The process, end to end
How it works
There are ten steps between applying for an aged care assessment and having a support worker at your door. Most of them are the government's, not a provider's. Here is the whole sequence, what each step means, and which ones need something from you.
Before you start reading
Two different things are going on
People get lost in this process because they think it is one relationship. It is two, and they run in sequence.
The first is with the government, through My Aged Care and an assessment organisation. They decide whether you are eligible, what you are approved for, and when funding is released. No provider has any say in that, and you do not need a provider to begin.
The second is with a provider like Bamboo Care. That starts only once funding has been allocated to you, and it is entirely your choice who it is with.
You do not need a provider to apply
Nothing in the first four steps requires you to have chosen anyone. If a provider tells you that signing with them will speed up your assessment or your funding, that is not how the program works.
The ten steps
From application to ongoing care
Each step below shows what happens, and then what it means for you. Where nothing is required from you, it says so.
Phase 1
Getting approved
Everything in this phase happens between you and the government. No provider is involved yet, and you do not need one.
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1
Register with My Aged Care
You apply for an assessment yourself, or a doctor or hospital refers you. My Aged Care then refers you to an assessment organisation.
What this means for you Apply online or call 1800 200 422. Have your Medicare card handy and allow 15 to 20 minutes.
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2
Triage and assessment
The assessment organisation decides your eligibility and priority, then an assessor meets you to complete an aged care needs assessment covering your strengths, your difficulties and your ageing-related care needs.
What this means for you Expect a call within 2 to 6 weeks of applying, then a face-to-face visit at home.
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3
Support plan
If you are eligible, you and the assessor develop a support plan together. It records your goals and the services you are approved for from the Support at Home service list.
What this means for you This is the moment to say what you actually want help with. The plan follows what you tell the assessor.
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4
Decision and prioritisation
You receive a Notice of Decision letter, titled "Outcome of your application for funded aged care services", with your support plan. If you are approved for ongoing funding and are actively seeking services, you enter the Support at Home Priority System.
What this means for you Keep this letter. A provider will ask to see your Notice of Decision and support plan.
Phase 2
Getting funded
This is the waiting phase, and the one people find hardest to read about, because the timing depends on funding availability rather than on anything you can do.
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5
Funding allocation
When government funding becomes available you receive a funding allocation letter. From that point you can choose a provider. Services Australia manages the funding on your behalf.
What this means for you You choose the provider. Nobody is assigned to you, and you can talk to several before deciding.
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6
Enter a service agreement
You must enter a service agreement with your chosen provider and start services within 56 days of the funding allocation letter. A 28-day extension can be requested through My Aged Care. You also complete an income and assets assessment with Services Australia, which sets your contribution.
What this means for you This deadline is real. If services do not start in time the funding is withdrawn and you return to the priority system.
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7
Provider notifies Services Australia
Your provider notifies Services Australia within 28 days of your services starting, and separately notifies them about assistive technology or home modifications.
What this means for you Nothing to do. This one is on the provider.
Phase 3
Receiving care
The ongoing phase. This is where a provider earns their keep, and where the relationship either works or does not.
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8
Care plan and individualised budget
You and your provider build a care plan and an individualised budget together. Both must line up with your Notice of Decision and support plan. In the Restorative Care Pathway a goal plan is used instead.
What this means for you Ask to see the budget written down, service by service, before you sign anything.
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9
Care management
A staff member called a care partner must provide care management, including regular discussions to review whether your mix of services still meets your needs and goals. This applies even if you self-manage.
What this means for you You should know your care partner by name and know how to reach them.
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10
Review
You or your provider can request a Support Plan Review at any time if the plan needs to change, including approval for additional services. The request goes to an assessment organisation.
What this means for you Ask for a review when your needs change. Waiting for the next scheduled one is not required.
The part nobody enjoys
The priority system, and the wait
Ongoing funding is allocated as it becomes available, based on the date you were approved and the priority category your assessment gave you.
