National Aged Care Reforms Timeline - Victoria

Transcription

1 National Aged Care Reforms Timeline - Victoria National Aged Care Reforms Timeline - Victoria 2013 MAY 2013 Home and Community Care () Victorian and Commonwealth governments announced an agreement to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from July. As part of this agreement, governments agreed that management of the Home and Community Care program will be split. Services for older people (people aged 65 years and over, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over) will be directly funded and managed by the Commonwealth Government. Services for younger people (people aged under 65 years, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged under 50 years) will be funded and managed by the Victorian Government, until the NDIS is in full operation. OCT JAN 2014 Residential Aged Care () Aged Care Pricing Commissioner appointed. Australian Aged Care Quality Agency established to accredit residential care facilities, replacing the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency MAY 2014 Residential care providers required to publish accommodation prices on My Aged Care

2 JULY 2014 The Aged Care Act 1997 requires that the accommodation agreement for a resident entering care from 1 July 2014 must allow for the situation where the resident is liable to pay accommodation payment and the situation where the resident is eligible for assistance with their accommodation costs. This requirement holds even where the resident s means test results are known. Providers have an obligation to enter into an accommodation agreement before or within 28 days after a care recipient enters the service (see section 52F-2 of the Act). The law allows for the 28 day period to be extended where a legal process is underway to appoint a legal representative for the care recipient. Generally, the timeframe is extended until 7 days after the legal process has concluded. However, the provider can apply to have the period extended further for example where a legal representative has been appointed, such as a Public Trustee and the appointee may need more time to familiarise themselves with the person s financial circumstances. New accommodation payment arrangements commenced. From 1 July 2014, everyone entering residential aged care will have a choice about how they pay for their accommodation. They will be able to choose to pay by a refundable accommodation deposit, a daily accommodation payment, or a combination of both. A cooling off period of 28 days from entry will be provided so that consumers can decide how they would like to pay. From 1 July 2014, there will be changes to the calculation of subsidy and accommodation payments. A consumer s assets and income will be assessed by the Department of Human Services. For new entrants after 1 July 2014, this assessment will affect the amount the Australian Government pays to providers as a subsidy, the amount a resident can be asked to pay as a means tested care fee, and whether the resident will receive any assistance from the Government in relation to their accommodation costs From 1 July residential care subsidy will no longer be paid to an approved aged care provider on behalf of a resident who is on pre-entry leave An annual limit on the maximum amount someone can be asked to pay in means tested care fees will commence. This annual limit is $25,000. Once this is reached, the Australian Government will pay these care fees for the rest of the year. A lifetime limit of $60,000 across both income and means tested fees in home care and residential care will apply. Once this is reached, the Australian Government will pay the full subsidy directly to providers. New higher level of accommodation supplement available for new or significantly refurbished services. All references to a low level of [permanent] residential care and a high level of [permanent] residential care removed from the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care Principles. On 1 July 2014 all existing approvals became permanent residential aged care approvals - without any restriction to a particular level of care. Approval for residential aged care entitles a person to seek aged care accommodation at any facility that has a vacancy subject to availability and the facility s agreement. The distinction between high and low care remains for residential respite care recipients Page 2

