what is the general % adjustment fees a residential facility takes from RAD.
I thought legally all RAD payment refunded, this has not been my recent experience.
Hi Kamasabi,
We agree that does sound a little unusual. Hopefully it is a case of miscommunication. If at all possible, find your agreement which will takes form in the residential and/ or accommodation agreement. Sometimes these two agreements are combined into one. Having this agreement with you is key. Whatever the nursing home charges, it must be made clear in this agreement. It is the contract between the person in care and the place that is taking care of them. If you don’t have it, the nursing home should have a copy of it. Read through this agreement and if there are parts that are not clear to you, mark them out for the nursing home to explain. Catching a Manager on the run when you happen to visit the nursing home can be difficult. Call the nursing home and ask to book a time in advance to have a meeting with the Manager. Bring a copy of your agreement with you along with copies of the statements you are querying. Document and. Document what happened when you tried to set up the meeting. Document what happened at the meeting or why the meeting didn’t happen. If you really get nowhere with this process you now have your ducks in a row to contact the complaints commissioner. There is a number for the Complaints Scheme which is 1800 550 552. You might want to call them to check any details you are unsure of. You can also read more about making a complaint here on our website here. Ideally you want to sort out what is happening without having to lodge a formal complaint. Fingers crossed it is a simple case of a misunderstanding.
I understand there may be extras however extras ie: hairdresser, podiatry, social outings were paid separately each monthly account. I would think that a deduction would require being itemised on statements however my requests for that particular information are not being answered. Statements read balance $x amount then deduction $x amount which is exact same amount down to the last cent. I query then that whatever the balance may have been it would appear would then be the deduction (down to the last cent), how am I able to get an answer from the care facility to why and for what that amount was deducted. As I said I have already asked verbally and in writing without an answer to that query.
Hi Kamasabi,
Thank you for your question. RADs as you probably know are a Refundable Accommodation Deposit. You’re right to have the understanding that a RAD must be refunded. This is completely true. In fact, they are government backed to ensure they are paid. You may also know, there are other fees in aged care. Typically there is the basic daily fee, the means-tested fee, the accommodation fee (which the RAD is part of) and for some nursing homes, there is also an extra services fee. The extra services fees are different in every nursing home and could be for individual things like having pay TV, to have alcohol included during dinner time. At higher end nursing homes they may have added facilities like an onsite hairdresser, communal chickens, an extensive recreational therapy program or special occasion things like a musician coming in to play the piano for everyone. Whatever the agreed special service fee, it will be outlined and agreed in your residential a reason I have explained the extra services fee is that some people decide instead of paying the extra service fee on top of their RAD, they have agreed to have this fee deducted from their RAD with the understanding that the RAD will deplete over time. When the person leaves the nursing home, then they receive their RAD back, less the extra services that have been deducted. This isn’t limited to the extra service fee but any fee that is agreed to and outlined in your agreement. This is something that is completely legitimate but should be outlined in the residential and accommodation agreement. It sounds like in your case, something like the above may have occurred.
Thanks,
The Agedcare101 Team