Waiting times and getting assessed: what to expect

Before your parent can get government-funded aged care, they need an aged care assessment. After that comes a second wait: for a place in an aged care home or for services at home. Both waits can be long, and they're often hardest when a crisis has already happened.

Step 1: applying

You can apply through My Aged Care online, by phone, or face to face at a Services Australia centre. A family member or friend can apply for your parent and can be with them at the assessment.

The application goes through a short screening. Based on the answers, your parent is given a referral priority, which tells the assessment organisation how urgently to see them. Describe your parent's needs fully and honestly. If things are getting worse quickly, say so.

Step 2: the assessment

An assessment organisation contacts you to arrange a time. Most assessments happen at home, but they can also be held elsewhere, by video or by phone. The assessor asks about your parent's health, daily life, and what help they need.

Afterwards, your parent receives a written decision. It says which types of care they're approved for, such as care at home, respite or a place in an aged care home, and their priority.

If your parent then moves into an aged care home, there's usually a separate assessment that sets the funding the home receives for their care. It doesn't change the fees your parent pays, which come from the means assessment.

How long are people waiting?

The government now publishes wait times. Its report for April to June 2026 found:

• A place in an aged care home: of the people who moved in between April and June 2026, half had waited less than 138 days, counted from when they applied through My Aged Care. That includes the time it took to be assessed. The average was much longer, because some people wait a very long time.
• Support at Home: the typical time from applying to starting ongoing services was 297 days.

Waits differ a lot by state and by area, and by how flexible a family can be about which home. Many families find that once a crisis hits, the decision itself has to be made in days, even after a long wait.

When the wait is too long

• Look widely. Homes with shorter waits may be a little further away. Your parent can move later if a place comes up somewhere they'd prefer.
• Ask about respite. A short stay in an aged care home may be possible if your parent is approved for it. In an emergency, a home may be able to arrange an urgent assessment.
• Ask for a new assessment if needs have changed. If your parent's health has gone downhill since the assessment, contact My Aged Care and explain what has changed.
• Get help. The Older Persons Advocacy Network has free advocates who can help you deal with assessment problems and delays.

If the result looks wrong

Many assessment decisions can be formally reviewed, including which care your parent was approved for, their classification and their priority.

1. Ask for a reconsideration in writing, setting out why the decision is wrong. The request normally has to be made within four weeks of being told the decision, although an extension can be asked for. The law allows a fee to be set for asking to review a classification, but we haven't found one in the current rules.
2. Someone not involved in the original decision looks at it again. For a classification in an aged care home, a new assessment is arranged first.
3. If you still disagree, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal.

The decision letter should explain how to ask for a review. Advocates have said that assessors have limited room to change the result produced by the assessment tool. That makes a formal review, with evidence such as reports from your parent's doctor, more important.

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