3 Where a resident is in care prior to 1 July 2014 and is moving to a new residential care or home care service, under Section 13 or 21 of the User Rights Principles 2014 a provider is required to give a continuing care recipient the document titled New Arrangements for Aged Care from 1 July 2014 before the care recipient moves into their service and the provider must also notify the care recipient that: The care recipient has the choice to opt-into the new fee arrangements, but the choice must be made, in writing, before the care recipient moves to the new service. Opting-in may result in changes to the fees payable by the care recipient. Once the care recipient has opted-in, the care recipient cannot subsequently choose to become subject to their former fee arrangements. Care recipients who are outside of care (other than on approved leave) for more than 28 days after leaving their former aged care home or ceasing their home care agreement will be automatically subject to the fee and payment arrangements that came into place on 1 July 2014 if they later re-enter care Under the new accommodation payment arrangements, the Maximum Permissible Interest Rate (MPIR) determines the equivalence between a refundable deposit and the daily payment amount. With changes in the MPIR, the daily payment amounts published on the My Aged Care website are automatically updated using the existing published refundable deposit amounts. & Home Care Packages (HCP) My Aged Care website expanded to include online fee estimators for Home Care Packages and residential care. Changes to means testing for Home Care Packages and residential care. Australian Aged Care Quality Agency s role expanded to include quality review of home care services The Quality of Care Principles 2014, incorporating changes to Schedule 1 (Care and Services in Aged Care Homes), came into effect on 1 July The changes to the Schedule respond to recommendations of the National Aged Care Alliance to consolidate and modernise care and services provided in residential aged care Home Care Packages (HCP) Consumers who were already receiving a Home Care package before 1 July 2014 and consumers who take up a package from 1 July 2014 can be asked to pay a basic fee of up to 17.5 per cent of the single person rate of the basic age pension. This basic fee applies to each person receiving a Home Care package, even if they are a member of a couple OCT 2014 The building certification requirements under the Aged Care Act 1997 were repealed on 17 October Therefore providers will no longer apply to the Department for certification in respect to new services and there is no provision for a certification review of existing service Page 3

4 MARCH APRIL MAY SEP JULY My Aged Care (MAC) Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre website decommissioned reflecting the transition of the Carelink website functions to the My Aged Care website. MAC The Victorian Early Implementation of the MAC system in the Kingston Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) catchment (comprising the three local government areas of Kingston, Greater Dandenong and Bayside). Issues identified to be worked on with Commonwealth Department of Health include: Contact centre capability & capacity Scope of the screening information required & collected Referral management Liaison & communication with GPs Service finders. Information source: Jeannine Jacobson, Assistant Director, & Assessment - National Aged Care Quality Indicator Programme Three initial QIs (pressure injuries, use of physical restraint and unplanned weight loss) of the National Aged Care Quality Indicator Programme (QI Programme) piloted between May and September across approximately 350 residential facilities Existing arrangements will remain in place until 30 June, agencies will continue to deliver services to existing and new clients of all ages until 30 June. It is business as usual for this period. Between now and 30 June, Department of health & Human Services (DHHS) and the Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS) will jointly determine a split of an agency s funding according to the age profile of clients. The split will be based on the client-level data that the organisation provides through the Minimum Data Set (MDS). Both DHHS and DSS will communicate with agencies about the split of funding and discuss any variations from the data that an agency believes are justified. Organisations providing services to younger people only: DHHS service agreements will not be affected by the transition process, and agencies will continue to provide these services. These services will gradually reduce as a proportion of younger clients transfer to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from 1 July to 30 June Organisations providing services services to older people only: Page 4

5 All funding will be removed from DHHS service agreements and agencies will be offered a replacement service agreement from the Commonwealth DSS to continue to deliver these services under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) from the transition date. Organisations providing services to both older and younger people (as most funded organisations do): The proportion of for younger people will remain in DHHS service agreements and will gradually reduce as a proportion of younger clients transfer to the NDIS from 1 July to 30 June The proportion of funding for older people will be removed from DHHS service agreements from the transition date and agencies will be offered a replacement service agreement from the Commonwealth DSS to continue to deliver these services under the CHSP. The Commonwealth and Victorian Governments have committed to a three-year period of funds stability for funds allocated to services for older people for Victorian organisations transitioning to the CHSP. Information source: DHHS Community Home Support Program (CHSP) Transition to the CHSP began from 1 July in Victoria. The CHSP brings together four programs: Commonwealth Home and Community Care () Program Planned respite from the National Respite for Carers Program (NRCP) Day Therapy Centres (DTC) Program Assistance with Care and Housing for the Aged (ACHA) Program The Minister announced a further 12 month extension of CHSP funding to 30th June This ensures three years of funding certainty for the overwhelming majority of CHSP providers Publications available: The Commonwealth Home Support Programme Manual The Commonwealth Home Support Programme Guidelines Living well at home: CHSP Good Practice Guide The CHSP Client Contribution Framework The Guide to the CHSP Client Contribution Framework. Legislative Changes Ensuring the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency (the Quality Agency) can continue to undertake Quality Reviews with the commencement of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP): the Quality Agency s functions have been amended so the Quality Agency can review CHSP services. This change is made by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency (Other Functions) Specification. HCP Page 5

