How Do Home Care Package (HCP) and NDIS Meal Subsidies Work?

Solving a serious issue: malnutrition

1 in 6 Australians are aged 65 and over, with projections that older people in Australia will make up between 21% and 23% of the total population by 2066 [1]. An aging population comes with complex challenges and here at Farm Door we’re passionate about solving one of the serious ones: malnutrition.  

Older people have higher protein and energy requirements than younger adults but their daily intake is often much lower leading to malnutrition being a fast rising national health issue. The Royal Commission into Aged Care found 68% of people living in aged care are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition [2].

The answer is more than basic food

At Farm Door we’re fully behind Maggie Beer’s Mission to improve nutrition and enjoyment for older adults. It is widely known that a healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition, protecting against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer [3]. Good food can also bring dignity and enjoyment.

At Farm Door we are about family and fresh wholesome ingredients cooked with love. Our farm and kitchen is near Wagga Wagga NSW set in the Riverina Food Bowl. Cooking with local farm fresh ingredients and utilising the same cooking techniques as a good home cook would at home (read; homemade stock, no boosters or powders in our kitchen), means our meals are not only nutritious, but come with love.

But not everyone can afford home cooked meals.

Supporting your community to access meal subsidies

Home Care Packages (HCP) is a Government Program that enables eligible Senior Australians over the age of 65 the ability to access funds to stay at home for longer. A key part of HCP is that those on Home Care Packages are eligible for meal subsidies and able to pay 30% of the meal cost and claim 70% from their home care provider.

How do I get set up to split bills and facilitate the meal subsidy? 

There are a few ways meal stockists are approaching this. We’re seeing fast changing innovation in this space, with further developments and changes anticipated with the revised Aged Care Support Program coming in 2025. Here are some options of different approaches existing Farm Door stockists are taking:

• HICAPS Machine - A suitable option if you’re looking to support large numbers of NDIS clients. Comes with a high upfront cost but with the ability to seamlessly process claims.
  Next step? Make a HICAPS enquiry 
• Manual bill splitting - A suitable approach if you're looking for a low cost option to enter the My Aged Care meal subsidy space. No upfront cost, takes additional time each purchase with a dual transaction - one POS charging the customer 30% and 70% charged to their Home Care Provider Account.
  Next step? Ask around your pharmacy network to share learnings and best practice. 
• External software solution - suitable if you’re looking to scale up your online ordering and home delivery subsidised meal business (read: a huge business opportunity), a platform such as Cookaborough can set you up with an online ordering platform that simplifies the application process for HCP recipients, enables the HCP recipient to only pay 30% of the cost of the meal upfront and automates the invoicing of the remaining amount to the Care Provider. This service comes with no upfront cost and takes a percentage fee of sales. Due to their partnership model, they provide an additional level of support and assist with introductions and relationship building with your local Home Care Providers.
• Next step? Book a free demo 

This seems too difficult, how important is setting up for My Aged Care meal subsidies?

At 30 June 2023, over 250,000 Australians accessed Home Care Packages, a 20% increase from FY22 with increased growth to come [4]. As a Farm Door healthy meal stockist, if you are not already supporting this group, it will become imperative to set up your internal system to facilitate the My Aged Care and NDIS meal subsidies.

OK, I'm Interested. Take me to the HCP Stockist Support Materials?

What’s to come?

The introduction of the government’s Support at Home program is likely to alter the home care market from 2025 including easing entry barriers, increasing specialised service demand, and delivery of more focused services by existing providers. From 1 July 2025, the Support at Home program will replace the existing Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will transition to the new program no earlier than 1 July 2027.

FAQ's

1. What is the difference between NDIS and HCP?

The key difference is that the NDIS is designed to assist those between the ages of 7 and 65 years living with a disability, while Home Care Packages are for Australians over the age of 65 (or 50 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders) who require assistance to continue living in their own home. 

2. What is the Home Care Package (HCP) Program?

The HCP Program is part of the Australian Government’s continuum of care for older Australians. It addresses the level of need between the Commonwealth Home Support Package (which offers short term care and support services) and residential aged care (a high level of care in a residential aged care home). The HCP Program is designed to provide more coordinated care and services than the Commonwealth Program, but less intensive care than residential aged care.

3. Can I get Farm Door meals through my home care package?

If you are eligible for a meal subsidy, you can access Farm Door meals. We are working with our pharmacy stockists to facilitate processing the meal subsidies. You can find your closest stockist here or contact us for further support or a personal introduction. 

4. I’m looking for meals, how do I know if I’m eligible for the meal subsidy?

If you would like to explore whether you may be eligible for a Home Care Support Package (HCP) or NDIS support, or to find out some more information about meal subsidies, you can do so via contacting My Aged Care or NDIS.

[1] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australians/contents/demographic-profile 

[2] https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/aged-care/final-report

[3] https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/healthy-diet

[4] https://kpmg.com/au/en/home/insights/2024/06/aged-care-market-analysis.html