AT-HM Scheme Assessments

The Thing Most People Miss About AT-HM

When Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, equipment and home modification funding was pulled out of the ongoing package and made into something separate.

That matters practically. AT-HM funding is upfront and separate from your other supports. You do not have to save up your service budget, go without care for a few months, or wait for a review to get a rail installed or a shower modified. The funding sits in its own scheme, in three tiers, across a 12-month period:

• Tier 1, up to $500 for straightforward, low-cost items
• Tier 2, up to $2,000 for moderate equipment and minor modifications
• Tier 3, up to $15,000 for complex equipment and substantial home modifications

Your tier is determined through the aged care assessment process based on assessed need, not on what you ask for. Complex equipment and home modifications require occupational therapy prescription, which is where we come in.

The common and expensive mistake is buying equipment before assessment. Equipment that does not suit the person, the task or the house does not get used, and the money is gone from a tier that only resets after twelve months.

What Each Tier Typically Covers

These are indicative examples rather than a fixed list. What is approved depends on assessed need.

Tier 1, shower stools and chairs, grab rails, non-slip matting, long-handled aids for dressing and reaching, raised toilet seats, bed sticks, simple kitchen aids.

Tier 2, walking frames and mobility aids, over-toilet frames and commodes, transfer aids and slide sheets, pressure-relieving cushions, riser recliner chairs, adjustable beds, small ramps and threshold ramps, minor rail installation.

Tier 3, bathroom modifications including level-access showers, stair and access ramps, ceiling hoists, complex wheelchair seating and pressure care systems, widened doorways, kitchen modifications, external access work.

What to Expect at Your Assessment

An occupational therapist visits you at home for around 60 to 90 minutes. Family or carers are welcome, and it helps if the person who assists you day to day is there.

You will be asked about the tasks that have become hard, and then asked to show us, walking to the bathroom, getting on and off the bed, using the shower. Watching the real task in the real room is what produces an accurate prescription.

We measure doorways, spaces and heights where modifications may be needed, and we look at flooring, lighting, thresholds and clutter, because those are often the cheapest things to change.

You will receive a written report and prescription, an explanation of what fits within your tier, and clear next steps for quotes and installation. Where something falls outside your tier, we will tell you plainly and discuss alternatives rather than leaving you to discover it later.

Funding We Accept

• Support at Home, AT-HM scheme, the pathway described on this page. Occupational therapy assessment itself sits in the clinical care category, which is fully government funded regardless of income or assets.
• Home Care Packages, for clients still transitioning under previous arrangements.
• CHSP, for eligible clients.
• NDIS, for participants under 65, where equipment and modifications sit under Capital supports.
• DVA, for eligible veterans with a valid referral.
• TAC and workers compensation, where related to an accepted claim.
• Private, no referral required.