If you disagree with your aged care assessment decision, you can ask the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing for a free internal review. You will usually need to apply within 28 days of receiving your Notice of Decision. Your written request should explain what you disagree with and why you think the decision should change. A review is different from updating your care arrangements: if your needs have changed since your assessment, contact My Aged Care about a support plan review or reassessment instead.
Key Takeaways
- You have 28 days to ask for an internal review if you disagree with your aged care assessment decision.
- Check your Notice of Decision for instructions for requesting a review.
- Be specific about the decision you want reviewed and your reasons for disagreeing.
- Include any new information or supporting documents you want considered.
- If you still disagree after the internal review, you may be able to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for an external review.
An aged care assessment is meant to identify the support you need. But sometimes the outcome does not reflect what day-to-day life is really like. Your letter may approve less support than you expected or it may contain information you believe is wrong. If that happens, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed.
How Long Do You Have to Request an Aged Care Assessment Review?
You usually have 28 days to ask for a review of your assessment decision, starting from the day you receive your Notice of Decision. This is not the date of your assessment or the date the decision was made, so note when the notice arrived and keep that information with your review paperwork. If the date printed on the letter is different, keep a record of both.
You need to submit your request within the 28-day period, but the review itself does not need to be completed by then.
When Should You Request an Aged Care Assessment Review?
An internal review may be the right step if you disagree with an assessment decision, such as your eligibility for aged care services or your Support at Home classification. The Department will consider whether the correct decision was made based on your circumstances, the available information and the law. Your Notice of Decision should explain which decisions you can challenge and what review rights apply.
When preparing your request, explain what you believe was missed or recorded incorrectly and how it affected the decision. For example, important details about your personal care needs, mobility, memory or need for supervision may not have been fully considered. Be specific about those details so the Department can understand what you want reviewed and why.
What If Your Needs Have Changed?
If your care needs have changed since the assessment, contact My Aged Care and ask about a support plan review. This looks at whether your current plan still meets your needs.
A support plan review may help if you now need more services, your goals have changed or the person who was providing informal care can no longer do so.
After reviewing your support plan, the assessor may:
- Keep the existing plan if it still meets your needs
- Update your plan
- Arrange a reassessment if your circumstances have changed significantly.
An internal review and a support plan review are not the same thing. An internal review looks again at a decision. A support plan review checks whether your current support is still suitable.
You can still provide new information as part of an internal review. You are not restricted to the information given at your original assessment.
Does the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) Affect Your Review Rights?
No. You can still ask for an internal review if you disagree with an aged care assessment decision made using the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT).
Assessors use the IAT to gather information about your needs and circumstances. For Support at Home, an automated process applies the relevant aged care rules to this information to determine your classification and priority level.
If you disagree with the outcome, follow the review instructions in your Notice of Decision. A departmental reviewer checks whether your assessment answers were recorded correctly and may ask you for more information. They can leave the original decision unchanged, change it or make a new one.
Reviews can make a difference. Figures presented at Senate Estimates in June 2026 showed that 606 Support at Home review requests had been finalised. The original decision was changed or overturned in 132 cases and upheld in 92 cases. Another 215 requests were withdrawn and 102 could not proceed because they did not meet the legal requirements for a review.
What Should You Check First?
Start by reading your Notice of Decision alongside your support plan. Pinpoint the decision you disagree with, then look at the reasons given for it.
Check the following:
- The date printed on the notice
- The date you received it
- The decision you want reviewed
- The reasons given for that decision
- Any relevant eligibility, classification or priority outcome
- Information you believe is incorrect or incomplete
- The instructions for requesting a review
If you are helping a parent or partner, go through the documents together if you can. Highlight anything that needs correcting and make notes about what you want the reviewer to consider.
How to Request an Internal Review
The formal name for this process is reconsideration, although it is commonly called an internal review. You need to apply in writing and explain why you want the decision reviewed.
You can use the My Aged Care Request for an Internal Review of a Decision form, but you do not have to. You can also write your own request.
Send your request to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing using the contact details below.