Four priority categories
Your assessment assigns one. Together with your approval date, it decides your place in the queue.
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Standard
You only enter the priority system if you have an approval for Support at Home and are actively seeking care. Interim funding may be available in some circumstances.
Two pathways skip the queue entirely
The Restorative Care Pathway and the End-of-Life Pathway are not subject to this wait. Once approved, their funding is available immediately.
Motor Neurone Disease
People with Motor Neurone Disease recorded during their aged care assessment receive urgent priority for ongoing funding and immediate priority for AT-HM funding, which means full funding within one month of approval.
Equipment funding runs on its own clock
Assistive technology and home modifications have their own separate priority systems, so that funding can be allocated at a different time to your ongoing funding.
Timing
The deadlines that actually bite
Only one of these can cost you your funding, and it is the 56-day take-up window. Everything else is either someone else's clock or an estimate.
- 2 to 6 weeks Assessment organisation calls you after you apply They contact you
- 56 days Start services after funding is allocated from your funding allocation letter Your responsibility
- +28 days Extension you can request through My Aged Care, giving 84 days in total Your responsibility
- 28 days Provider notifies Services Australia from your services starting Provider responsibility
If the 56 days lapse
Your funding is withdrawn and you go back into the priority system to wait for the next allocation. If you are close to the deadline and still deciding, request the 28-day extension through My Aged Care rather than letting it run out.
Once services begin
What your provider is actually responsible for
Steps eight to ten are the ongoing relationship. This is the part you will live with, so it is worth knowing what is required rather than optional.
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A care plan built with you
The care plan and individualised budget are developed together and must line up with your Notice of Decision and support plan. You should see the budget written down, service by service.
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A named care partner
Care management is not optional. A staff member called a care partner must provide it, including regular discussions about whether your mix of services still fits, even if you self-manage.
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A review whenever you need one
You or your provider can request a Support Plan Review at any time, including to get approval for additional services. You do not wait for a scheduled date.
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Prices that are published
Providers set their own prices, which should be reasonable and transparent, and every provider must publish their services and prices on the My Aged Care website.
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Care management at 10%
Care management is taken from your quarterly budget at a set rate of 10%. Ask what that buys you, and what else is being deducted before services.
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A way to raise concerns
You can raise a concern with your provider, or go directly to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. You do not have to go through your provider first.
Where we come in
What Bamboo Care does at each phase
We cannot speed up an assessment or a funding allocation. Nobody can. Here is what we can genuinely help with.
- Before you are approved. We will talk through what to expect and what to say at the assessment, with no obligation and no sign-up.
- While you are waiting. We will help you read your Notice of Decision and support plan so you know what you have actually been approved for.
- When funding arrives. We will give you a written breakdown of costs before you sign anything, and we will not rush you against the 56-day clock.
- Once services start. You get a named care partner, a care plan built around your routine, and a review whenever your needs change.
Already have a provider?
You can change providers under Support at Home. Your funding follows you, and your classification does not change.
Where this information comes from
Program rules, funding amounts and dates on this page are set by the Australian Government, not by Bamboo Care. Each was checked against the official page below on 31 August 2026. Government settings are indexed and amended periodically, so confirm current figures before relying on them.
- About the Support at Home program (opens in a new tab) Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Program start, what it replaced, classifications and pathways
- How the Support at Home program works (opens in a new tab) Department of Health, Disability and Ageing The ten steps, priority system, take-up deadlines, care management
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme (opens in a new tab) Department of Health, Disability and Ageing AT-HM funding tiers and how the scheme is accessed
- Restorative Care Pathway (opens in a new tab) Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Episode funding, duration and eligibility
- End-of-Life Pathway (opens in a new tab) Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Pathway funding, duration and eligibility
- Am I eligible? (opens in a new tab) My Aged Care Age and needs requirements, and what happens after you apply
Ready to start your care journey?
Whether you are at step one or step ten, tell us where you are up to and we will tell you what happens next.