What Are My Aged Care Referral Codes?

What Are My Aged Care Referral Codes?

After an aged care assessment, you may be told that you need a referral code before a provider can begin organising services.

For many families, this creates another layer of confusion. The assessment has been completed, support may have been approved, and a provider may already have been shortlisted. But now there is a code that needs to be found, understood and given to the right organisation.

A My Aged Care referral code is not a discount code, payment number or general account password. It connects an approved aged care referral with the provider chosen to deliver the service.

Key Takeaway

Keep referral codes secure and only give them to a provider when you are comfortable moving forward. The code allows the provider to access information needed to accept the referral and begin service setup.

Why Referral Codes Exist

Referral codes connect the assessment outcome with the next stage of aged care support.

They help confirm that the older person has been assessed and approved for the relevant service or care pathway.

Without that connection, a provider may know that the family wants support but may not be able to access the referral information required to begin government-funded services.

What Can A Provider Do With The Referral Code?

Once the code is given to the chosen provider, the provider can use it to access relevant information in the My Aged Care system.

Where Do You Find A Referral Code?

Referral information may appear in the assessment outcome documents provided after the assessment.

For Support at Home, My Aged Care says the referral code is included in the Notice of Decision letter. Referral codes may also be available through the person’s My Aged Care Online Account.

Depending on the aged care program, referral codes may also be listed in the support plan.

Do You Receive One Code Or Several Codes?

This can depend on the aged care program and the services approved.

Under the Commonwealth Home Support Program, a person may receive a separate referral code for each service they are eligible to access.

For Support at Home, the person gives the referral code from their Notice of Decision to the provider they have chosen. The provider can then view the assessment information and support plan and begin developing a care plan.

Read the assessment outcome carefully rather than assuming every referral code works in the same way.

Is A Referral Code The Same As A Support Plan?

No.

The support plan describes assessed needs, goals, recommended services and the next steps identified after assessment.

The referral code is the reference used to connect the approved referral with a provider.

Should You Give The Code To Every Provider You Contact?

No. You do not need to hand over the referral code simply to ask general questions or compare providers.

You can first ask providers about:

• service availability
• worker capacity
• prices and contributions
• preferred schedules
• worker continuity
• cultural or language requirements
• when services could begin

For Support at Home, My Aged Care advises giving the referral code after you are comfortable with a provider and have decided to access its services.

Is The Referral Code Private?

The referral code should be treated as sensitive information.

It allows a provider to access information associated with the assessment and support plan. Families should avoid publishing it, sending it broadly or leaving it in an unsecured location.

Before giving the code to an organisation, confirm that you are dealing with the intended approved provider.

Does Giving The Code Mean You Must Use That Provider?

Giving a provider the referral code allows the provider to view and accept the referral and begin organising services.

It should therefore happen after the person has made a considered provider choice.

Before proceeding, make sure the provider has explained:

What Happens After A Provider Receives The Code?

The referral code does not complete the service setup by itself.

After the provider accesses and accepts the referral, there are still practical decisions to make.

What If The Referral Code Does Not Work?

If the provider says the code is unavailable, inactive or cannot be used, do not assume the person has lost their aged care approval.

First confirm that:

• the correct code has been provided
• the code relates to the relevant service or program
• the referral has not already been accepted elsewhere
• the assessment outcome is still current
• the provider is approved to deliver the relevant service

Contact My Aged Care if the issue cannot be resolved.

What If You Lose The Referral Code?

The code may be available through the person’s My Aged Care Online Account.

Referral codes can be viewed in the services section of the account. My Aged Care can also provide help if the code cannot be located.

Keep the code with the Notice of Decision, support plan and provider records so the family does not need to search for it later.

What If You Change Providers?

A referral code may need to be reactivated or transferred before a new provider can use it.

My Aged Care says referral codes can be found or reactivated through the Online Account. Assistance is also available by calling My Aged Care.

Do not give a new provider an old code and assume the transfer will happen automatically.

What If The Assessor Has Already Sent The Referral?

In some aged care pathways, the assessor may send a referral directly to a provider with the older person’s consent.

The provider may then contact the person about starting services.

This does not remove the need to understand who the provider is, what it can deliver and whether the proposed arrangement is suitable.

If the person wants to choose a different provider, contact My Aged Care or discuss the available options with the assessor.

Common Referral Code Mistakes

What You May Really Be Trying To Decide

The surface question is:

What are My Aged Care referral codes?

But the deeper decision is usually:

When should we give the code to a provider, and what are we committing to when we do?

That is the real implementation issue. The code is simple. The provider decision and the service setup around it require more care.

Decision Support: Before You Share A Referral Code

Pause and confirm that the provider decision is ready to move forward.

Related Old Age Plan Articles

Next Steps With Old Age Plan

FAQ

Summary

A My Aged Care referral code connects an approved aged care referral with the provider chosen to deliver services. It allows the provider to view relevant assessment information, access the support plan, accept the referral and begin organising care.

Families should compare providers before sharing the code. Confirm service availability, costs, worker capacity and the practical setup process so the referral connects to a provider that can deliver suitable and reliable support.

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Disclaimer