Aged Care Minister Sam Rae has announced decisions from the government’s algorithm-assisted tool, used to determine how much funding older Australians get to support living at home, can be changed in “extenuating circumstances”.
The Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) was introduced by the federal government last year, arguing it would allow for faster and fairer assessments.
But human assessors cannot override an outcome even if they believe the decision is wrong.
Since it came into effect hundreds of complaints have been made which has led to an urgent review into the system.
Rae has confirmed, after consultation with the sector and listening to feedback from older Australians, the process will be changed.
“What we’ve done here, we’ve listened, we’ve consulted and we’ve done the policy work to make sure that we get the best outcomes for older people,” Rae says.
“What this change means is that while the new assessment system is overall working well, there are outliers and there are a small number of people whose circumstances don’t fit neatly into the framework.
“In those small number of circumstances the system governor can make the necessary decisions to make sure that those people still get the appropriate care outcomes.”
Rae said the government will consult with stakeholders during the parliamentary winter break and intends to legislate the changes when parliament resumes.
