ACAT assessment: what to expect and how to arrange one

Almost every government-funded aged care service in Australia sits behind a single gate: an assessment. You cannot access a funded home care service, residential aged care, or government-funded respite until someone has formally assessed the level of care needed and approved the right type of support. That assessment is what most people still call an ACAT assessment, called an ACAS assessment in Victoria.

This guide explains what the assessment is, who needs one, how to arrange it through My Aged Care, what actually happens on the day, and what the approvals mean. It is written for the older person, and for the family members and carers who so often do the legwork.

A note on names. In late 2024 the separate assessment teams were folded into a single national workforce. What used to be an ACAT assessment is now formally a comprehensive assessment, and what used to be a lighter Regional Assessment Service (RAS) check is now a home support assessment. Most people, and many clinicians, still say "ACAT", so this guide uses the familiar term while noting the current language where it matters.

What an aged care assessment actually is

An aged care assessment is a structured conversation with a trained assessor, usually a nurse, social worker, or other allied health professional, who works out what level of help a person needs and what they are eligible for. It is not a test you pass or fail, and it is not means tested. The assessment looks at care need, not income or assets. Money comes later, separately, and is worked out by Services Australia rather than the assessor.

There are two depths of assessment:

• A home support assessment (the old RAS check) is the lighter pathway. It is for people who need a small amount of help to stay safely at home: some cleaning, help with showering, transport to appointments, a few meals. It is quicker to arrange and the outcome is entry-level home support.
• A comprehensive assessment (the old ACAT) is the more detailed pathway. It is needed for higher-level home care, residential aged care, and government-funded residential respite. It involves a more thorough look at health, function, and circumstances.

My Aged Care decides which one a person needs after the first phone call. You do not have to pick.

Who needs an assessment

In broad terms, a person should seek an assessment if they are an older Australian (generally 65 and over, or 50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and any of the following is becoming difficult:

• Managing the home: cleaning, laundry, cooking, maintenance.
• Personal care: showering, dressing, grooming, mobility.
• Getting out: shopping, appointments, staying socially connected.
• Health and safety at home: falls, medication, memory.

You do not need to wait for a crisis. The most common regret families report is leaving it too late, then trying to navigate the system in the middle of a hospital discharge. Earlier is almost always better, because approval can sit ready to use when it is needed.

People under 65 with care needs are usually directed to disability or other supports rather than aged care. If a person has a disability, the NDIS is generally the right system, and the two can sometimes run in parallel.

Step 1: Contact My Aged Care

Everything starts at My Aged Care. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or register online at myagedcare.gov.au. The intake call takes around 20 minutes. An operator will ask about the person's current situation, health conditions, what daily tasks are getting hard, and what support is already in place. Based on that, they refer for either a home support assessment or a comprehensive assessment.

A family member or carer can make the call on the person's behalf with their consent. If the person cannot consent because they have lost capacity, an enduring guardian or attorney can act for them; have the legal paperwork to hand.

Step 2: Wait for the assessor to make contact

After the referral, the assessment service contacts the person to arrange a visit. As a general guide, expect contact within a couple of weeks of the referral, though this varies by region and demand. Wait times move around, so ask My Aged Care what is typical in your area, and chase it up if you hear nothing.

Step 3: Prepare for the visit

Gather anything useful: a list of current medications, the names of the GP and any specialists, recent hospital discharge letters, and any relevant legal documents (enduring power of attorney, guardianship). It helps to jot down concrete examples of where help is needed, a fall last month, meals being skipped, missed medication, because specifics paint a clearer picture than "managing okay".

Step 4: Attend the assessment

The assessor visits, usually at home, sometimes in hospital or a community health centre. A comprehensive assessment typically takes 60 to 90 minutes. It is a conversation, not an exam. Having a family member or carer present is genuinely helpful, both for support and because relatives often see things the person themselves downplays.

Step 5: Receive the outcome

After the assessment, the person receives a letter setting out what they have been approved for. This is the approval you use to take up services. Keep it safe.

What happens at the assessment

The assessor looks at the whole picture, not just one symptom:

• Physical health and function: mobility, falls, continence, pain, how daily tasks are managed.
• Cognition: memory, decision-making, signs of dementia.
• Emotional and social wellbeing: mood, isolation, the strength of the support network.
• Home and safety: hazards, suitability of the home, who else lives there.
• Carer situation: whether a partner or relative is providing care, and whether they are coping.

Be candid. The instinct, especially for proud and independent older people, is to present a brave face. That can lead to an approval that understates real need. The assessor is there to help, and an honest account produces a more accurate result.

What the assessment can approve

The outcome letter sets out the approved care types. The main ones are:

An approval is permission, not a service or a bill. Being approved for residential aged care does not mean a person must move into a facility; many hold the approval and stay home for years. Approval also does not set the fees. What a person pays is worked out separately, and is explained in our guide to aged care fees.

For the difference between the entry-level and higher-level home pathways, and what to do while you wait for the higher one, see home care package vs CHSP.

Wait times and what to do in the meantime

Two waits matter, and they are different things.

The first is the wait for the assessment itself. This is usually weeks rather than months, though it varies by region.

The second is the wait between approval and a service actually starting. For entry-level home support this can be quick. For higher-level ongoing in-home support, now delivered through Support at Home (which replaced home care packages from 1 November 2025), there can be a further wait once approved, because funded support is allocated in turn. Residential respite and residential care depend on a place being available at a chosen facility.

While waiting, ask My Aged Care explicitly about interim support. It is often possible to start some entry-level home support while a higher-level Support at Home budget is pending, rather than waiting with nothing in place. Do not assume support has to arrive all at once.

If the situation is urgent, a parent in hospital facing discharge, the hospital social work team is the first call, not the My Aged Care queue. They can fast-track assessment and discharge planning. Our guide on how to get a parent into aged care covers the emergency pathway in more detail.

Reassessment: when needs change

An approval is not frozen in time. If a person's needs increase, more help at home, or a move from home care towards residential care, you can request a reassessment at any time through My Aged Care. You do not have to wait for a scheduled review. A change of circumstances, a fall, a new diagnosis, a carer who can no longer cope, is a reasonable trigger to ask for one.

Frequently asked questions

Is the aged care assessment means tested?

No. The assessment looks only at care needs, not income or assets. It is free. Any fees you might pay for the services you take up afterwards are worked out separately by Services Australia, and depend on your finances.

What is the difference between ACAT and ACAS?

They are the same thing under different names. ACAS is simply the term used in Victoria for what the rest of Australia called an ACAT assessment. Both are now formally part of the single national assessment system and are referred to as a comprehensive assessment, though the older terms remain in common use.

Can I arrange an assessment for my parent?

You can start the process and call My Aged Care on their behalf, but they must consent to being assessed. An adult with capacity has the right to decline. If your parent has lost capacity to consent, an enduring guardian or attorney can provide consent in their place.

How long does an approval last?

Approvals generally do not expire for the care type they cover, so an approval for residential care can be held while a person continues to live at home. That said, if a long time passes or circumstances change significantly, a reassessment may be sensible to make sure the approval still reflects current needs.

Do I have to use what I am approved for?

No. An approval is permission to access a service, not an obligation. You can be approved for residential aged care and choose to stay home, or hold a respite approval and never use it. There is no penalty for not taking up an approved service.

What if I disagree with the outcome?

If you think the assessment understated the level of need, you can ask for a reassessment, or seek a review of the decision. Raise it with My Aged Care, and provide supporting information such as a letter from the GP. A specific, evidence-backed account of unmet need is the most effective basis for a different outcome.