Australia's federal government is facing mounting pressure over an automated algorithm used to allocate home care funding to elderly Australians, after documents revealed that advocacy groups and assessors were quietly advising dementia patients not to seek reassessments for fear of losing existing support. The Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), introduced in November, has been found to systematically under-assess people with complex needs — including those with dementia and Parkinson's disease — with cases documented where funding was reduced or denied despite worsening conditions and clinical recommendations for more care. Advocacy organisation Opan has warned that the system's "over-reliance on automated decision-making" has contributed to preventable deterioration and deaths, while the Commonwealth Ombudsman has launched an investigation; the government has proposed a new escalation pathway to a senior departmental official rather than restoring direct clinical override powers.