Preparing for a My Aged Care Reassessment: Key Points

  • A reassessment can result in a higher funding classification, more services, or access to the Support at Home End-of-Life Pathway. Preparing well means the outcome reflects your real needs.
  • Your services continue at their current level while the reassessment is underway. You will not be left without support.
  • Bring documentation: recent GP or specialist letters, a list of current medications, and written examples of tasks you can no longer do safely without help.
  • Do not minimise your difficulties during the assessment. Assessors need to understand your worst days, not just your best ones.
  • Under the Support at Home program (in effect since November 2025), the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) evaluates physical, social, and cognitive needs in a single process.

What Is a My Aged Care Reassessment?

When you were first approved for aged care services, an assessor evaluated your care needs and assigned you a classification level. That assessment reflects your circumstances at a particular point in time. As health and life circumstances change, the original assessment may no longer match what you actually need.

A reassessment is a formal re-evaluation of your care needs. It can result in a different Support at Home classification level, higher funding, access to new service types, or a transition to a different care setting entirely, such as residential aged care.

Under the Support at Home program, which replaced Home Care Packages from 1 November 2025, there are eight classification levels. The higher the level, the larger the annual funding budget. A reassessment is the mechanism for moving between levels when your needs change significantly.

A reassessment is different from a support plan review. A support plan review adjusts how your existing budget is used. A reassessment re-evaluates the budget itself.

What Triggers a Reassessment

You, your provider, your GP, or My Aged Care can initiate a reassessment. Common triggers include:

Health changes:

  • A fall, fracture, or hospitalisation.
  • A new diagnosis such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, or cancer.
  • Significant decline in mobility or physical function.
  • Increased difficulty with personal care (showering, dressing, meal preparation).
  • New or increased cognitive difficulties affecting safety at home.

Circumstances changes:

  • The death or departure of a carer or family member who previously provided informal support.
  • Moving to a new home that requires different services.
  • A change to your income or assets that may affect means-tested contributions.
  • One partner moving into residential care while the other remains at home.

Service gaps:

  • Your current funding level is consistently exhausted before the end of each period.
  • Your provider has identified needs that your current classification does not cover.
  • You are receiving services but your situation has deteriorated and current support is no longer sufficient.

You do not need to wait for a problem to escalate before requesting a reassessment. If you sense that your needs have shifted, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to start the conversation.

The Difference Between a Review and a Reassessment

It helps to understand what each process does before you request one.

Support Plan ReviewReassessment
Who initiates itYou, your provider, or My Aged CareYou, your GP, your provider, or My Aged Care
What it changesHow your existing budget is allocatedYour classification level and funding amount
ProcessManaged by your provider or coordinatorFormal assessment by a qualified assessor
OutcomeAdjusted service mix within current budgetNew classification, higher or lower funding
When to use itCurrent needs are broadly met but priorities have shiftedCurrent funding is insufficient for your actual needs

If you are regularly running out of budget or cannot access a service your care plan says you need, a reassessment, not just a review, is what you require.

Step 1: Gather Your Documentation

Arriving at a reassessment without supporting documentation puts you at a disadvantage. Assessors form their view based on what you tell them and what evidence supports it. Prepare the following before the assessment:

Medical documentation:

  • A letter from your GP summarising your current conditions, recent changes, and care needs. Ask your GP to write this specifically for the assessment.
  • Specialist letters or reports from the past 12 months, particularly if a new diagnosis or significant event has occurred.
  • Hospital discharge summaries if you have had a recent admission.
  • A list of all current medications, including doses and what each is prescribed for.

Functional documentation:

  • A written list of daily tasks you can no longer do safely or independently. Be specific: not just “I struggle with cooking” but “I cannot stand at the stove for more than five minutes without pain and have fallen twice while trying.”
  • Notes on tasks you do manage, but only with significant effort or risk.
  • Any incident reports or records from your current provider.

Social and informal support documentation:

  • A description of who currently helps you, how often, and what they do. Note if that informal support has recently reduced or is unreliable.
  • If a family carer has reduced their involvement due to their own health or employment changes, document this clearly.

Step 2: Prepare What You Will Say

Assessors are trained to ask open questions. Your answers shape the outcome. A common problem is that people present their best version of themselves during the assessment, rather than describing the reality of difficult days.

Before the assessment, think through the following questions and prepare honest, specific answers:

  • What tasks have you stopped doing because they are unsafe or too difficult?
  • When did you last shower or dress without any help? How long did it take?
  • Have you had any falls, near-misses, or accidents at home in the past six months?
  • What does a difficult day look like for you?
  • Are you eating regular meals? Do you have difficulty preparing food?
  • Are you leaving the home regularly? If not, why not?
  • Do you feel safe at home overnight?
  • Have you been to the emergency department or hospital recently? Why?

Write your answers down. During an assessment, it is easy to forget to mention things that seem routine to you but would indicate a significant need to an assessor.

