Transferring from the NDIS to My Aged Care

Key points:

• By the age of 65, two in five people have a disability of some kind

• Once you turn 65, you will need to decide if you remain on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or switch to the Government’s aged care system

• If you decide to stay with the NDIS, you can only receive the same supports

If you’re already on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) when you turn 65, you will have to decide whether you stay on the NDIS or whether you transfer to My Aged Care to fund your care needs.

The Australian Network on Disability (AND) says the likelihood of living with a disability increases as you age. In fact, two in five people aged 65 and over have a disability and that increases to eight in ten people once you are aged 90 and over.

It is vital you have the right supports in place to make sure your disability, whether newly acquired or existing, is cared for as you age.

The NDIS and My Aged Care

The NDIS provides funding and support to access important disability services for people with disability, their families and carers.

Similarly, My Aged Care is the portal for accessing Government-funded aged care services, whether that is help at home, temporary services, or moving into an aged care facility.

Aged care services can cover a wide range of supports that would assist people with disability and your care plan is developed to include care that meets your needs, this should include your disability.

To qualify for the NDIS you must be 65 years of age or under, so if you lived with disability before reaching 65, then you may have been receiving disability support through the NDIS already. But if you develop a disability after you turn 65, you can only access the My Aged Care services available, such as in home care, Home Care Packages, or residential aged care.

How to transfer

Once you turn 65, you will be given a choice between staying on the NDIS or moving to aged care services through My Aged Care.

However, if you are already living in a residential aged care facility or receiving ongoing home care assistance while on the NDIS by the time you turn 65, then you will be moved to the Commonwealth aged care system automatically.

Depending on what you require, you may be eligible for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), a Home Care Package (HCP), or to move into residential care. You will need to be assessed through My Aged Care to determine what supports you need.

The level of funding you receive can change when you change over from the NDIS to Government subsidised aged care, but will still meet your care needs with an emphasis on assisting you to live independently.

While participants on the NDIS are not means tested, which means you receive care based on your disability and need rather than your ability to pay for it, Government funded aged care services are means tested. This could mean that if you have too many assets or your own money, you may not be eligible to receive Government-subsidised aged care.

To contact My Aged Care for more information about transitioning, contact the Call Centre on 1800 200 422.

I want to stay on the NDIS or same supports

If you want to stay on the NDIS after you turn 65, you can do this as long as you don’t have an increase in care needs, receive home care services on a regular basis, or move into aged care.

This option is only available if you were receiving the NDIS before you turned 65. If you have a disability that started on or after your turn 65, you will not be able to access the NDIS.

However, if you were 65 and over when the NDIS began its roll out, you could receive disability support through the Disability Support for Older Australians (DSOA) Program, replacing the Commonwealth Continuity of Support (CoS) Programme on 1 July 2021.

The DSOA is only available to people with disability who were eligible for the CoS Programme, which were people who were not eligible to receive the NDIS due to their age but received State and Territory Government disability support.

DSOA provides service coordinators to deliver support services and organise disability service providers for clients.

The services provided must meet the consumers goals and outcomes and can include supported independent living assistance, self-care assistance, short term accommodation assistance and respite, counselling, continence aid management with community nursing care, and more.

The Health Department facilitates the program, for more information visit their website.

To find out what your options are for aged care, visit the information section on the Aged Care Guide.

When you turn 65, do you want to remain on the NDIS or move to the aged care system? Tell us in the comments below.

Related content:

What is a Home Care Package (HCP)?
Choosing a home care provider
Assessment and eligibility for aged care services