This is an extract from the DVA website at http://www.dva.gov.au/benefitsAndServices/cef/Pages/emep.aspx

If you need medical equipment like a CPAP machine or other machinery to help you with a medical condition the DVA will pay support to help defray increasing costs due to the Carbon Tax….

Essential Medical Equipment Payment

The Essential Medical Equipment Payment is an annual payment of $140 to support those with higher than average energy costs because they rely on essential medical equipment at home.

The payment can be claimed through DVA by completing and submitting a claim form, available on the DVA website and at Veterans’ Access Network offices from 18 June 2012.

Payments commence on 1 July 2012.

Eligibility

To receive the Essential Medical Equipment Payment, the person with medical needs, or their carer must:

• hold a Commonwealth Government concession card; or a DVA Gold or White Card; and
• use certain essential medical equipment (refer Essential Medical Equipment below), or have certain medical conditions that require the use of additional heating and/or cooling in their home (refer medically required heating and/or cooling below); and
• be responsible, either wholly or partly, for the cost of running the equipment.

Dependent children are not able to claim this payment.

Essential Medical Equipment

Proof of essential medical equipment for a specified medical condition is required to claim the payment if the equipment has not been provided by a recognised DVA program (eg Rehabilitation Appliances Program). Proof can be provided as:
certification from a medical practitioner that the piece of equipment is essential to manage the person’s condition, and the person has been advised to use the equipment at home. An Essential Medical Equipment Payment Medical Confirmation form will be available on the DVA website and at Veterans’ Access Network offices from 18 June 2012 for this purpose.

The eligible items of essential medical equipment, when powered by electricity, natural gas, petroleum gas, diesel, heating oil, petrol or kerosene, are:

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

Medically required heating and/or cooling

Proof of medically required heating and/or cooling for a specified medical condition is required to claim the payment. To qualify for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment, a medical practitioner must certify that the person with medical needs meets the following criteria:

• the person has a specified medical condition (as outlined below);
• the person is unable to regulate his or her body temperature because of that medical condition and requires medical heating and/or cooling in their home; and
• without medical heating and/or cooling, the person risks serious harm to his or her health.

An Essential Medical Equipment Payment Medical Confirmation form will be available on the DVA website and at Veterans’ Access Network offices from 18 June 2012 for this purpose.

The specified medical conditions are:

• spinal cord injury at or above the T7 level
• stroke
• brain injury
• neurodegenerative disorder
• muscular dystrophies
• full thickness burns covering more than 20 per cent of the body surface area
• rare disorders of sweating including congenital absence or mal-development of sweat glands
• chronic erythrodermas.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to lodge a claim?

Yes, a claim is required for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment. Claim forms will be available on the DVA website and at VAN offices from 18 June 2012, for payment from 1 July 2012.

Once paid, claims are not required for payment in subsequent years unless personal circumstances change. To receive this payment, you will also need to be in Australia on the date that you apply for the payment and on the anniversary of this date in subsequent years.

Can I claim the Essential Medical Equipment Payment for multiple items of legible equipment?

Yes, you can claim the Essential Medical Equipment Payment for each eligible item of equipment provided it is medically required. Claims for multiple items can be made on the same claim form. However, once paid, a new claim would need to be submitted for any newly-acquired items of eligible equipment.

Is the assistance assessable or taxable income?

No. The Essential Medical Equipment Payment will not be included in the income used to assess income support payments and will not form part of your taxable income.

Is the Essential Medical Equipment Payment payable to people outside Australia?

The Essential Medical Equipment Payment is only payable to Australian residents. This means that you must be living in Australia or temporarily outside Australia for less than 13 weeks.

If you live permanently outside Australia, you are not entitled to an Essential Medical Equipment Payment.

I am a carer for an entitled person who uses eligible equipment and I pay the electricity account. Can I claim the Essential Medical Equipment Payament?

Yes, you are entitled to claim the payment. You will need to complete the Essential Medical Equipment Payment Carers Claim Form and the entitled person will need to also sign the form. The Department may require you to provide proof at a later date that you are responsible for payment of the energy account.

More information

For more information about:

• the Household Assistance Package, email generalenquiries@dva.gov.au or call 133 254 or 1800 555 254 for regional callers.
• the Government’s plan for a Clean Energy Future, visit the Clean Energy Future website or call 1800 057 590.