Step 3: Bring a Support Person

Bring someone who knows your daily situation well. This could be a family member, a close friend, or a paid advocate.

Their role is to:

  • Prompt you if you forget to mention something.
  • Provide their own observations about your functioning (with your permission).
  • Help you stay calm and focused if the conversation becomes tiring or emotional.
  • Take notes on the assessor’s feedback and any recommended next steps.

If you do not have a family member or friend who can attend, contact the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) on 1800 700 600 to arrange an independent advocate who can accompany you.

Step 4: Understand the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT)

Since November 2025, the Support at Home program uses the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), which replaces the previous ACAT and RAS assessment processes for most participants.

The IAT evaluates your needs across four domains:

  1. Physical functioning: mobility, personal care, domestic tasks, meal preparation.
  2. Cognitive and mental health: memory, decision-making, depression, anxiety.
  3. Social and community participation: isolation, relationships, transport, meaningful activity.
  4. Allied health and clinical needs: wound care, continence, pain management, rehabilitation.

Knowing these domains helps you prepare. Think about your needs in each area, not just the most obvious physical ones. Social isolation, cognitive changes, and mental health are assessed but often go unmentioned by participants who focus only on physical tasks.

Step 5: Be Specific and Honest

The most common reason a reassessment does not result in a higher classification is that the person assessed presents better on the day than their usual functioning warrants.

Assessors do not assume you are exaggerating. They take what you tell them at face value. If you say you manage most tasks, that is what they record.

Practical guidance:

  • Describe your worst days, not your best ones. Your care needs should reflect what happens when you are unwell, tired, or in pain, not only when you are having a good day.
  • Use numbers where possible: “I fall about once a fortnight” is more useful than “I fall sometimes.”
  • Mention things you have stopped doing because they are risky, even if no incident has occurred. Avoiding an activity to prevent a fall is a care need.
  • If you rely on aids, equipment, or informal support to manage a task, say so. Managing something only with significant assistance is not the same as managing it independently.

Step 6: Know Your Rights During the Assessment

Under the Aged Care Act 2024, you have rights throughout the assessment process:

  • You can request an interpreter if English is not your first language. Contact My Aged Care in advance to arrange this.
  • You can ask for the assessment to take place at home, where an assessor can observe your actual living environment.
  • You can ask the assessor to explain any questions you do not understand.
  • You can have a support person present.
  • You can ask for a copy of your assessment outcome.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a reassessment, you have the right to request a review of the decision. Contact My Aged Care to ask about the review and appeal process for assessment outcomes.

After the Reassessment: What Happens Next

Once the reassessment is complete, you will receive a written outcome. Depending on the result:

  • Higher classification approved: Your funding level increases. Work with your provider to update your support plan to reflect your new budget and needs.
  • Current classification maintained: If you disagree, you can request a review of the decision. Ask My Aged Care for the process to do this.
  • Referral to a different care setting: If the assessor determines that your needs exceed what can be safely delivered at home, they may recommend or refer you for residential aged care. You are not obligated to accept this recommendation immediately, but it is worth discussing with your family and GP.
  • Access to the End-of-Life Pathway: If your prognosis meets the criteria (estimated life expectancy of three months or less), the assessor may discuss the End-of-Life Pathway, which provides up to approximately $25,000 over 12 weeks for intensive home-based palliative support.

Under the new Aged Care Act, if you have had a means assessment, you are legally required to report changes to your income or assets within 28 days. This includes changes to your partner’s income or assets as well as your own.

Failing to report changes can result in incorrect fee calculations and, in some cases, debts to the government. If you are unsure whether a change needs to be reported, contact My Aged Care or Services Australia on 1800 227 475 to check.

Key External Resources

Carevo connects older Australians with vetted aged care providers who can support you through reassessments and care transitions. Find providers in your area who understand the Support at Home system and can help you get the right level of support.

Frequently Asked Questions

What triggers a My Aged Care reassessment? A significant change in health, function, or circumstances, such as a fall, hospitalisation, new diagnosis, or the loss of a family carer. You can also request one yourself at any time if your current level of support is not meeting your needs.

How do I request a reassessment? Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. Your GP or current provider can also initiate the request on your behalf.

Will my services stop during a reassessment? No. Your current services continue unchanged while the reassessment is underway.

What is the difference between a review and a reassessment? A review adjusts how your existing budget is used. A reassessment re-evaluates your classification and funding level. If your budget is consistently insufficient, you need a reassessment.

How long does a reassessment take? Typically a few weeks to several months depending on complexity and assessor availability.

Can I appeal the outcome? Yes. If you disagree with the reassessment result, you can request a review of the decision through My Aged Care.

Do I have to report financial changes? Yes. Under the new Aged Care Act, you must report changes to your or your partner’s income and assets within 28 days of the change occurring.