The Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) provides a payment to help with some of the costs of your continence products.
About CAPS
CAPS is an Australian Government program. It provides a payment to eligible people, to help with some of the costs of buying continence products.
Why it is important
CAPS is important because more than 4.8 million Australians have a bladder or bowel problem. CAPS help you reduce the costs of buying continence products from a supplier of your choice.
Eligibility
You need to meet all the eligibility requirements to get CAPS. The basic requirements are that you:
- have permanent and severe incontinence
- have an eligible neurological condition or eligible other condition that is the cause of your permanent and severe incontinence
- be 5 years or older
- be an Australian citizen.
You may not be able to get CAPS if you don’t meet eligibility.
How to apply for CAPS
There are 4 steps in applying for CAPS:
- Get ready to apply – this includes getting a copy of the Application Guidelines and Application Form.
- Get your doctor or health professional to complete their part of the form.
- Submit your application.
- Wait for the result.
There are a few ways to get a CAPS application form. You can:
- download an Application Guidelines and Application Form
- request a paper copy of the application form by contacting National Mailing & Marketing
- call the Continence Helpline or the CAPS team for a copy
You may need to provide extra documents. When you fill in the form it will tell you what these are.
CAPS payment
The CAPS payment rate for 2022–23 is $650.40. The payment may increase or decrease a little every year following the Government’s budget process.
Your CAPS payment is paid into your choice of Australian bank account. The account can belong to:
- you
- the custodial parent of a child getting CAPS
- your legal or authorised nominee
CAPS payments aren’t included in your income tax calculations.
Managing your payment
Contact the CAPS Team if your circumstances change. If you don’t tell them about the changes, you may not get your payment. It could also mean you get overpaid and have to pay the money back.
You can also nominate someone to act on your behalf for anything related to CAPS.
Buying continence products
You can buy any continence products you need with CAPS. Ask your health professional about what types of products will best suit your needs.
The Continence Foundation of Australia has a list of products that may help you to choose the best product for you.
You can buy continence aids products:
- at supermarkets or pharmacies
- online or by phone
Your local health service can also stock continence products for you.
The Continence Foundation of Australia has a list of available suppliers. The National Continence Helpline can also help.
Who is involved
Services Australia administers CAPS. They process your application and make the payments.
Health is responsible for CAPS policy. We also manage communications about CAPS. We work with Services Australia on eligibility and payment issues and respond to policy enquiries.
Status
CAPS is an ongoing program funded by the Australian Government.
Contact
Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) team
Call the CAPS team to report a change in your circumstances or if you have questions about CAPS payments. The CAPS team is part of Services Australia and operates from 8.30am to 5pm (AEST) Monday to Friday.
National Continence Helpline
The National Continence Helpline is staffed by a team of continence nurse advisers and is available to anyone in Australia. It operates from 8am to 8pm (AEST) Monday to Friday.
National continence helpline
Medicare general enquiries
The Medicare general enquiries line is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
If you, or someone you know, provides care for a spouse or family member, you may be eligible for the Carer’s Supplement.
There are more than 2.7 million carers in Australia, or roughly one in every 10 people. Out of these, around 1.3 million are caring for an ageing parent, spouse or loved one.
Around one-third of carers would be considered primary carers, or carers who provide the majority of care for a person. More than two-thirds of primary carers are women.
There are several government supports available for carers, but one that is less well known is the Carer’s Supplement.
If you receive any of the following payments from the government – the Carer Payment, Carer Allowance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Partner Service Pension, DVA Carer Allowance or DVA Carer Service Pension – then you can receive the Carer’s Supplement of up to $600 per eligible person in your care.
Crucially, those who hold only a Carer Allowance Health Care Card are not eligible to receive the supplement. You must have received or been approved to receive one of the eligible payments before 1 July.
The supplement is an annual one-off payment to help with the costs of caring for an elderly person or a person with a disability or medical condition.
You don’t need to apply for the payment or do anything to get it. If you’re eligible, the government will pay this year’s supplement into your bank account between 5 July and 2 August.
