FOI 27-3532 – Ministerial advice re IAT algorithm

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 21 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This FOI release is a Department-initiated information brief (MB25-002554, dated 29 October 2025) to Minister Rae, copied to Minister Butler, on the "urgent" issue of assessor override of Support at Home (SaH) classifications under the Single Assessment System. The brief explains that from 1 November 2025 an algorithm, developed from 22,000 participant assessments in the April-August 2023 live trial of the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), will recommend whether a person needs CHSP or SaH and the specific SaH level. Although public statements and guidance had indicated assessors could override the recommendation, the brief states the Aged Care Rules 2025 allow overrides only for short-term pathways (Restorative Care, End-of-Life) and residential care, not SaH classifications. The Department plans to say so in the updated Aged Care Assessment Manual and to hold a meeting with assessment organisations in the week of 3 November 2025. Much of the text is redacted under s47E(d) and s47C.