Aged care and NDIS update archive
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Published by Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
NATSIFACP 24/7 RN exemption application form published
The Department published the NATSIFACP application form on 24 August 2026 and the supporting FAQs on 26 August 2026. Applying does not mean an exemption is granted, and the official publications do not state a fixed application closing date. This item was revised on 18 October to add the NATSIFACP Manual. Its publication page is dated 16 October 2026, while its version table records version 3.0 dated 17 September 2026 and includes RN exemption guidance. These are different date roles, not evidence that all its requirements newly took effect on 16 October. There is a bed-count wording conflict: Manual page 40 says fewer than 30 operational beds, while FAQ page 2 says no more than 30 operational beds when applying. CaresLink has not resolved the difference for a home with exactly 30 beds. Seek Department clarification and check current legislation before relying on either wording. This is not general Support at Home exemption guidance.
Document and workflow checks
- Check each approved home's MM5, MM6, or MM7 location, reasonable alternative clinical care arrangements and current bed-count requirements. Record the count when applying and when the System Governor decides; obtain Department clarification on the Manual/FAQ conflict before treating a 30-bed home as eligible.
- Submit a separate application and evidence per home. Keep the form, rosters, handover, training, risk, escalation, policies, declaration, submission, and written decision. Do not upload resident data to CaresLink.
- Continue meeting the 24/7 RN requirement until approval takes effect. If approved, record dates, conditions, and change triggers; it cannot start before approval or run for more than 12 months.
- Record the current Manual version and its RN exemption section alongside the form and FAQs. Ask the authorised clinical or governance owner to check their application records; do not infer new exemption eligibility from the Manual's webpage publication date.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
This is not an automatic or blanket exemption. The Manual/FAQ bed-count conflict remains unresolved here; this page must not be used to decide eligibility, particularly for a home with exactly 30 beds. The linked 1 July Rules compilation is historical and superseded, not evidence of the current law. CaresLink does not decide eligibility, approve clinical arrangements, treat on-call or telehealth as an onsite RN, promise timing, or apply for you. Use the current Department form and channel; continue applicable care-minutes, Quality Standards, reporting, Act, Rules, and NATSIFACP duties.
Published by Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation
New deeming rates take effect 20 September 2026
The Social Security (Deeming Threshold Rates) Determination (No. 2) 2026 was registered on 21 August 2026 and sets the below-threshold deeming rate at 1.75% and the above-threshold rate at 3.75% from 20 September 2026. Services Australia uses deeming to work out income from financial assets. The Department's new Support at Home contribution schedule applies from 20 September 2026, but its deeming section still labels the rates as applying from 20 March 2026 and lists 1.25% and 3.25%. As checked on 21 September, those figures conflict with the registered determination. Do not reconcile the discrepancy locally or use either source alone to calculate an individual's contribution, fee, pension, refund, or payment outcome.
Source checked
Open official source (opens in a new tab)Open the archived record- Services Australia deeming overview (opens in a new tab)
- Schedule of contributions for Support at Home services (opens in a new tab)
- Schedule of contributions for Support at Home services — 20 September 2026 PDF (opens in a new tab)
- Schedule of fees and charges for residential care (opens in a new tab)
Document and workflow checks
- Record the registered determination and the 20 September Support at Home schedule as separate controlled sources, including each source date, checked date, displayed rates, and review owner.
- Do not silently choose 1.75% and 3.75% or 1.25% and 3.25% for an individual aged care outcome while the official sources conflict; do not relabel a rate as a threshold amount.
- Use the person's authorised Services Australia assessment or official notice for individual outcomes and escalate an unexplained mismatch through the provider's approved finance or advice pathway.
- Delay any template, budget, invoice, statement, or client-communication rule change that depends on resolving the discrepancy; preserve the prior version and the later correction trail.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
The registered determination and the Department's 20 September Support at Home schedule currently display different deeming rates. CaresLink cannot resolve that official-source conflict or calculate an individual's income assessment, contribution, residential care fee, pension, refund, or payment. Use Services Australia's authorised individual notice and appropriate financial, legal, regulatory, accounting, or professional advice.
