The aged care assessment (still often called ACAT), explained

What the assessment is, and why everything starts here

If a doctor or a hospital social worker has said "Mum needs an ACAT", they mean this assessment: ACAT is the old name for it. A trained assessor works out a person's care needs and which government-funded aged care they are eligible for. Without it, an aged care home cannot offer a permanent room, residential respite is not subsidised, and Support at Home funding is not available.

The name has changed. Under the Single Assessment System, the Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT), the Regional Assessment Services and the funding assessors were brought together into one workforce on 9 December 2024. The people who do the job now work for "assessment organisations", and My Aged Care calls it an "aged care needs assessment". The job is the same. If a hospital says ACAT and the letter says aged care needs assessment, they are the same thing.

Assessments come in two depths. A home support assessment is a shorter one for people who need a little help to stay independent at home. A comprehensive assessment is for people with more complex needs, and it is the one that can approve an aged care home, respite or Support at Home. You do not have to choose: a triage step after your application works out which one is needed.

Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: about aged care assessments

Who can be assessed

To qualify for an assessment, a person needs help with some everyday tasks and must be:

• aged 65 or older, or
• an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged 50 or older, or
• homeless or at risk of homelessness and aged 50 or older.

People under 65 who do not fit these groups may be able to get support through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) instead.

Apply early rather than waiting for a crisis. Every later step, from Support at Home funding to a room in an aged care home, can only start once the assessment is done, and in the community the wait for an assessment alone is often several weeks.

Source: My Aged Care: should I apply?

How to apply

There are three ways to apply, and all are free:

• Online at My Aged Care. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes and you need a Medicare card. With the person's permission, a family member can fill it in for them.
• By phone on 1800 200 422 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm). Staff complete the application with you, and a family member can join the call. Phone if the situation is urgent, so you can explain why.
• In person with an Aged Care Specialist Officer at a Services Australia office. Book on 1800 227 475 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm).

The application asks about health, how the person is managing at home, the support they already have and what would help them live well. My Aged Care keeps these answers, so they do not have to be repeated at the assessment.

Helping a parent apply

With the parent's permission you can complete the application or speak for them on the call. If you want to keep talking to My Aged Care on their behalf, ask to be made their registered supporter. This can be set up when you apply (it is easiest if you are both there) or by the assessor on the day.

Interpreters are available at no cost at every step through the Translating and Interpreting Service (131 450), and the National Relay Service helps people with hearing or speech difficulties. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can ask for an Elder Care Support worker, and in some areas for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander assessment organisation.

Source: My Aged Care: apply for an assessment

How long it takes

After you apply, My Aged Care says an assessment organisation will usually call within 2 to 6 weeks to confirm the details and book a time. My Aged Care also posts a welcome pack, and you can track progress in the My Aged Care online account.

In April to June 2026, 140,028 assessments were completed nationally and the median wait from referral to assessment was 26 days. Waits depend on the type of assessment, how urgent the application was marked and how many assessors work in your area.

In Victoria, the median wait for a comprehensive assessment in the community was 35 days in January to March 2026. In hospital it was 1 day, because hospital assessments are prioritised to allow a safe discharge.

In Victoria, assessments in hospital are run by the Victorian Department of Health through public health services. Those health services, and Commonwealth-contracted organisations, also assess people at home.

Source: My Aged Care: preparing for your assessment (wait times)

Preparing for the assessment

The assessment happens in person, usually at home or wherever the person is living now, including hospital. It is a conversation, not a test, and there is no pass or fail.

Have these ready:

• the Medicare card and one other form of ID (for example a driver's licence, health care card, passport or DVA card)
• any referral letters from the GP
• contact details for the GP and other health professionals
• a list of the help already being given, by family and by services
• the questions and worries you want to raise.

Questions worth asking the assessor:

• What services could help with the goals we have talked about?
• What is available locally, and how long are the waits?
• What support is there for the carer?
• Are there providers whose staff speak our language or understand our culture or faith?
• How do we contact you if something changes after today?

Source: My Aged Care: preparing for your assessment

On the day

The assessor first asks the person to agree to the assessment, and for permission to speak with family or other supporters. Then they talk through health, daily tasks, memory, safety at home, family and community life, and the support already in place. They may ask to speak with the GP.

Be there if you can. Many older people play down how hard things have become, often out of pride or worry about losing their independence. Agree beforehand that you will add the details they leave out, so it does not feel like an ambush on the day. The person's own wishes still lead the conversation.

Together with the assessor, the person builds a support plan: their strengths, difficulties and goals, and the services that would help. The assessor will ask whether it can be added to their My Health Record.

Source: My Aged Care: preparing for your assessment

The result, and what it can approve

My Aged Care says the assessment organisation can take up to 2 weeks after the visit to decide. The result arrives by post or email as an assessment outcome letter, often called a Notice of Decision, with a copy of the support plan. It is also in the My Aged Care online account.

One assessment can approve several kinds of care at once:

• An aged care home (permanent residential care)
• Residential respite: short stays in an aged care home, up to 63 subsidised days a financial year, which can be extended by 21 days at a time with approval
• Support at Home, including the short-term pathways for restorative care, end-of-life care, and assistive technology and home modifications
• The Commonwealth Home Support Program for lower-level help at home
• Transition care after a hospital stay.

The support plan includes referral codes. You give a code to the aged care home or provider you choose, so they can see the record and accept the referral. You can also ask the assessor to send the referrals for you.

If you disagree

Talk to the assessment organisation first: their details are in the letter. If that does not settle it, you can ask the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing for an internal review, free of charge, within 28 days of receiving the Notice of Decision. The Older Persons Advocacy Network (1800 700 600) can help you do this. If needs change later, ask for a reassessment.

Source: My Aged Care: receiving your assessment outcome

The assessment does not set the fees

This is the point families most often miss. The care assessment decides what a person can receive. What they pay is worked out separately, by Services Australia, through a means assessment of income and assets.

If an aged care home is likely, start the means assessment as soon as the approval arrives. My Aged Care warns that it takes time, and it is the only way to find out exactly what the person will pay. Residential respite does not need a means assessment.

Read more in what aged care costs and the means test, step by step.

Source: My Aged Care: assessment outcome for an aged care home