EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Ageing
Aged Care Act 1997
Determination under Subsection 44-14(6)
Aged Care (Residential Care Subsidy – Amount of Enteral Feeding Supplement) Determination 2009 (No. 1)
The Aged Care Act 1997 (the Act) provides for the funding of aged care services. Persons who are approved under the Act to provide residential aged care services can be eligible to receive subsidy payments in respect of the care they provide to approved care recipients.
Paragraph 44-14(6)(a) of the Act provides that the Minister may determine by legislative instrument the amount of the enteral feeding supplement. Paragraph 44-14(6)(b) of the Act provides that the Minister may determine by legislative instrument 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.
This determination sets the enteral feeding rates at $15.06 (for bolus) and $16.91 (for non bolus) with effect from 1 July 2009 and revokes Determination ACA Ch. 3 No. 14/2008, Legislative instrument F2008L02231.
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.
Consultation
As the indexation of the supplement uses a well established formula based on the consumer price index published by the Australian Statistician, and is in accordance with policy upon which extensive consultation was undertaken, no specific consultation was undertaken with respect to this instrument.
Information about the increase in the amount of the supplement will be disseminated via print and electronic media to approved providers.