There is help available if you are unable to afford to contribute to the cost of your aged care.
You can apply for financial hardship assistance through Services Australia. To be eligible, you must meet certain criteria. Services Australia will let you know whether or not your application was successful.
If you are approved for financial hardship assistance, the Australian Government will pay some (or all) of your aged care fees. They will pay these direct to Anglicare on your behalf.
You can call Services Australia’s Aged Care line on 1800 227 475 (Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm) to discuss your situation, ask about your application, or get a printed copy of the form mailed to you.
While your application for hardship assistance is being considered, Anglicare will not collect fees. But if your application is unsuccessful, you may need to back-pay your contribution from this period.
If you are not approved for hardship assistance by Services Australia, a discount may still be possible by agreement with Anglicare.
To seek a discount from Anglicare, you will need to provide proof of bills, debts and general expenses. Anglicare will use the MoneySmart budget calculator to help with this planning, and advice may also be sought from Anglicare’s financial counselling team. Details of any agreed discount will be set out in your service agreement.