The supplement amount is $600 for each eligible person in your care, on top of your regular payment, if you are the sole carer. If you share care with someone else, you will receive a reduced supplement amount based on how much care you provide.
If it gets to early August and you believe you should have received the supplement but haven’t, sign in to your myGov account and go to Centrelink.
From there, select Payments and claims, followed by Manage payments, then My payments to check to see if it’s been recorded as paid.
If it has, double check that the bank account details you supplied to Services Australia are correct. If the payment isn’t showing, call Services Australia’s disability, sickness and carers line on 132 717 between 8am and 5pm on weekdays.
After your assessment, your assessor will need to review the information and determine your eligibility. Once a decision is made, the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) will send you a letter.
The letter will contain:
- the assessment team’s decision on whether you are eligible
- the services you are eligible to receive
- the reasons and evidence supporting the decision
- a copy of your support plan developed during your assessment
I’m eligible – what’s next?
There is a lot of demand for Home Care Packages. So, although you are approved for a package, there may be a wait before one can be assigned to you.
Once you have received your approval letter, there are things you can do while you wait. You can start gathering information so that you’re prepared once you’re assigned a package:
- Find local Home Care Package providers
You can find local providers that meet your needs using the Find a provider tool or by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 for guidance.
- Look into the costs and fees
You may have to contribute towards the costs associated with your care and services.
Read more about Home Care Packages costs and fees.
How long should I expect to wait for an available package?
Packages are allocated fairly through the national priority system, based only on date of approval and priority for care. You are placed in the system from the date stated on your approval letter. Priority level Wait times Finding out your expected wait time
How can I get care sooner?
There are a few options you can explore if you want to get help earlier:The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)Non government-funded services
How will I know when my package is available?
You will receive a letter advising you to get ready
You will get this letter around three months before you receive your first package. Take this time to find an aged care provider that’s right for you. Look into the costs and arrange visits with them. If you’ve already found a provider, contact them now to confirm they have availability for you in coming months.
Read more about what to consider before choosing a Home Care Package provider.
You will receive a letter confirming you have been assigned a package
This letter includes your referral code, which your chosen provider uses to see your assessment information, support plan, and package level. See more information about referral codes below.
You have 56 days from the date of your letter to enter into a Home Care Agreement with your chosen provider. If you do not enter into a Home Care Agreement within that period, your package will expire. It will then be allocated to the next person on the national priority system.
If you can’t find a suitable provider during this time, you can call My Aged Care and ask for an extension of 28 days.
Read more on our Connecting with Home Care Package providers page.
What is a referral code and why do I need it?
A referral code is your unique reference number for receiving services. You give the referral code to your chosen provider. If you lose your code, you can log in to your My Aged Care Online Account to see it. With the code, a provider can view your client record, accept the referral, and start organising services for you.
What if I don’t want my Home Care Package now?
That’s okay. You may not need your Home Care Package right now. For example, you could:
- be managing at home without a Home Care Package, or
- have friends and family currently helping you at home.
If you don’t need your Home Care Package just yet, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to let them know. Informing My Aged Care means another person in need of urgent care can be provided with the next available package.
I’m not eligible – what can I do?
If you aren’t eligible for a Home Care Package, you will receive a letter from your assessor that will tell you why.
There are other options available.
- You may be eligible for other government-funded aged care services. If you are, your letter will include a support plan outlining this information.
- If you’re not eligible for other services, you may want to look at aged care providers that aren’t government-funded.
- If you are under 65 years old, you may want to explore your eligibility with the National Disability and Insurance Scheme (NDIS). You can do this through an NDIS Access Request. Call NDIS on 1800 800 110 (toll-free) for more information.
If you have any questions about the assessment process, including the assessment team’s decision, there are actions you can take:
- Discuss your concerns with your assessor. This is usually the best way to resolve any issues. You can have a friend or relative help with this if you wish.
- Request a review of the decision, free of charge. Information about how to do this will be included in your letter. You can also find out more information on the Contact us page.
