Read about OTA policy and advocacy updates and developments this week.

Survey - Aged Care Indicative Pricing

Support at Home will commence from 1 November 2025 following a delay to its original start date of 1 July 2025. It will replace the existing Home Care Packages (HCP) and the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) programs.

Guidance material available for the pricing of Support at Home services currently states that: ‘a billable unit of service will be time based and will be the face-to-face time (or time spent on a telehealth appointment, if appropriate) spent with a participant’. The new pricing model is very different to the current aged care approach where occupational therapists can charge for their client attributable time irrespective of whether that is face-to-face or non-face to face.

OTA is seeking feedback from OTs providing in-home services to older people to understand how these changes will affect your business or role, the sustainability of services, and the impact on the people you support. Your insights will help our advocacy efforts to address these issues and ensure prices set in the future cover the true costs of delivering services.

Take the survey here.

Clarity on charging for kilometres for NDIS travel

Following questions from OTA members, we have sought clarification from the NDIA on charging for vehicle costs. Under the NDIA price guide (PAPL), a provider can charge for non-salary costs that may be incurred during travel for face-to-face services such as road tolls, parking fees and the running costs of a vehicle. The PAPL says that charging for ‘up to $0.99 a kilometre’ for vehicle costs ‘would be reasonable’.

In August 2025 OTA sought confirmation from NDIA that providers can charge above $0.99 per kilometre and received the following from the NDIA Pricing team:

I can confirm that the kilometre rate is guidance only, and the PAPL does not cap claiming for kilometres at .99c/km. If a provider incurs costs when travelling to deliver face-to-face supports to a participant that are in addition to the cost of a worker’s time, they may negotiate with the participant for them to make a reasonable contribution towards these costs. This includes things such as road tolls, parking fees and the running costs of the vehicle.

It is important to note that before NDIS supports are delivered, participants and providers must agree on the service and the price. The NDIA recommends having a written service agreement, so participants and providers are clear about what each party has agreed to.

Providers should only claim for supports that were provided. They cannot claim for more than what was provided or charging more than agreed for the supports provided. Providers also cannot ask NDIS participants to pay more than people who are not NDIS participants for the same support or service unless they have a good reason.

OTA disappointed allied health not part of boost to rural and regional aged care workforce

OTA is disappointed allied health left out of $31 million rural and regional aged care workforce boost.

This funding was announced by Minister for Aged Care, Sam Rae and we are deeply concerned that OT and allied health services have once again been overlooked.

While funding will attract more personal care workers and nurses, there’s no support to address the critical OT and allied health workforce shortages - shortages that impact older Australians’ ability to live independently, stay safe at home, and maintain their wellbeing.

OTA will be writing to the Minister to raise these concerns and advocate for the essential role OTs and allied health professionals play in aged care.

Fore more information on this announcement click here

Senate Committee Inquiry on Aged Care Service Delivery

Independent Senator David Pocock and Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne are leading an Inquiry into Aged Care Service Delivery being undertaken by the Community Affairs References following their calls for the release of additional Home Care Packages before the introduction of the new Act on 1 November 2025.

OTA is making a submission to the Inquiry, focussing on our concerns about the impacts of the Home Modifications lifetime cap, and the implementation of Indicative Pricing, for the provision of services to older people and the sustainability of OT businesses.

Submissions to the Inquiry close on 22 August 2025.