6 Legislative Changes Implementation of Consumer Directed Care (CDC) for all home care providers: The User Rights Principles 2014 have been amended so that from 1 July, all home care packages must be delivered on a CDC basis. MAC Stage 1: Partial Migration of Assessment Services (HAS) into the MAC system. All HAS to be registered on the MAC system from 1 July. All HAS who have participated in the DSS MAC familiarisation session will be able to receive referrals from the MAC contact centre and be able to accept or reject these referrals more information in Notes section From 1 July, assessment services in Victoria will not only assess people for services but also for CHSP services which includes NRCP, DTC and ACHA. ACAS and HAS will refer to CHSP providers using existing referral mechanisms until ACAS and HAS are fully migrated onto the My Aged Care system. CHSP providers will only receive electronic referrals for services from the My Aged Care contact centre in certain circumstances for example, if their needs are episodic or time limited. Information source: DHHS HAS & Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS) will receive referrals via the My Aged Care assessor portal Residential Aged Care (), HCP, Transitional Care Program (TCP) and some CHSP providers (previously NRCP, DTC, ACHA) providers will be able to maintain information about the services they provide on MAC. Legislative Changes Indexing care related subsidies and supplements, and the payment made under the Continence Aid Payment Scheme: as announced by the Department on 30 June, these changes apply routine indexation increases to aged care related payments that are made under the following instruments: Continence Aids Payment Scheme 2010 Aged Care (Subsidy, Fees and Payments) Determination 2014 Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) (Subsidy and Other Measures) Determination 2014 Ceasing the payment of the residential care subsidy for pre-entry leave: These changes were announced in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook and are reflected in the following instruments: Aged Care (Subsidy, Fees and Payments) Determination 2014 Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) (Subsidy and Other Measures) Determination 2014 Page 6

7 Removal of certification from aged care legislation: On 17 October 2014, as part of the Australian Government s red tape agenda, the Omnibus Repeal Day (Autumn 2014) Act 2014 amended the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to repeal the certification requirements for residential care services. Changes have now been made to remove all references to certification in the following instruments: Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Principles 2014 Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) (subsidy and Other Measures) Determination 2014 Accountability Principles 2014 Allocation Principles 2014 Fees and Payments Principles 2014 a. Subsidy Principles 2014 Aged Care (Subsidy, Fees and Payments) Determination 2014 AUG SEPT Aged Care Approvals Round Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR) application period opened on Saturday 15 August and will close on Friday 25 September. Applications are invited from new and existing Approved Providers for: 10,940 residential aged care places; 6,045 home care places; and capital grants of up to $67 million, which includes approximately $11.5 million to support access to residential aged care for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities Aged Care Financing Authority (ACFA) On 1 September, the Aged Care Financing Authority (ACFA) released a consultation paper seeking submissions to inform its report to the Government on the factors influencing the financial performance of rural and remote aged care providers. The paper is available on ACFA s webpage at Submissions closed 28 September. Commonwealth & State Governments sign bilateral agreement for transitioning responsibilities for Victorian services & specified episodic specialist disability services for older people (people aged 65 years and over and 50 and over for ATSI people) to the Commonwealth from 1 July. The Commonwealth Government will assume full funding, policy and operational responsibility for services for older people in Victoria to form part of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), with Victoria continuing to fund services for people aged under 65 years (under 50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people). Page 7

