Your parent's level decides how much covered service the monthly budget allows, so it shapes every plan the care manager can build. Needs change, especially after a fall or hospital stay, and the level can be revisited when they do. The error is treating the first result as permanent. If the parent has clearly declined, ask the care manager about requesting a re-assessment rather than absorbing the gap privately.
Monthly limits by level
Each care level carries a monthly ceiling for home and community services. Care level 1 allows 16,765 units and level 2 allows 19,705. Level 3 allows 27,048, level 4 allows 30,938 and level 5 allows 36,217.
At roughly ¥10 per unit, level 3 buys about ¥270,000 of services a month. A parent on the 10% rate pays about ¥27,000 of that. Units used above the ceiling are charged in full and fall outside the high-cost refund, which makes an over-budget plan the most expensive kind of overspend.
What each level opens
New admission to a special nursing home generally needs care level 3 or above. People at levels 1 and 2 can be admitted as exceptions when living at home has become extremely difficult.
Rental of care beds and wheelchairs is generally available from care level 2. Home help, day service, short stays and geriatric health facilities are open from care level 1.
A level is not fixed. After a hospital stay or a fall, the care manager can apply for a change before the certification expires.
Budgeting from overseas
The monthly bill follows one pattern: units used, times the local unit price, times the co-payment rate. Lunch at day centers and the meal and room charges at short stays and facilities come on top. Households with low income can have meal and room charges reduced.
The cost simulator runs these numbers for a chosen level. The article on what insurance does not cover lists the extras families most often miss.
Related terms
- 要介護認定（youkaigo nintei）— care-need certification
- 区分変更（kubun henkou）— level change request
- 単位（tan'i）— units
Where to go next
This word will come back at the home assessment or in the first care plan. The full Japanese elder care glossary holds 54 terms, and the long-term care insurance guide shows where each one sits in the process.
If you would rather someone handled the Japanese side, our care navigation service does that, and the first consultation is 30 minutes and free. Definitions here are general orientation and rules vary by municipality; see our editorial policy or contact us with your situation.