The Government’s My Aged Care website has released a new online form that allows older Australians or someone acting on their behalf to register with My Aged Care and apply for their first assessment online.
My Aged Care has a contact centre that people can call to organise an assessment over the phone, but the Royal Commission into Aged Care has heard multiple stories of long waiting times, conflicting answers and challenges for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds and with disability.
The new form takes between 15 and 20 minutes to fill out and can be used to apply for all types of government-funded aged care including help at home; short-term care; and care in an aged care home.
The first section asks some questions to determine if you are eligible for services, while the second part asks for you to provide some details and requires you to have your Medicare card on hand.
The final section involves organising the assessment and who the assessor should contact to organise a face-to-face visit.
If you are found to be eligible, an assessor will contact you within three weeks.
You can also track your request by logging into your aged care record or calling the My Aged Care contact centre on 1800 200 422.
To apply for an assessment, click here.
