What are the different levels of Home Care Packages?

There are four Home Care Package levels to help meet the different needs of your personal circumstances. During your aged care assessment, the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessor will discuss your current care needs and determine the best level to meet them. Depending on the (ACAT) assessment outcome, you will be assigned a Home Care Package subsidy. ACAT Assessment Levels are aligned with Home Care Package Levels, so if it's determined to be ACAT Level 1, you’ll be assigned a Home Care Package Level 1 subsidy that enables you to access certain in-home services. Here we look at each HCP Level, how many visits you’ll receive from a care worker and what each package includes:

• Home Care Package Level 1 - If you have basic care needs - $9,000 per year* This HCP level provides basic assistance to give you a little extra support to help stay independent at home and might involve one or two visits a week from a care worker.
  
  What does a level 1 Home Care Package include? HCP Level 1 care can include some help with cleaning and tidying around the house, and supporting your personal health, such as grooming and dressing or getting some help with meals, shopping and transport.

• Home Care Package Level 2 - If you have low-level care needs - $15,750 per year* 
  This HCP level is similar to basic care and provides low-level assistance that’s designed to give you a little extra support to help stay independent at home for longer.
  
  What does a level 2 Home Care Package include? HCP Level 2 care might involve three or four visits a week from a care worker and can include some help with cleaning and tidying around the house, supporting your personal health, such as grooming and dressing or getting some help with meals, shopping and transport.

• Home Care Package Level 3 - If you have intermediate care needs - $34,250 per year* 
  This HCP level provides services for seniors who need a little more support to stay living at home. This might involve visits from a care worker or a nurse most days of the week.
  
  What does a level 3 Home Care Package include? Beyond a little help in the home, HCP Level 3 enables you to also access support from our trained medical staff, including podiatry services and virtual nurse health monitoring.

• Home Care Package Level 4 - If you have high-level care needs - $52,000 per year* This HCP level provides high-level care and is suitable if you have high level or complex nursing needs. Home Care Package Level 4 care will usually involve daily visits from a care worker or a nurse.
  
  What does a level 4 Home Care Package include? HCP Level 4 is the highest level of support care available and includes assistance with domestic and medical or nursing support. Our qualified and experienced team are here to support your high level and complex nursing care needs all in the comfort of your own home. In-home care can also include help with cleaning and tidying around the house, supporting you with your personal health, such as grooming and dressing or getting some help with meals, shopping and transport.

To get an idea of what services you could include in the Home Care Package level that you’re assigned during your ACAT Assessment, try out Home Care Package Estimator tool.

To get approved for Home Care Package services that help you live independently in your home for longer, you need to register with the Government’s My Aged Care. If you phone us on 1300 090 256, we can complete a referral to My Aged Care to get the process started. You can read more about ACAT Assessment timelines here. 

*This amount is estimated as of September 2020. The maximum government contribution increases each year. The individual amount that will be paid will depend on whether you are asked to pay an income-tested care fee.