Snail mail only option for consumers querying aged care assessments

Consumers wishing to have their aged care assessment outcomes reviewed must write an old-fashioned letter to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

The My Aged Care website directs consumers not satisfied with the outcome of their assessment to write to The Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (see main image).

As we reported last week, nearly 500 consumers have requested reviews of their aged care assessment outcomes since the new Aged Care Act took effect last November.

From 1 November, the option for highly skilled and experienced human aged care assessors to override assessment decisions generated by the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) algorithm was removed.

As a consequence, many consumers and providers have been shocked by assessment outcomes - and the number of review requests has surged.

The introduction of the IAT was central to the Government's introduction of the Single Assessment System (SAS), a recommendation of the Aged Care Royal Commission, which proposed a single point of entry to the aged care system.

However, the SAS has been plagued with problems since it was introduced, including recruitment challenges which have resulted in some consumers waiting up to nine months to be assessed.

Submitting review requests by letter will add even more time to the periods consumers are waiting to receive the care the Government has assessed them as needing - at a time in their lives when time is of the essence. It seems an insensitive Government policy decision.

The Weekly SOURCE’s submitted questions to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing about other options for consumers to request assessment reviews but at the time of publishing has not received a response.