Approved But Waiting: What to Do in the Months Before Your Parent's Support at Home Funding Arrives
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
If your parent has just been approved for Support at Home but told they're on a waiting list, you are not alone, and you don't have to wait it out with no support in place. As at 30 June 2026, 106,977 people across Australia were approved and waiting for an ongoing Support at Home place, against 390,901 people already receiving one (My Aged Care).
If your family is in hospital-discharge mode right now, needing care to start this week rather than in six months, this guide walks through exactly what determines your wait, what government bridging options exist, and how private care can fill the gap safely. Download our Interim Plan Check List
First, find out which priority category you're in, it changes everything
Not everyone waits the same length of time. Your assessment outcome letter (sometimes called a Notice of Decision) assigns you to one of four official priority categories, each with a published estimated wait for ongoing funding to be released (My Aged Care, data current as at 30 June 2026):
Priority category | Official estimated wait |
Urgent | Within 1 month |
High | 1 month |
Medium | 5 to 6 months |
Standard | 7 to 8 months |
Your priority category is based on the information your assessor collected during your assessment, things like immediate safety risk, a hospital discharge into an unsafe home situation, acute deterioration, or a primary carer reaching breaking point typically place someone in the urgent category.
If your situation changes while you're waiting, a fall, a hospital admission, a carer who can no longer cope, contact My Aged Care straight away, because a changed situation can move you into a faster category.
What "interim funding" actually means
If your wait for ongoing funding is running longer than expected, My Aged Care may assign interim funding: 60% of your approved budget released early, specifically so you can start the most critical services while you wait for the rest. You'll still need to find a provider and sign a service agreement to use it, and the remaining 40% is added as soon as full funding becomes available. Interim funding isn't offered to people already in a shorter-wait category, since the ordinary timeframe is already fast.
The clock that starts once funding actually arrives
Here's a detail that catches families out: once you receive a letter saying funding has been allocated, you have 56 days to sign a service agreement with a chosen provider and start services, not 56 days to think about it. If you need more time, you can ask My Aged Care for a 28-day extension. Miss both windows and your funding is withdrawn and reallocated to the next person in the queue, meaning you'd need to re-join the priority system from scratch. The practical takeaway: start researching and shortlisting providers before your funding letter arrives, not after.
Bridging the gap: your three real options while you wait
1. Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP).CHSP is the entry-level, government-funded program for people who need occasional or low-level help, domestic assistance, transport, meals, or basic personal care, while living independently at home. You're eligible for CHSP if you're aged 65 or over (50 or over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), or homeless or at risk of homelessness and aged 50 or over, and you've been assessed as needing entry-level support through My Aged Care (Department of Health, About CHSP). CHSP is not designed for complex or high-intensity needs, if your parent needs more than basic support, it's a bridge, not a long-term solution, but it can genuinely help cover the gap while ongoing Support at Home funding is pending.
2. Private in-home care, paid directly.For families who need care to start immediately, especially straight after a hospital discharge, privately funded care is often the only option that doesn't involve waiting at all. Luxe Care's own Support at Home page confirms that a personalised private care quote is available any time by calling 1300 674 886, and private hours can run entirely independently of your government funding timeline (Luxe Care, Support at Home Pricing).
3. A blend of both, private care now, government funding layered in later.This is the most common real-world solution. You start with private care to cover the immediate need, and once your Support at Home funding is released (interim or full), your care plan simply shifts hours across to government funding without a gap in service. Luxe Care's Home Care Packages Melbourne page confirms clients can add private care hours "to increase your support" above or ahead of any government allocation, which is exactly this bridging approach in practice. Download our Interim Plan Check List
A note on urgent assessments
If your parent hasn't been assessed yet and is currently in hospital or facing an unsafe discharge, say so plainly and immediately when you first contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, urgency is generally decided at the first triage call, before an assessor is even allocated, so don't downplay the situation. Hospitals routinely coordinate directly with assessment teams to fast-track patients who need care in place before they can safely go home.
You don't have to figure this out alone
Every family's wait time, priority category, and care needs are different, and the fastest way to get a clear plan is a conversation with someone who does this every day. Luxe Care offers a free, no-obligation in-home consultation to help you understand your options, including how private care can start this week while your government funding works its way through the queue.
Call 1300 674 886 to book a free consultation, or download our Interim Plan Check List checklist to work through your options step by step.
