contribution, client contribution, participant contribution, out-of-pocket cost: The government pays most of the price of each service, and the person receiving care is billed for a share of it. How big that share is depends on their pension status, not on their package level. Two things people get wrong: nursing and other clinical care costs nothing for anyone, and paying the contribution does not add money to the budget or take hours away. What you pay, in plain English See also: Means testing, Lifetime cap, No worse off
Commonwealth Home Support Programme also called CHSP: The Commonwealth Home Support Programme, usually called CHSP, is the entry level of help at home. Think a bit of cleaning, some transport, a few hours here and there. It has its own, simpler assessment, and it often starts much faster than a full package. Help that can start while you wait See also: Support at Home
Compounding factors also called significant compounding factors: Compounding factors is one of three things an assessor records at your aged care assessment, alongside the functional independence score and the needs met score. It is a yes or no on whether other things are making the situation harder, such as living alone or a carer who is struggling. Wherever the rules offer the same scores with and without significant compounding factors, having them recorded lands one classification level higher. If something that makes things harder was left out of the assessment, that is a concrete reason to ask for it to be looked at again. See also: Aged care assessment, Functional independence score, Needs met score, Classification

E

Everyday living: Everyday living is the service type covering domestic help, home maintenance and meals. It carries the highest contribution rates of the three, because it is the help least tied to health needs. See also: Clinical supports, Independence

F

Functional independence score also called home support functional independence score: The functional independence score is one of three things an assessor records at your aged care assessment, alongside the needs met score and compounding factors. It reflects how much the person receiving care can manage on their own, day to day. The exact scoring is not published, so a score on its own does not translate into a list of what someone can or cannot do. Together, the three scores set the classification level. See also: Aged care assessment, Needs met score, Compounding factors, Classification

H

Home Care Package also called HCP, package: A Home Care Package was the old way the government paid for help at home. There were four levels, 1 to 4. The program closed on 31 October 2025 and Support at Home took over. Many letters and many people still say "package", so you will see both names for a long time yet. What changed, side by side See also: Support at Home, Transitioned classification
Home support account: The home support account is where Services Australia holds the money for the person receiving care, one account per person, even where two people share a home. The quarterly budget sits here, the provider bills against it as services are delivered, and it can never go into a negative balance. Anything unspent at the end of a quarter carries over into it automatically, up to the carryover cap. Services Australia administers the account, and My Aged Care handles the assessment that decides how much goes into it. See also: Quarterly budget, Services Australia, Unspent funds

I

Independence: Independence is the service type covering personal care, respite, transport, social support, equipment and home modifications. It is the group most families use most. A contribution applies, and how much depends on pension status. See also: Clinical supports, Everyday living, Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Interim funding also called minimum service offer, MSO: Interim funding, which the letter may call the minimum service offer or MSO, is part of the funding for a classification, released straight away so services can start without waiting for the rest. The remainder follows later, confirmed by a second letter, once funding becomes available. It applies when demand for Support at Home is running ahead of what can be allocated in full. Anyone marked urgent priority, or approved for the Restorative Care Pathway or End of Life Pathway, gets full funding from the start. See also: Approved and released, Priority category, Quarterly budget, Home support account

L

Lifetime cap: There is a limit on how much any one person can be asked to pay towards their care across their whole life. When their contributions reach it, the government covers the rest and the invoices stop. Services Australia keeps the running total, so it is not something you have to track yourself. What you pay, in plain English See also: Co-contribution, Means testing

Working out what any of this actually means for you?

Tell Vera what's happening at home and where things stand with My Aged Care. You'll come away with a plan for the next fortnight, in plain English.

Talk it through with Vera

Free. Private. No account needed.

M

Means testing: Services Australia looks at income and assets and works out which band someone falls into. A full pensioner pays the least, a self-funded retiree the most. It affects what you pay, never whether you qualify: eligibility is about care needs, not money. What you pay, in plain English See also: Co-contribution, Lifetime cap
My Aged Care: My Aged Care is the government front door for aged care. You ring them or apply online, they arrange an assessment, and they hold the record of what has been decided. The number is 1800 200 422. Almost every question about where things stand can be answered on one call to them. See also: Aged care assessment, Notice of Decision

N

National priority system also called national priority queue, priority queue: Once someone is approved, they wait in a national queue until funding is released. You can be opted in or opted out of it, and an opted-out record simply sits there with nothing happening. Checking that status is the first thing to do when months pass with no news. How long the wait really is See also: Approved and released, Priority category
Needs met score also called home support needs met score: The needs met score is one of three things an assessor records at your aged care assessment, alongside the functional independence score and compounding factors. It reflects how much of what the person receiving care needs is already being covered, including by family and by any help already in place. The exact scoring is not published, so a score on its own does not translate into a list of what someone can or cannot do. Together, the three scores set the classification level. See also: Aged care assessment, Functional independence score, Compounding factors, Classification
No worse off also called grandfathered, grandfathering: No worse off, also called grandfathering, is an old rule that keeps applying to you personally, even after a new rule takes over for everyone else, because you were already in the system before a cutoff date. People who were already receiving a package, waiting for one, or assessed as eligible on or before 12 September 2024 are protected. The rules are designed so they do not pay more under Support at Home than they would have before. The test is broader than most families assume, so it is worth checking even if care had not started. What you pay, in plain English See also: Co-contribution, Transitioned classification
Notice of Decision: The Notice of Decision is the letter that comes after an assessment. It names the funding level and lists the exact services that were approved. That list matters: a service that is not on it is not funded, even if it seems obvious that it should be. Keep this letter somewhere you can find it. See also: Support plan, Approved and released

