Many care providers try to grow by adding new services.
The providers that scale fastest take a different approach. Instead of changing what they deliver, they expand where the same care is funded.
Across Australia, government-funded care schemes such as NDIS, Aged Care, DVA and CTP collectively represent tens of billions of dollars in approved, ongoing funding. Yet many providers operate in only one scheme, despite already having the workforce, systems, and service capability to operate across others.
In practice, these care schemes fund many of the same supports. What changes is who pays, how referrals flow, and how compliance is structured.
As Regulatory Growth Consultants, we help businesses enter and scale highly regulated industries. Instead of changing what providers deliver, we help them expand where the same care is already funded across multiple government-backed schemes.
Understanding Revenue Across Government-Funded Care Schemes
Care-based government funding systems are often viewed as separate markets. In reality, they sit alongside each other, funding similar services for different populations under different regulatory frameworks.
For providers, this overlap creates opportunity. Scaling does not require reinventing service delivery, it requires understanding regulation and aligning systems accordingly.
NDIS: Australia’s Largest Funded Care Market
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the largest government-funded care scheme in Australia. Valued at over $52.3 billion, the scheme supports more than 750,000 participants annually.
Revenue-generating supports commonly include:
- In-home and community supports
- Nursing and complex care
- Allied health services
Funding is established and ongoing. However, compliance pressure has resulted in many smaller providers exiting the scheme, creating space for capable, well-structured operators.
Entry is regulated and compliance is mandatory — but this regulatory barrier is precisely what enables sustainable revenue for providers who build correctly within the system.
At HCPA, we support NDIS providers to stabilise compliance, strengthen governance, and prepare for expansion beyond the NDIS. For many organisations, the goal is not more NDIS participants, it’s using an established NDIS operating model as a foundation to enter adjacent schemes such as Aged Care, DVA, and CTP.
Aged Care: High Demand and Limited Supply
The Australian Government spends more than $36 billion per year on aged care, with over $11 billion allocated to home-based services.
High-revenue service areas include:
- Personal and in-home care
- Nursing and wound care
- Allied health and functional supports
Care is rapidly shifting out of residential facilities and into the home. Despite this demand, there are fewer than 950 approved home care providers nationwide, creating a significant supply gap.
For providers already delivering similar supports under other schemes, aged care presents one of the clearest pathways to scalable, long-term revenue.
At HCPA, we work with providers to assess eligibility, restructure systems, and align policies so existing workforces and services can operate under aged care funding without duplicating delivery models.
DVA: Predictable Funding Through Structured Referrals
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) supports over 340,000 veterans and dependents, backed by $12.8 billion in annual funding.
Revenue-generating services include:
- Community nursing
- In-home supports
- Allied health services
While smaller than NDIS in scale, DVA offers highly structured referrals and predictable fees. Referrals flow through GPs, hospitals, and discharge planners, creating consistency and long-term demand.
For providers able to meet compliance and referral requirements, DVA remains one of the most under-utilised high-revenue care schemes.
HCPA supports organisations to establish DVA approvals, referral pathways, and billing systems so predictable funding can be accessed without operational disruption.
CTP: Fully Funded Treatment and Rehabilitation
Compulsory Third Party (CTP) schemes fund treatment and rehabilitation following motor vehicle accidents, representing more than $10 billion per year nationally.
Commonly funded services include:
- Allied health
- Rehabilitation
- Functional and capacity-based supports
Once approved, treatment is fully funded and referrals are structured. Many services delivered under NDIS or DVA are also funded through CTP — but accessed through a different referral pathway that remains under-utilised by many providers.
Our role is to help providers identify these overlaps and align registration, insurer engagement, and compliance so the same services can be delivered through additional fully funded pathways.
Case Study: Scaling Revenue Across Multiple Care Schemes
A clear example of scaling across high-revenue care schemes is Five Good Friends.
Rather than adding new services, they focused on redeploying the same care model across multiple funding systems, supported by strong systems and governance.
How Revenue Was Scaled
Start with one funded scheme
They began in Aged Care, delivering in-home support with a consistent workforce and care model.
Identify adjacent schemes funding the same supports
They expanded into:
- NDIS
- DVA
- Other insurers and privately funded pathways
This unlocked new revenue streams without changing service delivery.
Adjust compliance, not services
Policies, procedures, billing, and reporting were aligned to each scheme, while care delivery remained consistent.
Leverage the same workforce across systems
Operating across multiple schemes increased workforce utilisation and reduced reliance on a single funding source.
Scale nationally through repeatable systems
By standardising onboarding, training and governance, the model supported national expansion.
By 2024–25, this approach generated:
- $90+ million in annual revenue
- A national footprint across multiple government-funded care schemes
This approach mirrors what we see across high-performing providers we work with at HCPA, where growth is driven by regulatory alignment, not service diversification.
Regulation as a Revenue Enabler
The highest-revenue care schemes are also the most regulated.
This is not a disadvantage — it is an opportunity.
Regulation creates approved funding, controlled referrals, and long-term demand. Providers who understand how to move through the regulatory wall are able to access scale that is simply not available in unregulated markets. This is what we define as Regulatory Growth, using regulation as a growth advantage rather than a limitation. At HCPA, Regulatory Growth is the discipline of helping organisations move through the regulatory wall so approved funding, controlled referrals, and long-term demand become accessible and scalable.
Where the Opportunity Sits
For providers already operating in one government-funded scheme, growth often comes not from doing more, but from doing the same thing across additional regulated systems.
The biggest opportunities in care are not found in unregulated spaces. They sit behind the regulated wall, where funding is approved, demand is ongoing, and scale is sustainable.
At HCPA, we help organisations enter and scale highly regulated industries by turning regulatory complexity into structured growth. Our vision is to open the world’s hardest industries to everybody, starting with providers ready to build within the rules.
Stay informed on this initiative and more by exploring the latest industry insights on the HCPA blog. Let’s work together to elevate aged care for all Australians.
HCPA is an all-in-one solution for FCP providers. We help businesses enter and scale highly regulated industries by turning regulation into a growth advantage. Contact us here or call 03 9084 7472 to learn how we can help you succeed.
