Referrals are accepted from any source in the community, including doctors, domiciliary services, social workers, hospitals, the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), another HACC service, carers, relatives, friends, neighbours or even the person him/herself. The referrer will be asked for information that is necessary in determining the applicant's eligibility for service. All HACC services should be using a common form - the Client Information and Referral Record (CIaRR) - for referrals.

An assessment is then used to determine the extent of need that person has for assistance. Most assessments are conducted in the applicant's home and s/he can request an advocate or interpreter to be present. HACC services receive government funding and most services charge service users a proportion of the cost. However, the fees policy must be fully explained to the applicant and no person is to be denied service if they cannot afford to pay. Of course, this is subject to the availability of funds in the service to subsidise this amount.