What does ‘grandfathered client’ mean under Support at Home?

With Support at Home approaching, you may be wondering “what is a grandfathered client”. In short, if you had a Home Care Package or approval before 12 September 2024, you may be protected so your fees don’t increase when the new program starts.

Who is a grandfathered client

You are generally treated as a grandfathered client if on 12 September 2024 you were receiving a Home Care Package, on the national waitlist, or assessed as eligible. Grandfathering mainly affects how your client contributions and certain supplements carry across when Support at Home begins on 1 November 2025. It is a continuity setting that preserves what you were already entitled to while the program structure shifts. Those who were not on a Home Care Package by that date will be considered either a Hybrid or a new client.

What the no worse off principle means

No worse off means a grandfathered client will not pay higher client contributions under Support at Home than they did under Home Care Packages for the same types of supports. If you currently pay nothing, you continue to pay nothing on the same basis. It is designed to give you certainty during the changeover, so your out-of-pocket costs do not jump simply because the funding model is new.

How budgets and services change

Support at Home moves from daily subsidies to quarterly budgets and groups services into three categories: clinical supports, independence, and everyday living. Your existing supports are mapped to this new service list, and your contribution protections stay in place. Because funding resets each quarter, it helps to plan services earlier in the quarter so your budget turns into real support rather than sitting unused.

Why partner with Trilogy Care?

Trilogy Care helps you turn approved funding into more care hours, more control and less complexity through self-management. You choose trusted locals at local rates, which can deliver better value from the same funding. We also keep terminology, agreements and statements aligned to the Support at Home framework so you always know what you have, what you used, and what remains this quarter.