By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last reviewed: 11 June 2026
Last updated: 11 June 2026
There are two letters. Most families only know about one of them.
The first arrives within two to four weeks of your assessment. It confirms the classification. Families read it, feel relieved, and start making plans. Then nothing happens. No provider calls. No care starts. No one from the system is in touch.
That silence is not an error. It is how the system works. The first letter — the Notice of Decision — places the older person in a national priority queue. The second letter arrives when a funded place becomes available. That second letter is the one that starts the clock.
The gap between these two letters is where most families lose weeks they could have used. The system approves you, sends a letter, and then goes quiet. There is no follow-up call. No caseworker assigned. No timeline given. Families who wait for someone to guide them through what comes next discover, sometimes months later, that they were supposed to be using that time to prepare.
Understanding the difference between these two letters prevents the most common mistake families make after assessment.
Four things in the Notice of Decision are worth acting on immediately, before the funding letter arrives.
Check your priority category
Your letter will show one of four categories: Urgent, High, Medium, or Standard. This determines how long you wait for your funding allocation letter. Urgent receives full funding within one month. End-of-Life and Restorative Care pathways are immediate with no waitlist. High, Medium, and Standard categories wait longer — contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask for a directional timeline based on your category and current demand.
Confirm your 'seeking services' status
Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and confirm your status shows 'seeking services.' This status can be set to 'not seeking services' during the assessment — sometimes when the older person expressed uncertainty, sometimes without the family realising it. If your status is 'not seeking services,' you will not be allocated funding until you change it. Change it immediately if it does not reflect the current situation.
Decide whether to appeal the classification
If the classification feels too low for the person's actual needs, act now. The appeals process is detailed in your letter. A higher classification means a higher quarterly budget and potentially a faster priority category. Do not wait until the funding letter arrives to raise this — the full process is covered in 'What to do if the classification does not match the real situation' further down this page.
Start researching providers
You cannot sign a service agreement yet — but you can shortlist providers, understand their fees, ask about availability, and have initial conversations. Families who have not started this research when the funding letter arrives find the 56-day window under pressure from the start.
⚠ The status trap most families don't know about
If the older person said "I'm managing fine" or "I'm not sure I need anything yet" during the assessment, the assessor may have recorded their status as 'not seeking services.' This is not a red flag in the assessment — it is a legitimate status. But it means the priority queue is paused. No funding will be allocated until the status is changed. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to check and update if needed. There is no penalty for changing it.
If the classification doesn’t match the person’s needs, you have 28 days from receiving the Notice of Decision to ask for a review in writing. Our guide to appealing an aged care classification explains what to send and where.
Wait time depends on your priority category and overall system demand. As a guide:
About interim funding
If you receive a letter offering 60% of your approved quarterly budget, this is interim funding — not an error or a reduced classification. It allows services to begin while you wait for your full place in the priority system. The remaining 40% is released automatically when your full allocation arrives. The 56-day rule applies from the date of the interim funding letter, not from when the full 40% is released.
The families who start care most smoothly use this period to prepare. Three practical actions make the biggest difference.
You cannot sign a service agreement yet — but you can have conversations. When speaking with potential providers before your funding letter arrives, ask three things: what they charge for the services you’re likely to need, and how that compares with the prices they publish on My Aged Care; how ending the agreement works; and whether they have current availability for someone with your approved classification. Providers who cannot answer the first question clearly deserve closer scrutiny.
Not all services are free. Clinical care — nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, podiatry, dietetics, and continence support — has zero co-contribution. Personal care and Independence category services involve an income-tested co-contribution. Everyday Living services such as cleaning, meals, and gardening carry the highest contributions. The My Aged Care fee estimator gives you a guide to likely out-of-pocket costs before you begin.
If care cannot wait for the funding allocation letter, Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services — such as meals, transport, or domestic assistance — may be available in the interim. CHSP is a separate program from Support at Home and does not affect your position in the priority system. Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to ask what is available in your area.
