Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (45 of 2025)

Schedule 1   Amendment of the Aged Care Act 2024

Part 1   Amendments commencing immediately after the commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024

Aged Care Act 2024

91   Section 203

Repeal the section, substitute:

203 Available service delivery branch financial year account balance

Service delivery branch account

(1) A notional service delivery branch account for a registered provider for a service delivery branch of the provider is established:

(a) for the financial year (the first financial year ) for which the start day (the initial account start day ) included in the first start notification given for any individual (the first individual ) for the delivery of ongoing funded aged care services through the service group home support to the individual through the service branch occurs; and

(b) for each subsequent financial year (unless circumstances prescribed by the rules apply).

Credits - first and second quarters of active operation

(2) For the first quarter (the first quarter of operation ) in the first financial year or the subsequent quarter (the second quarter of operation ) the amount referred to in subsection (3) is credited to the account for the financial year in which the quarter occurs in relation to each individual (including the first individual) to whom both of the following apply on a day in the quarter:

(a) the registered provider gives a start notification for the individual for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support on that day;

(b) the individual's start day included in that notification is on or before that day.

(3) The amount is the sum of:

(a) the base provider amount for the individual, multiplied by the number of days prescribed by the rules; and

(b) the amount of any provider-based supplements that apply to the provider in relation to the individual, multiplied by the number of days prescribed by the rules.

Credits - subsequent quarters

(4) At the start of the first day of a quarter in a financial year (other than the first quarter of operation or second quarter of operation), the following is credited to the account:

(a) the sum of the base provider amount for each individual covered by subsection (5) for the quarter, multiplied by the number of days in the quarter;

(b) the sum of any provider-based supplements that apply to the provider in relation to an individual covered by subsection (5) for the quarter, multiplied by the number of days in the quarter.

(5) An individual is covered by this subsection for a quarter (the relevant quarter ) if:

(a) the registered provider has given, at a time in any previous quarter during which the account has existed, a start notification for the individual for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support and that time is before the time (the test time ) prescribed by the rules in the quarter immediately before the relevant quarter; and

(b) the individual's start day included in that notification was on or before the day the notification was given; and

(c) any other requirements prescribed by the rules are met.

Credit due to change in classification, or change from interim to full place, of individual to whom services are being delivered through service delivery branch

(6) If:

(a) either of the following apply in relation to an individual for a day that is on or after the initial account start day:

(i) a new classification level for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support comes into effect for the individual on the day;

(ii) a full place comes into effect for the individual for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support on the day; and

(b) the base individual amount (the new base individual amount ) for the individual for the classification type for the service group is higher as a result of that classification level or place coming into effect;

the account for the financial year in which that day occurs is credited with the difference between the new base individual amount and the base individual amount for the individual for the classification type for the service group that applied before the classification level or full place came into effect, multiplied by the remaining days in the quarter in which the day occurs (including that day).

Credit for provider-based supplement starting to apply

(7) If a provider-based supplement starts applying to the provider in relation to an individual:

(a) for an individual to whom subsection (2) applies - on a day in the first quarter of operation or second quarter of operation that is after the day the registered provider gives a start notification for the individual; or

(b) for an individual to whom subsection (4) applies for a quarter - on a day in that quarter;

the account for the financial year in which the quarter occurs is credited with the amount of that provider-based supplement for the day multiplied by the number of days prescribed by the rules.

Rollover credit

(8) For an account for a financial year other than the first financial year of operation, if the circumstances prescribed by the rules apply, then the amount prescribed by the rules for those circumstances is credited to the account at the earlier of the following:

(a) if the registered provider gives the System Governor notice that the provider has made the provider's final claim for subsidy for the previous financial year - the day that claim is approved under subsection 251(4);

(b) the day that is 61 days after the last day of the previous financial year.

Debits

(9) If a claim is made under section 251 for provider-based subsidy for the delivery of an ongoing funded aged care service to an individual through the service delivery branch on a day, the account is debited in accordance with section 251B immediately after the claim is approved under subsection 251(4).

(10) To avoid doubt, the time the account is debited may be a time after the end of the financial year to which the claim relates.

Ceasing of accounts

(11) An account for a financial year ceases in circumstances prescribed by the rules.