Support at Home Explained: What the New Aged Care Program Means for You

Australia’s in-home aged care system is changing. From 1 November 2025 the Support at Home program replaces the Home Care Packages program and the Short-Term Restorative Care program. If you or a parent currently receive a package, or are waiting for one, this guide explains what it means in plain language.

The big picture

Support at Home was designed to fix long-standing problems with Home Care Packages: long waits, four rigid funding levels, and money sitting unspent in accounts. The new program aims to:

• Assess people once and match funding more closely to need.
• Offer more funding classifications instead of four package levels.
• Fund restorative care and assistive technology separately so they do not eat into ongoing support.
• Get services started faster after assessment.

What stays the same

• You still start with My Aged Care. Call 1800 200 422 or ask your GP for a referral.
• You still choose your provider. Providers must be registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, so ask any provider to confirm their registration.
• Existing package holders keep their funding. If you had a Home Care Package before the change, you move across without losing your approved level of support.

What changes

Funding classifications. Instead of Levels 1 to 4, Support at Home has eight ongoing classifications. Your assessment places you in one of them based on your needs.

Quarterly budgets. Funding is released in quarterly amounts rather than accumulating indefinitely, with limited carry-over. This encourages using services when they are needed.

Separate funding for short-term needs. A Restorative Care Pathway offers intensive allied health for up to 12 weeks after an illness or fall. An End-of-Life Pathway provides higher funding for people in their last months at home. An Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme funds equipment and changes to the home without draining the ongoing budget.

Contributions. Clinical services such as nursing and physiotherapy are fully funded. Other services attract a contribution based on your income and assets, with protections for full pensioners and for people who were already in the system.

What you should do now

1. If you have a package: nothing urgent. Your provider will explain your new classification and budget. Ask for it in writing.
2. If you are on the waiting list: your approval carries over. Keep your contact details up to date with My Aged Care.
3. If you have not been assessed: do not wait. Assessment demand rises around program changes.

How Avida Care can help

We deliver personal care, domestic assistance, nursing, allied health and social support under Support at Home, with Mandarin and Cantonese speaking staff across Box Hill and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. If you want help understanding your assessment letter or comparing providers, call 0477 399 714 or 0421 986 841, or contact us.