EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
AGED CARE ACT 1997
SECTION 44-14
DETERMINATION OF RATES OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
(ACA Ch. 3 No. 11/2007)
ENTERAL FEEDING SUPPLEMENT
Paragraph 44-14(6)(a) of the Aged Care Act 1997 (the Act) provides that the Minister may determine in writing the amount of the enteral feeding supplement. Paragraph 44-14(6)(b) of the Act provides that the Minister may determine a method for working out the amount of enteral feeding supplement for a particular day.
The enteral feeding supplement is a daily supplement for care recipients receiving a complete food formula by means of a nasogastric, gastronomy or jejeunostomy tube. This determination sets the daily rates for bolus and non bolus feeding to be paid.
The determination also outlines a method for calculating the amount of enteral feeding supplement to be paid where the actual cost to the approved provider of administering enteral feeding to the care recipient is equal to, or more than, 125% of the daily rate.
This determination sets the enteral feeding rate with effect from 1 July 2007.
All residential care supplement rates are indexed on 1 July each year. The index for the enteral feeding supplement is based on the Consumer Price Index.
Consultation
As the indexation of this supplement uses a well established formula for indexation, no specific consultation with industry was undertaken with respect to this instrument.