From the date on this letter, you have 56 calendar days to complete three things:
Your funding allocation letter includes a referral code — the unique number you give to your chosen provider. With this code, the provider can access your support plan and formally accept you as a client. Without it, they cannot begin onboarding. Keep it safe. If it is lost, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or log in to your My Aged Care Online Account.
If the 56 days expire without a service agreement
Your funding is withdrawn and you are removed from the priority system. You can re-join by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, without a new assessment unless your needs have changed, and your place counts from your original approval date. If you need more time, request a 28-day extension (taking you to 84 days total) before the window expires — not on the final day.
For a full guide to making the most of the 56-day window, see The 56-day activation window — how it works. If you have already missed it, see Missed the 56-day deadline? What to do next.
You have the right to request a review of your classification, your priority category, or both. The process is detailed in your Notice of Decision letter. Act before the funding letter arrives — a successful review can mean a higher quarterly budget and a faster timeline to funding.
Three patterns account for most underclassifications. Understanding them tells you what your written evidence needs to correct:
The invisible carer effect
Family members quietly take over tasks — showering assistance, medication management, meal preparation — without realising the baseline has shifted. The older person appears more capable than they would be without that invisible support. Unless someone describes that support, the person can be recorded as managing without help, and the need as met.
The good-day effect
A formal visit can bring out better performance than the person's typical day. The assessor arrives, the older person makes an effort, and on the day they may manage better than usual. The assessor sees one visit. Unless someone describes the usual day, the record can reflect the better one.
The minimising effect
Older people routinely understate their difficulties — out of pride, fear of losing independence, or genuine unawareness of how much they have adapted. 'I'm managing fine' at the assessment visit. 'I can do that myself' about a task that takes three times as long as it used to. If no one mentions a difficulty, the assessor may not hear about it.
Written evidence of what everyday life involves — specific incidents, tasks that can no longer be done without help (including reminders or someone standing by), and the support family members give now — answers all three patterns. The reviewer considers new evidence, including from third parties such as a GP. See How to prepare for your aged care assessment for the full framework.
After signing a service agreement with your provider:
When the funding letter arrives: the focus shifts to choosing the right provider, understanding service agreements, and making sure you receive the full value of your approved quarterly budget. The Support at Home approved? What to do in the next 56 days guide covers that sequence in full — worth reading now so you are ready when the letter comes.
Not yet. Your Notice of Decision confirms your classification and places you in the Support at Home Priority System — but funded services cannot begin until you receive a separate funding allocation letter. From the date of that second letter, you have 56 days to choose a registered provider and sign a service agreement. Use the waiting period to research providers and confirm your 'seeking services' status with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Interim funding is 60% of your approved quarterly budget, allocated when wait times in the priority system are longer than expected. It allows services to start while you wait for your full allocation. The remaining 40% is released automatically when your full place becomes available — most people receive it within approximately 10 weeks. The 56-day clock applies from the date of your interim funding letter.
Request a review using the process in your Notice of Decision letter. You have 28 days from receiving it to ask in writing. Three things often hide real needs at an assessment: carers quietly take over tasks, so the person seems more capable than they are without that help; people often manage better in front of a visitor than on a usual day; and older people can understate how much help they need. A review can consider new evidence, so send specific incidents, tasks that can no longer be done without help, the help family provides, and anything a GP or other health professional has written.
Your funding is withdrawn and you are removed from the priority system. You can re-join by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, without a new assessment unless your needs have changed, and your place counts from your original approval date. If you need more time, request a 28-day extension before the 56 days expire — not on the final day.
Your referral code is in your funding allocation letter. It is the unique number that allows a registered provider to access your support plan and formally accept you as a client. Without it, a provider cannot begin onboarding. If you lose it, log in to your My Aged Care Online Account or call 1800 200 422.
Asking for a review? Say what the assessment missed.
You have 28 days from receiving the decision letter to ask. Our free tool helps you write down what really happens at home, in your own words, to include with your request, along with any letters from the GP. Independent — no sales calls.
Write your statement — free →This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Support at Home operates under the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.