Assessment outcome: Residential respite care
After your assessment, your assessor will need some time to review the information and determine your eligibility. Once a decision is made, the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) will send you a letter.
The letter will contain:
- the assessment team’s decision on whether you are eligible
- the services you are eligible to receive
- the reasons and evidence supporting the decision
- a copy of your support plan developed during your assessment
- referral codes for services if you discussed this referral method with your assessor.
If you don’t receive a letter explaining your assessment decision, contact your assessor and ask for a copy.
I’m eligible - what’s next?
Once you receive your approval letter, you should:
- Find a residential respite care provider
You can ask your assessor to refer you to a provider, or you can refer yourself. If you choose to refer yourself, you will need the referral code in your approval letter. See more information about referral codes below.
You can find residential respite care providers by using the Find a provider tool or by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 for guidance.
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Apply for a place
Once you’ve found one you’re happy with, you can apply for a place for the length of your stay.
For a step-by-step guide, read our Connecting with residential respite care providers page.
What is a referral code and why do I need it?
Your assessor may arrange your referral with the residential respite provider or issue you with a referral code. A referral code is your unique reference number for receiving services. You give the referral code to your chosen provider. If you lose your code, you can log in to your My Aged Care Online Account to see it. With the code, a provider can view your client record, accept the referral, and start organising services for you.
Keep track of what you need to do
The My guide to aged care tool will help create a ‘next steps’ checklist tailored for you.
I’m not eligible – what now?
If you aren’t eligible for residential respite care, you will receive a letter from your assessor that will tell you why.
There are other options available.
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You may be eligible for other government-funded aged care services. If you are, your letter will include a support plan outlining this information.
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If you’re not eligible for other services, you may want to look at aged care providers that aren't government-funded.
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If you are under 65 years old, you may want to explore your eligibility with the National Disability and Insurance Scheme (NDIS). You can do this through NDIS Access Request. Call NDIS on 1800 800 110 (toll-free) for more information.
If you have any questions about the assessment process, including the assessment team’s decision, there are actions you can take:
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Discuss your concerns with your assessor. This is usually the best way to resolve any issues. You can have a friend or relative help with this if you wish.
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Request a review of the decision, free of charge. Information about how to do this will be included in your letter. You can also find out more information on the Contact us page.
