Essential Medical Equipment Payment

Eligibility

You may be eligible for this payment if you or the person in your regular care at home:

• are covered by a Commonwealth concession card issued by us or the Department of Veterans' Affairs
• provide proof that the heating or cooling or specified equipment is medically required
• are responsible, either wholly or partly, for meeting the energy costs associated with running the equipment

Proof

For medically required heating or cooling this proof has to be certification from a Medical Practitioner.

For specified equipment, this proof can be certification from a Medical Practitioner or evidence that the essential medical equipment currently qualifies for assistance under one of the state or territory government schemes, or the Department of Veterans' Affairs Rehabilitation Appliances Program.

You may need to prove that you, or the person you care for, contribute to the payment of the home energy account.

Equipment and medical conditions that attract a payment

Equipment

Only eligible equipment will attract an Essential Medical Equipment Payment.

Eligible equipment includes:

• home dialysis machine
• home ventilator
• home respirator
• home parenteral or enteral feeding device
• oxygen concentrator
• heart pump
• suction pump
• infant apnoea monitor - prescribed by a medical practitioner following apnoeic episodes
• nebuliser - used daily
• positive airways pressure device
• phototherapy equipment
• airbed vibrator
• electric wheelchair
• insulin pump

To be eligible, a form of energy, such as electricity, natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, diesel, heating oil, petrol or kerosene, must power the equipment. Non rechargeable batteries do not meet this requirement.

These items (except electric wheelchairs) currently attract subsidies under the various state and territory government life support equipment subsidy schemes.

If an item is not listed it will not attract an Essential Medical Equipment Payment.

Alternative names for essential medical equipment

Some essential medical equipment is known by alternative names.

 Please find more information on the Department of Human Services website HERE

 Application forms can be found HERE