The Departments of Human Services and Health have reduced the amount of bureaucratic red tape required of older Australians when applying for support to meet aged care services.
Announcing the changes, Minister for Human Services and Digital Transformation, Michael Keenan said they would benefit about 180,000 people a year who were currently required to spend considerable time filling in long and complex forms as part of the means-testing process.
“About 110,000 of those people will no longer have to complete any forms at all if they do not own a home and are receiving an income support payment such as the aged pension,” Mr Keenan said.
“Those with straightforward financial affairs will be offered a new short form that is just a few pages long, while those with complex affairs will only have to answer about half the number of questions they previously had to.”
He said the changes were the result of months of hard work by a special Aged Care Forms Taskforce established help ease the bureaucratic burden on older Australians.
“We acknowledge that entering aged care can be a difficult and complex process to navigate at what is often a highly emotional time for people and their families,” Mr Keenan said.
The Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care, Ken Wyatt said the taskforce included representatives from Government, consumer groups, aged care providers and financial advisers to ensure all viewpoints and voices were heard.