8 OCT In the coming months, the Australian and Victorian governments will be carrying out a process to determine a split of agencies funding according to the age profile of clients. The split will largely be based on the client-level data that organisations provide through the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The DSS and Victorian DHHS will communicate with agencies about the split of funding and discuss with any variations from the data that agencies believe are justified. NOV November December : Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Government Service Provider consultations. Department of Health & DHHS Responsibility for ageing and aged care moved to the Department of Health from 5 November. The way the Department communicates with service providers using MailChimp and the Department of Social Services (DSS) website ( remains unchanged. The national Severe Behaviour Response Teams (SBRTs) available nationally expanding support for aged care providers caring for residents experiencing very severe and extreme behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. DEC December - February Proposed funding split letters sent to providers The Commonwealth and Victorian governments will conduct a process to determine an indicative split of agency funding, largely based on the age profile of clients from agency data in the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The Commonwealth and Victorian governments will write to agencies seeking confirmation of these details. Mapping services to the CHSP Victorian services will be mapped to the new CHSP service type structure. Page 8

9 HCP - National Aged Care Quality Indicator Programme The development of a suite of Quality Indicators (QIs) for home care continuing. The department is working in consultation with KPMG who will manage a voluntary pilot for QIs in home care in. Recruitment of pilot participants is taking place in December and January. It is expected that initial home care quality indicators for the National Aged Care Quality Indicator Programme will be piloted in early. National voluntary implementation is currently targeted for JAN The National Aged Care Quality Indicator Programme based on the three initial QIs (pressure injuries, use of physical restraint and unplanned weight loss) commences on 1 January for residential aged care facilities. Participation is voluntary. Participating facilities will collect and report their data on a quarterly basis through the My Aged Care provider portal On 1 January, the exemption of rental income from a resident s former principal home from the residential care means test will be removed. Currently, rental income from the former principal home is not included in the aged care means test if the resident is paying for some of their accommodation costs through periodic accommodation payments. For people who enter residential care from 1 January, this exemption will no longer apply. This means that rental income will be treated in the same way as any other income stream in the aged care means test for people who enter care on or after 1 January. New entrants into residential aged care after this date will have the net income from their former principal home assessed under the aged care means test. Residents in care before 1 January will not be affected by the change. Annual and lifetime caps on means-tested care fees will remain in place & HCP - National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey The Department has commissioned the National Institute of Labour Studies from Flinders University to conduct the next National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey in residential aged care facilities and home care and home support service outlets. Approved providers are required to participate in the aged care workforce census as described in the Accountability Principles made under sub-section 96-1 of the Aged Care Act Aged Care Complaints Commissioner The Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) is transitioning to the new Aged Care Complaints Commissioner (Complaints Commissioner) from 1 January. This will result in a separation of complaints handling from the department s regulatory and funding roles, which reflects best practice. The Aged Care Commissioner will have responsibility for handling aged care complaints. Page 9

10 National Aged Care Alliance Quality Indicators Reference Group The department is continuing to work with the National Aged Care Alliance Quality Indicators Reference Group on quality indicators for consumer experience and quality of life, and hopes to pilot these in FEB MAR APR- MAY MAC Victorian ACAS transition to MAC (extended from Dec ); ACAS will be able to: Manage referrals for assessment via the My Aged Care assessor portal Undertake assessment using the National Screening and Assessment Form (via the My Aged Care assessor portal) Send referrals for service(s) and update the client record via the My Aged Care assessor portal., HCP and TCP will be able to accept electronic referrals for service and update the client record. Funding splits will be finalised. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Service provider consultations. Information source: DHHS APR- JUN Mid JUN Letters of offer will be provided to agencies for CHSP grant agreements. Victorian DHHS will provide advice on the variation to current DHHS service agreement. Service providers will be prepared to use My Aged Care and the provider portal. MAC CHSP providers (previously NRCP, DTC, ACHA) will be able to accept electronic referrals for service and update the client record. providers will be able to maintain information about services they provide, accept electronic referrals for service and update the client record. Page 10