Email: agedcarereviews@health.gov.au
Post:
Review of Decisions Section
Regulatory Systems, Safeguards and Reviews Branch
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
GPO Box 9848
Adelaide SA 5001
Keep copies of your request, all supporting documents and any confirmation that the Department received them.
What to Include in Your Request
Make it easy for the reviewer to see which decision you want reconsidered and why. Point out what you believe is wrong or missing and explain how it relates to the care you need.
It may help to include:
- A copy of your Notice of Decision
- The date you received it
- The specific decision you want reviewed
- Your reasons for requesting the review
- Examples of the help you need day to day
- Relevant information from your general practitioner, specialist or allied health professional
- Details of falls, safety concerns or supervision needs
- Any new information you want considered
You do not need to use legal language. Describe the help you need, how often you need it and what you believe the original decision failed to take into account.
What Happens After You Apply?
According to My Aged Care, the Department aims to acknowledge your request within 14 days of receiving it.
The internal reviewer generally has 90 days to reconsider the decision. Time spent waiting for further information may not count towards that period, so the process will not always take exactly 90 days.
The reviewer may confirm the original decision, change it or make a new one. You will receive the outcome in writing, along with information about any further review rights.
What If You Miss the Deadline?
The usual deadline is 28 days after you receive your Notice of Decision. However, the legislation allows the decision-maker to accept a late request. An extension is not guaranteed.
If you have missed the deadline, apply as soon as you can. Ask for extra time and explain why you could not submit your request within 28 days.
You still need to identify the decision, explain why you disagree with it and include any supporting information. Explaining the delay does not replace explaining why the decision should change.
Can You Take the Review Further?
If you disagree with the internal review outcome, you may be able to ask the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) to conduct an external review.
Read your reconsideration outcome letter carefully. It should explain whether the decision can be reviewed by the ART, how to apply and the deadline that applies.
Most applications must be lodged within 28 days of receiving the decision, although some decisions have different time limits. Check the deadline in your outcome letter rather than assuming it is the same as the deadline for requesting the original internal review.
There is no application fee for an ART review of the aged care assessment decisions covered here, including certain eligibility, access approval and classification decisions. You can check the ART’s current fee information before applying.
What to Do Next
If you would like the decision reviewed:
- Find your Notice of Decision and note the date you received it.
- Identify the exact decision you disagree with.
- Explain why you think the decision should change.
- Gather any information that supports your case.
- Send your written request within the usual 28-day period.
If your needs have changed, contact My Aged Care about a support plan review. If you are challenging the original decision, follow the internal review instructions in your notice.
Compare Your Aged Care Options
Once you have an approval, the next step is to find a provider that offers the services you need.
Aged Care Decisions can prepare a free Options Report to help you compare home care providers based on your needs, location and preferences. We can help you explore your options, but formal reviews of aged care decisions are handled by the Department and ART.
Request your free Options Report to compare suitable aged care providers with current availability.
Can You Appeal an Aged Care Assessment Decision?
Yes. If your aged care assessment decision carries review rights, you can ask for a free internal review. Your Notice of Decision should tell you which decisions can be challenged and how to apply.
How Long Do You Have to Request a Review?
You will usually have 28 days from the date you receive your Notice of Decision. The decision-maker can allow more time, but an extension is not automatic.
Can You Provide New Information?
Yes. You can include new information and supporting documents with your request. Explain how they relate to the decision you want reconsidered.
Is a Review the Same as a Reassessment?
No. An internal review takes another look at a decision. A support plan review checks whether your current plan still meets your needs. If your circumstances have changed significantly, a reassessment may follow.
Does Using the IAT Prevent a Review?
No. Using the Integrated Assessment Tool does not remove your right to request an internal review of a decision that can be reviewed.
How Long Does an Internal Review Take?
The internal reviewer generally has 90 days to reconsider the decision. Time spent obtaining more information may not count towards that period.
What If You Still Disagree?
You may be able to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal for an external review. Your reconsideration outcome letter should explain your review rights, how to apply and the deadline.
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