Medical transport

What is medical transport

Medical transport means transport by land, water or air to attend medical treatment.

Eligibility conditions for medical transport

The medical treatment you require transport for must meet the following 2 eligibility conditions:

• Condition 1 – you or your dependant require medical treatment for one of the following reasons
  • treating a life-threatening illness or injury
  • alleviating acute or chronic pain
  • alleviating an acute or chronic mental illness.
• Condition 2 – you have no other means to pay for transport to attend your or your dependent's medical treatment.

We will only approve the most cost efficient and reasonable medical transport option available.

Where the medical transport expense has already been paid by borrowing money, you or your dependent still need to have met these criteria for the travel. You also need to meet the additional eligibility criteria for the borrowed amount.

If you also need to access your super to pay for medical treatment, you can apply for medical transport in the same application.

Expenses that may be eligible

Medical transport expenses that may be eligible include:

• public transport, such as a bus, train or ferry
• government or non-government providers offering medical transportation services on a fee-for-service basis
• hire car, private taxi, or ride share
• domestic flights, international flights or air ambulance
• ambulance
• goods or services directly associated with travelling somewhere to obtain medical treatment, such as the cost of fuel, road tolls or parking
• purchasing a vehicle (new or second hand) if
  • its primary use (at least 60%) will be for medical transport
  • other means of transport can't reasonably be used.

When assessing your application, we'll consider the:

• frequency of required medical treatment
• period in which the treatment is required
• distance to treatment locations
• whether there are less expensive options to meet your medical transport needs
• other information provided.

Expenses that are not eligible

Expenses that are not eligible include:

• transport that is mainly for personal reasons, such as accommodating a large family or holiday expenses
• difficulty paying a loan for a vehicle which was not bought for medical transport purposes
• costs of vehicle options, such as tinted windows or metallic paint, unless they are specifically required for medical reasons
• unreasonable costs, for example, first class flight tickets when you or your dependant can fly economy.

Evidence for the expense

You must provide the following:

• Quotes or invoices that detail the cost of the medical transport options that are available to you. Before we approve any release, we’ll consider the most cost efficient and reasonable transport options.
• Two medical reports, one each from
  • a registered medical specialist who is a specialist in the area of the medical treatment for which you require the medical transport
  • either a registered medical practitioner or another registered medical specialist.

The medical reports and quotes or invoices must meet the timing requirements.

If you're applying to pay an expense for another person, you may need to provide evidence that you're in a dependent relationship with them.

Where the medical transport expense has already been paid for by borrowing money, you or your dependant still need to have met these criteria. You also need to meet the additional eligibility criteria for the borrowed amount.

Medical reports

Ask your registered medical practitioner to use our medical report form to make sure they provide all the information we need. We also provide information for health practitioners about how to provide an appropriate report.

The reports must clearly explain the following:

• What is your, or your dependant’s, specific condition and how it is a life-threatening illness or injury, acute or chronic pain or mental illness.
• What the medical treatment is to treat the condition.
• Why it is necessary for you or your dependant to undertake this medical treatment.
• How the medical treatment will
  • treat your, or your dependant’s, life-threatening illness or injury
  • alleviate your, or your dependant’s, acute or chronic pain
  • alleviate your, or your dependant’s, acute or chronic mental illness.
• For medical transport applications, details of the locations, frequency, and duration of the treatment and any medical conditions that impact your transport needs.
• If you or your dependant normally live in Australia and need to travel overseas for treatment, why you or your dependant can't have the treatment in Australia.

Purchasing a vehicle for medical transport

We'll only approve the purchase of a second hand or new vehicle when either:

• all other means of transport can't reasonably be used
• it is the most economical option.

You should consider if your existing vehicle can be used for medical transport. If your vehicle is not suitable, your quote or invoice will need to include the trade-in value of your current vehicle, to ensure the appropriate amount is considered for release.

If you're applying for a vehicle that costs more than $20,000, your application needs to include additional evidence from your medical practitioner as to why that specific vehicle is required, including why a lower value vehicle would not be suitable. This will only be approved where it is medically required or would mean that you could not otherwise reach the locations of your medical treatment.

Flights for medical treatment

If you're applying for flights for you or your dependant, we'll only approve the cost of an economy ticket unless a registered medical practitioner provides details about why a higher class of tickets is medically necessary.