P

Price caps: The government planned to cap what providers can charge for each service, but the caps were deferred and are not in force. That means providers set their own prices and your contribution is a share of whatever they charge. Comparing published price lists is the protection that actually exists today. Compare what providers charge See also: Co-contribution, Provider
Priority category also called priority band: The assessor records how urgent things are, and that is what sets the wait. It is not set by the package level, and a provider cannot change it. If things have got worse since the assessment, that is grounds to ask for the priority to be looked at again, with the new facts written down. How long the wait really is See also: National priority system, Aged care assessment
Provider also called registered provider, service provider: A provider is the organisation that actually sends the workers and manages the money side day to day. They set their own hourly prices, so the same budget buys very different amounts of care depending on who you choose. You are allowed to change providers, and you do not need a reason. Compare what providers charge See also: Care management, Service agreement, Self-managed

Q

Quarterly budget also called budget, individualised budget: Support at Home money arrives as a set amount every three months. It is held for the person receiving care, and the provider bills against it as care is delivered. No money is paid to the family. What you control is what it buys: which services, at what hourly rate, from which provider. See also: Classification, Unspent funds, Care management

R

Respite: Respite is care arranged so the usual carer can rest, go away, or recover. It can happen at home or in an aged care home for a short stay. It is care for the carer as much as for the person being cared for, and asking for it is not a sign that anything has gone wrong. See also: Independence
Restorative Care Pathway also called RCP: The Restorative Care Pathway funds a short, focused period of support aimed at recovering independence after a setback. It runs on its own track, separate from an ongoing package, and it typically starts much sooner. If the person receiving care is in hospital now, ask for it by name before discharge. What you can do while you wait See also: Commonwealth Home Support Programme, Approved and released

S

Self-managed: Self-managing means you find and roster the workers yourself, often through an online platform, while a registered provider still holds the budget. The hourly rates are usually much lower, so the same money buys close to twice the hours. The trade is that the finding, booking and checking becomes your job. How self-managing works See also: Provider, Care management
Service agreement: A service agreement is the written agreement between the person receiving care and their provider. It should state the hourly rates for the services they will actually use, and the care management share. Ask for all of that in writing before signing, and ask to see what an invoice will look like. How to change providers See also: Provider, Care management
Service list: There is a defined list of services a package can fund, grouped into three types. Anything not on it cannot be paid for, and anything on it still has to be in the support plan for the person receiving care. Knowing the list lets you ask for things by name, which works far better than describing what you need. What a package can and cannot pay for See also: Support plan, Clinical supports, Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Services Australia: Services Australia handles the money side: the means test that sets the contribution, the account the quarterly budget sits in, and the running total against the lifetime cap. My Aged Care handles assessments and eligibility. Knowing which one to ring saves a lot of time. See also: Means testing, Quarterly budget, My Aged Care
Support at Home: Support at Home is the Australian Government program that pays for care and help at home for older people. It started on 1 November 2025 and took the place of Home Care Packages. If the person receiving care already had a package, it moved across on its own. Nobody had to apply again. What is Support at Home? See also: Home Care Package, Classification
Support plan: The support plan sets out which services from the government list the person receiving care can use. Approval is itemised, so being approved for a package does not mean everything is covered. If you need something that is not listed, the fix is to ask for the plan to be reviewed, not to argue with the provider. See also: Notice of Decision, Service list, Support Plan Review
Support Plan Review: A Support Plan Review is when an aged care needs assessor looks again at what someone is approved for. You ask for one when needs have changed, or when something you need was never on the plan. It is the proper route for adding a service, and it is a request you are entitled to make. See also: Support plan, Aged care assessment

T

Transitioned classification also called transitioned: If someone had a Home Care Package when Support at Home started, they kept a level worth the same money. That is called a transitioned classification. It is not one of the eight new levels. It sits alongside them, and it keeps its old Level 1 to 4 name. See also: Home Care Package, Classification, No worse off

U

Unspent funds also called carryover, rollover: Whatever is left at the end of a quarter carries over on its own, up to a limit. You do not apply for it and you cannot lose it by forgetting to ask. Anything above the limit does not follow you into the new quarter, which is why it is worth knowing where you stand before the quarter turns. What happens to money you do not spend See also: Quarterly budget

Where to go next

Working out what any of this actually means for you?

Tell Vera what's happening at home and where things stand with My Aged Care. You'll come away with a plan for the next fortnight, in plain English.

Talk it through with Vera

Free. Private. No account needed.