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Support At Home Program Melbourne

Support at Home Program — Melbourne Provider Guide

Plain-English explainer of Australia’s Support at Home Program — what it funds, how to apply, what’s different from Home Care Packages, and how to choose a Melbourne provider.

The new aged-care funding system, in one place

The Support at Home Program is the Australian Government’s reformed aged-care funding model. It started on 1 July 2025 and replaces the Home Care Packages programme and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. If you live at home and need help to keep doing so safely, this is the program that pays for it.

My Evervale is a registered Support at Home provider operating across all of greater Melbourne — Western, Eastern, South-East, Northern, Bayside, Inner Melbourne, North-West and the Mornington Peninsula. We’re registered for all six service categories under the Aged Care Act 2024, which means we deliver every Support at Home service ourselves.

What Support at Home funds

Eight categories of service, all on one budget:

  • Clinical care — registered nursing, wound care, medication management, continence and diabetes support
  • Personal care — showering, dressing, grooming, toileting, mobility
  • Allied health — physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, dietetics, speech pathology
  • Domestic assistance — cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, shopping
  • Social support — companionship, transport, community engagement
  • Assistive technology — mobility aids, safety devices, communication tools
  • Home modifications — handrails, ramps, bathroom adaptations, smart-home safety
  • Restorative care — short-term programs to regain function after illness or injury

How Support at Home is different from Home Care Packages

  1. Unified program. Instead of separate Home Care Packages (Levels 1–4) and STRC, everything sits under a single Support at Home framework with consistent rules.
  2. Service-based budgets. Funding is allocated based on assessed need — a personal budget paying for actual services, not a fixed package level.
  3. Greater transparency. Providers must publish prices, and care-management fees are capped, so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.
  4. Faster access. Most clients have services running within two weeks of choosing a provider — not the months that some Home Care Package waitlists used to require.

The five steps to access Support at Home in Melbourne

1. Register with My Aged Care

Call 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au. The team takes basic details and arranges your assessment.

2. Get assessed

An assessor (usually ACAT for higher-needs care, or RAS for lower-needs) visits to determine the level of support you need. The visit is free.

3. Receive your support plan and budget

You’ll receive a written plan with funded services and a personal budget — the dollar amount you can spend each year.

4. Choose My Evervale as your provider

Sign a service agreement. We help with the paperwork at no charge.

5. Care begins

Most clients have services running within two weeks. Your care coordinator stays in touch monthly.

What if I already have a Home Care Package?

If you had a Home Care Package on 30 June 2025, you were automatically transitioned to Support at Home. Your provider stayed the same and your funding continued — the program name changed but your services didn’t stop. If you’d like to change providers to My Evervale, the switch usually takes 2–4 weeks.

Why families choose My Evervale

Common questions about Support at Home

Common questions about Support at Home

The ACAT or RAS assessment usually takes 60–90 minutes at home. You’ll receive your written support plan within 2–4 weeks of the visit.

Do I need a doctor's referral for Support at Home?

No. Anyone can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 directly to start an assessment. A GP referral helps if you have complex clinical needs.

Will I have to pay anything?

Most basic services are fully funded. There are co-contributions for some services depending on income and assets — your provider will explain these clearly before any service starts.

Can I keep my regular GP and specialists?

Yes. Support at Home pays for additional clinical care; it doesn’t replace your existing GP, specialists or Medicare-funded care.

Speak to a Melbourne aged care advisor

We answer the phone in person. Free 30-minute consultation, no obligation.