Published by Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
CHSP grant funding extended to 30 June 2029
The September CHSP Manual Version 5 confirms the additional 2-year grant-funded program horizon to 30 June 2029. It does not say CHSP has already moved into or merged with Support at Home, or settle a provider's grant variation, funding amount or final long-term design. The August announcement said funding would extend another 2 years from 30 June 2027; the 24 August fact sheet and speech said the Department would write to every CHSP provider, with consultation expected in the coming weeks at that time, not a current promise. Separately, Manual v5 section 9.5 says existing-client Service Agreement and Care and Services Plan transition arrangements run until 1 November 2026; from that date all CHSP clients need documents reflecting the Act and Rules. This documentation transition is not the 2029 funding end date or a new DEX reporting deadline.
Source checked
Open official source (opens in a new tab)Open the archived record- CHSP Manual v5 PDF: service agreements (9.5), DEX hard close (13.3), monthly reporting (13.5) (opens in a new tab)
- Original August announcement: CHSP extended to 30 June 2029 (opens in a new tab)
- Australian Government fact sheet: CHSP extended (opens in a new tab)
- Speech from Minister Rae - CHSP National Conference 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Open letter to Commonwealth Home Support Program providers (opens in a new tab)
Document and workflow checks
- Replace public and internal wording that still presents 30 June 2027 as the final announced CHSP funding end point, while retaining the source and checked date.
- Keep CHSP and Support at Home as distinct program labels in current service, client, workforce, grant, and system documents.
- Review the 1 November 2026 Service Agreement and Care and Services Plan transition against Manual v5 section 9.5 using the provider's authorised document and consent process; do not treat the 2029 funding extension as extending that transition.
- Check provider-specific grant instructions and agreement changes through the authorised channel rather than treating the public announcement as an executed grant variation.
- Route the Department's provider letter when it arrives; keep its process, timing, and grant actions separate from public fact-sheet wording.
- Assign an owner to monitor the 2026 consultation and record proposals separately from approved future design decisions.
- Review workforce, service-continuity, vendor, and communication plans against the additional 2-year horizon without promising funding or service outcomes for an individual provider.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
This announcement does not confirm a provider's grant variation, future funding amount, eligibility, service continuity, or the final long-term design. CaresLink does not provide grant, legal, regulatory, financial, or professional advice.
Published by Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Updated Care Minutes Performance Statement template published
The Department published an updated Care Minutes Performance Statement template on 20 August 2026 and an FAQ on 31 August. Registered residential aged care providers generally use the template to prepare the 2025-26 statement, but Multi-Purpose Service Program providers are not required to submit a CMPS with the ACFR; organisations operating both MPSP and other residential services should confirm scope with the Department. The first statement covers quarters 3 and 4 of 2025-26 and registered-nurse data from November 2025. Homes with an approved RN exemption still report RN coverage percentage. Providers should check CMPS values against supporting records rather than mechanically copy or independently resubmit earlier QFR figures: after validation, the Department may seek clarification or request an earlier QFR resubmission. The CMPS must be externally audited under ASAE 3000, but the Department does not keep an approved-auditor list. Auditors should not alter the reporting periods in the official audit-report template. The audited statement is due with the ACFR on 31 October 2026 for financial-year reporters; the 20 August publication is not a new commencement date.
Document and workflow checks
- Record the 20 August template version and compare it with any local working copy before replacing fields or instructions.
- Confirm whether the reporting entity includes MPSP services; mixed MPSP and other residential operations should ask the Department to confirm the CMPS scope.
- Map the statement inputs to approved care-time, expense, registered-nurse coverage, occupied-bed-day, and reconciliation evidence owners, including RN coverage percentage for homes with an approved RN exemption.
- Confirm external-auditor eligibility and independence, evidence handoff, review dates, and unresolved questions without relying on an assumed Department-approved list.