11 JUN 30 th 1 st JUL MAC Stage Two: Full Migration of HAS onto the MAC system. DHHS and DSS have an agreement in principle to work together to fully transition Victorian Assessment Services and Service Providers into the My Aged Care system by 30 June, at the latest. Victorian HAS will be able to: Manage referrals for assessment via the My Aged Care assessor portal Undertake assessment using the National Screening and Assessment Form (via the My Aged Care assessor portal) Send referrals for service(s) and update the client record via the My Aged Care assessor portal. Information source: DHHS Funded agencies will continue to provide the same level and type of services for older people under a Commonwealth DSS funding agreement. The Commonwealth has guaranteed that the level of funding agencies receive for older people on 30 June will remain the same (plus indexation) for a three year period this means there will be no re-tendering of services during this period. DHHS understand that there will be also opportunities for funded organisations to apply for annual growth funding during this period. Funded agencies will continue to provide the same level and type of services for younger people under their DHHS service agreement. This funding will also remain stable. However as the NDIS is implemented across Victoria from 1 July to 30 June 2019, a proportion of funds for younger clients is likely to transfer to the National Disability Insurance Agency as younger clients test their eligibility for the NDIS. DHHS will develop advice about how this will work which will be available to agencies later in. NDIS is due to be rolled out in Ovens Murry on the 1 st Oct Information source: DHHS Changes take effect as of 1 st July. Providers must comply with all requirements of the CHSP outlined in the suite of documents that comprise the Grant Agreement. Clients will be assessed and referred to CHSP services (delivered by those service providers who have set up their organisation in the My Aged Care provider portal) via an initial phone-based screening by the My Aged Care contact centre and a face-to-face assessment. Victorian DHHS service agreements will have been changed to reflect provision of services for the under 65 program. CHSP From 1 July the Commonwealth Government will assume full funding, policy & operational responsibility for services for older people in Victoria to form part of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providing support for frail older people living in the community to maximise their independence. The CHSP will largely replace the Program in Victoria and will fund a similar range of services currently provided under. Page 11

12 2017 FEB st JULY 2018 DHHS: Services for younger people (people aged under 65 and under 50 for Aboriginal people) will be funded and managed solely by the Victorian Government, with some services and clients transferring to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as it is rolled out in Victoria. Information source: DHHS HCP Funding for Home Care Packages will follow the consumer so they are free to select any approved provider to deliver their care. From July 2018, the Government intends to integrate the Home Care Packages Programme and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) into a single care at home programme; individualised funding will be introduced across the integrated programme. NOTES July : MAC Stage 1: Partial Migration of HAS into the MAC system. DHHS and DSS have an in principle agreement to register all Assessment Services (HAS) on the My Aged Care (MAC) system from 1 July so that they can receive referrals from the MAC contact centre. These MAC referrals will be an additional referral pathway to the existing referral pathways into aged care services that are used in Victoria. This will allow each HAS to log into the MAC assessor portal, receive and accept or reject e- referrals from the MAC contact centre and access the client record (which will include screening information that has been collected by the contact centre). DHHS are taking this step so that Victorians who see nationally distributed information about the expanded functions of MAC and call it to seek information and services, have a referral destination from the MAC to the Victorian network of HAS and ACAS. At this stage HAS will not use the National Screening and Assessment Form (NSAF) or make electronic referrals for services on the MAC system. Referrals will need to be made in accordance with current business as usual referral systems, practices and processes until full migration of HAS into the MAC system occurs (30 June, at the latest). This arrangement for HASs in Victoria will include HAS receiving all requests for services originating from Victoria that are made to the MAC contact centre. This means that from 1 July MAC will refer those people living in Victoria who have called the contact centre seeking and/or CHSP services to a HAS for assessment. HAS will continue to use current tools and make referrals for services which are the most appropriate for the person, using existing referral mechanisms and pathways. This partial migration of HAS into the MAC system will remain in place until the date that full migration of all HAS and providers into the MAC system is achieved (by 30 June, at the latest). National Aged Care Reforms Timeline developed by Jean McKinnon for Central Hume Primary Care Partnership, 1 December. Page 12