When shopping around for a home care provider, it’s important that you check out if a short-listed home care provider will charge you joining fees, assessment fees, moving fees or exit fees.
An exit fee is “a charge that a provider can deduct from a client’s unspent home care package funds if the client leaves their care (either because the client decides to change to another home care provider, or the client leaves home care)… An exit amount can only be deducted from 27 February 2017 onwards. It is not mandatory to charge an exit amount,” reports the Australian Government Department of Health.
No exit fees at Oxley Home Care
At Oxley Home Care, we DO NOT charge exit fees and start-up fees for re-assessment during a Home Care Package. Funds are not “packaged” for spending per month and all surplus money not spent each month is rolled over and accumulated to spend as you wish.
As an Approved Provider for Home Care Packages – Level 1 to Level 4 – throughout Sydney, our focus is on delivering a transparent and superior service to our clients.
We directly employ, train and supervise our own team of experienced and culturally diverse nurses and care workers. Our Care Managers work closely with our clients, doctors, hospital discharge planners, social workers and local community groups to ensure all care is tailored to each client’s individual needs.
Ensure your Home Care Agreement doesn’t contain exit fees
You will only be required to pay an exit fee if it is specified in your Home Care Agreement. So, if the exit fee is contained in your signed agreement, it will be taken from any unused funds when you leave your home care provider. However, if it isn’t contained in your contract, the fee cannot be introduced, once it has been signed.
Home care providers now need to publish their maximum exit fee on the My Aged Care website. These same exit fees must be agreed to in your contract and cannot be higher than the amount published on the My Aged Care website or your unspent funds.
An Oxley Home Care Agreement doesn’t charge an exit fee.
To find out more information on Home Care exit fees from the Australian Government Department of Health, click here.
Working out the cost of a Home Care Package
Home Care Packages are not subjected to the same means testing as residential aged care is, but contributions are related to the annual income and assets (excluding the family home). Part-pension or self-funded retirees can be asked to contribute between $5,000 to $10,000 per annum to their home care.
With a Home Care Package, there are two types of fees that you can expect to pay:
- A basic daily fee, the maximum being 17.5 per cent of the single person rate of the basic Age Pension.
- Depending on your income, you may be asked to contribute more to the cost of your care. This is known as the ‘income-tested care fee’ and is in addition to the basic daily fee. My Aged Care can provide an estimate of the fees with the Home Care Fee Estimator.
In contrast, there are four possible costs associated with a move into residential aged care, two of which are based on a person’s income and assets. These include a Refundable Accommodation Deposit – ranging from $250,000 to $1 million, a Daily Accommodation Payment, a Daily Care Fee and Additional or Extra Services Fee.
About Oxley Home Care:
Oxley Home Care, established in 2006, is a family-owned Sydney company and is an Approved Government Provider for aged care services, specialising in Dementia Care.
Oxley Home Care provides Home Care Packages, Dementia Care, Private Care, Nursing, Veterans Home Care and Allied Health to enable people to live a quality life independently in their own home and stay connected to their local community.
Oxley Home Care is an Approved Provider of Home Care Packages funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health. These packages are designed to provide assistance to the elderly, to remain living independently at home.
To arrange a comprehensive assessment by your local Aged Care Assessment Team, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit the My Aged Care website.
Our friendly team at Oxley Home Care can provide a simple estimate of home care fees and services, based on your individual needs. Please feel free to call us on 1800 221 039.
