Understanding funding options

Home Care Packages

Many older Australians are eligible for government-subsidised care and services through a Home Care Package. The aim of a Home Care Package is to provide a range of services, in an individually focused and flexible way, to help older people to live independently at home for longer.

Commonwealth Home Support Programme

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) is a government funding program for people over the age of 65 years, or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders over the age of 50. The program is designed for people who only need a little bit of help to stay safe and independent at home, such as help with cleaning once a fortnight.

If you need more than one type of service or you need services every week — for example, help with cleaning your house and getting your groceries — then the Home Care Package program is likely to be more suitable for you than the CHSP.

There is no income assessment required to access CHSP-funded services. Depending on the program, you may be asked to make a contribution to the costs of your service.

Mercy Health CHSP co-contribution schedule

You can access CHSP by following these three steps:

1. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 If you meet the government eligibility criteria for CHSP services, you will be referred to your local Regional Assessment Service (RAS).
2. The RAS will interview you, most likely over the phone. They will then refer you to a local service provider.
3. You can nominate Mercy Health to be your preferred service provider at any time when you are talking with My Aged Care staff or the RAS.

We have a number of programs funded through the CHSP. These operate in:

• Melbourne metropolitan
• regional Victoria (Colac, Geelong and Shepparton)
• regional New South Wales (Albury and Young and the surrounding districts)
• Australian Capital Territory.

One such program is the community nursing program. Mercy Health nurses can come to your home or workplace if you need assistance with your health and wellbeing.

The rules for each program vary, so call Mercy Health Home Care Services on 1300 478 776

and we can help you identify if CHSP is a good option for you.

Veterans’ Home Care

The Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) Program is designed to help veterans, war widows, and widowers to continue living at home, by providing them with practical help around the house.

You or your family can call a VHC Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450 to discuss the eligibility requirements and arrange an assessment to access VHC.

When the VHC Assessment Agency conducts your telephone assessment, you can nominate Mercy Health to be your service provider as we have a contract with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

For more information on the VHC program, visit on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website.

Department of Veterans’ Affairs Community Nursing Program

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) funds a range of healthcare and related services, including the DVA Community Nursing Program for veterans, war widows and widowers.

The Community Nursing Program provides in-home community nursing services for entitled people to meet their assessed clinical and personal care needs. You require a doctor’s referral for the DVA Community Nursing Program, or you may be referred to the program by a hospital discharge planner. If you are already receiving VHC services (as outlined above), your current service provider can organise a referral to this program.

Mercy Health is an approved service provider of the DVA Community Nursing services in the following regions:

•  metropolitan Melbourne
• the Barwon region of Victoria (Colac and Geelong)
• Australian Capital Territory.

You can nominate Mercy Health to provide your services when your doctor or hospital completes the referral to the DVA.

Information on all of the DVA services, including the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Community Nursing Program, can be found on the department’s website.

National Disability Insurance Scheme

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides all people with a disability with information and connections to services in their communities.  You can participate in the NDIS if you are a person with a disability and meet NDIS eligibility requirements.

More information is available on the NDIS website.

Mercy Health is a registered service provider of disability support in the following regions:

• metropolitan Melbourne
• the Barwon region of Victoria (Colac and Geelong)
• regional New South Wales (Albury, Young and the surrounding districts)
• Australian Capital Territory.

If you are ineligible for the NDIS

If you are ineligible for the NDIS, there are still a range of services within the community to support you. Information and help to access support or services in your community is available from a Local Area Coordinator (LAC). You can find a LAC close to you on the NDIS website.

Self-funded options

A relatively small investment could mean the difference between staying in your own home or having to consider more permanent options, such as an aged care home.

All of our services can be purchased with your own money. You do not need to wait for a government program to be available to get help or support. You can also use your own money to purchase additional services if you have reached the funding limit for your government-subsidised care, but would like more support to keep you comfortable and safe at home.

Mercy Health can help you find the best funding option to meet your needs. Give us a call on 1300 478 776. We are always happy to have an open and honest discussion about the cost of in-home care and services.

Our fees reflect the quality of our service. We are not the cheapest and we are certainly not the most expensive service provider. We are committed to being transparent in our fee structures and we stand by our value for money and quality of care.