- Keep changes between the statement, Quarterly Financial Report, and other source records visible for authorised review; do not independently resubmit an earlier QFR unless the Department requests it after validation.
- Use the reporting periods already included in the current official audit-report template rather than adding or removing periods.
- Use current Department guidance and the formal submission channel; do not upload provider financial, workforce, resident, or audit evidence to CaresLink.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
This update does not determine whether a mixed MPSP and residential operation is in scope, validate an RN exemption, approve an auditor, or authorise a QFR resubmission or template-period change. CaresLink does not prepare, audit, reconcile, certify, or submit a Care Minutes Performance Statement or ACFR and does not provide audit, accounting, legal, regulatory, financial, or professional advice.
Published by Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation
NDIS Amendment Act: first staged changes now in effect
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 20 August and was registered on 21 August. Schedule 1 Parts 1–3 and Schedule 2 Parts 1–4 commenced on 27 August. A participant-requested plan reassessment must now come from the participant, their plan nominee or child representative, using the approved form with the required information and evidence. After the NDIA receives a request that meets those requirements, it has 90 days to decide whether to reassess, not reassess or vary the plan. Section 45B also applies to claims made on or after 27 August. For an NDIS provider, it sets a seven-year default from the claim date for Rules-prescribed records related to the claim or claimed support; the Rules may prescribe a shorter period. NDIA says further record-keeping guidance is coming. From 1 October 2026, some budgets in Social, Economic and Community Participation and Improved Daily Living Skills will reduce when plans are created or reassessed; the change applies to plan renewals from 1 February 2027. It is not a blanket cut to every support: NDIA lists excluded support groups and essential day-to-day supports, and individual impacts vary. NDIA now describes a high-support variation pathway when a reduction risks wellbeing and safety: the specified combined plan budget must be at least $215,030 and the participant must receive disability-related 24-hour NDIS supports. A request must be made within 90 days of plan approval with reductions; eligibility and an increase are not automatic, and any increase cannot exceed the applied reduction.
Document and workflow checks
- Separate the 27 August plan-reassessment commencement, section 45B's claim-date application boundary, and later commencement dates; do not describe the whole Act as already operating.
- When helping with a participant-requested reassessment, use the current approved form, confirm the requester is the participant, plan nominee or child representative, attach the required evidence, and record NDIA receipt or any further-information request. A provider cannot be authorised by consent to make the request.
- Use the date the NDIA receives a request that meets the form, information, and evidence requirements—not the day a team starts preparing evidence—as the 90-day decision-control reference. Record whether the outcome is reassess, not reassess, or vary.
- For claims made on or after 27 August, map each retained record to the claim or claimed support and verify whether its kind is prescribed by current NDIS Rules. For providers, seven years from the claim date is the default unless the Rules prescribe a shorter period; do not apply it to every progress note or NDIS document.
- Keep the current 90-day plan-reassessment decision period separate from the 90-day claim-submission limit commencing on 1 December 2026.
- For a plan created or reassessed from 1 October, or renewed from 1 February 2027, check the participant-specific NDIA plan and current official exclusions before recording a budget impact. For a possible high-support variation, check the $215,030 combined budget for Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation—not the entire plan total—plus disability-related 24-hour supports and the 90-day period from approval of the reduced plan. The participant, nominee, child representative or a public guardian with a valid legal order may ask; anyone else needs participant consent. Refer the person to NDIA without promising eligibility or an increase.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
This update reflects Federal Register and NDIA material checked on 3 October 2026. It distinguishes provisions that commenced on 27 August from later stages. Section 45B applies only to claims made on or after 27 August and only to record kinds prescribed by NDIS Rules that relate to the claim or claimed support; the provider's seven-year default runs from the claim date and may be shortened by the Rules. It is not a seven-year rule for every NDIS document. The plan-reassessment 90-day decision period follows NDIA receipt of the required form, information and evidence; the separate high-support variation request period starts with approval of a reduced plan; the 90-day claim-submission limit commences on 1 December. The support-budget change is participant-specific, includes published exclusions, and is not a CaresLink funding calculation or review outcome. CaresLink does not determine whether a record, request, plan or support meets legal or funding requirements or provide legal, regulatory, claiming, pricing, registration or financial advice.
Published by Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
ACQSC Quality Bulletin #7: Support at Home pricing review
Quality Bulletin #7 says the Commission is conducting a targeted August review of selected Support at Home providers registered in Categories 4 and 5, focusing on published pricing, communication, and participant involvement in service agreements. Relevant pricing-transparency obligations are broader than the selected review group, but the bulletin does not say every Category 4 or 5 provider is being reviewed. It also makes clear that self-management is not hands-off: providers retain care-management, budget, agreement, plan, monthly-statement, and overspending communication responsibilities.
Document and workflow checks
- Check public prices, inclusions, exclusions, additional charges, and the owner and checked date for each published source.
- Review how participant questions, choices, and involvement in service-agreement changes are recorded.
- For self-managed arrangements, record who prepares, reviews, and explains the budget and monthly statement.
- Keep transparent warnings and follow-up records when planned spending may exceed the available budget.
- Do not tell all Category 4 or 5 providers that they have been selected for the targeted review; use any direct Commission notice and current guidance.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
CaresLink does not determine whether a provider has been selected for review, whether pricing or records comply, or what action a regulator may take, and does not provide legal, regulatory, financial, audit, or professional advice.
Published by Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
ACQSC names four sector risk priorities for 2026-27
The Commission has named four sector risk priorities for 2026-27: aged care rights in practice; sexual safety and sexual rights; de-escalating changed behaviours; and culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people delivered by mainstream providers. The priorities signal areas for additional regulatory attention, guidance, engagement, and sector support. They are not the only compliance matters, do not replace any Aged Care Act obligations, and the announcement does not itself create a new law.
Document and workflow checks
- Map each priority to current policies, practice evidence, feedback, incident trends, improvement actions, and an accountable governance owner.
- Ask older people and representatives how rights, choice, safety, communication, and culturally safe care are experienced in practice rather than relying only on policy wording.
- Review sexual-safety and changed-behaviour response pathways for prevention, escalation, documentation, support, and learning boundaries with appropriately qualified owners.
- For mainstream services supporting First Nations people, review engagement and culturally safe practice with relevant community and cultural expertise rather than treating a generic template as proof.
- Keep all other statutory and regulatory obligations in the assurance map; do not narrow compliance work to these four priorities.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
CaresLink does not determine compliance, regulatory risk, cultural safety, clinical practice, incident classification, or enforcement outcomes and does not provide legal, regulatory, clinical, cultural, audit, or professional advice.
Published by Services Australia
Support at Home financial hardship guidance updated
Services Australia says a Support at Home recipient should tell their provider when applying for financial hardship assistance, and the provider should pause contributions while the application is assessed. A pause is not a waiver: if the application is unsuccessful, the paused contributions may still be payable. If assistance is granted, Services Australia may pay some or all of the approved amount directly to the provider and the recipient pays any remaining contribution.
Document and workflow checks
- Give the person the current official Services Australia pathway and record only the operational handoff, date, and follow-up owner needed by the provider.
- Pause contribution collection during assessment in line with current official guidance, while clearly recording that the pause is not a waiver.
- Do not promise approval or erase an amount while the application is pending; keep the outcome and billing review assigned to an authorised owner.
- After an official outcome, record the effective period, amount split supplied through the approved channel, and any participant communication or correction required.
- Do not place financial statements, health information, asset details, or application evidence into public CaresLink pages or prompts.
Related CaresLink resources
Usage boundary
CaresLink does not assess financial hardship eligibility, calculate contributions, receive application evidence, or provide financial, legal, billing, or professional advice. Current Services Australia instructions and the formal outcome control the process.