Essential Medical Equipment Payment (EMEP)
· The purpose of the EMEP is to cover the additional costs of running essential medical equipment, or medically required heating/cooling, following the introduction of carbon pricing. The EMEP is available in addition to any existing state and territory government medical equipment rebate schemes.
· Following the initial payment, the claimant will continue to receive the payment automatically in each subsequent year that they continue to be eligible.
Basic conditions of eligibility:
· The EMEP is payable to either the person with medical needs or their carer claiming on their behalf.
· The person with medical needs or their carer must be covered by a Commonwealth Government concession card or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold or White Card.
· The person with medical needs must use certain essential medical equipment or medically require the use of heating and/cooling in their home.
· Either the person with medical needs, their carer, the partner of the carer or the partner of the person with medical needs must contribute towards the energy account associated with running the equipment.
· The essential medical equipment or medically required heating and cooling must use an approved form of energy.
· The person with medical needs, and their carer is applicable, must live together in Australia in a residence that is not an excluded residence – residential aged care, hospital, prison or detention centre.
· Where one piece of medical equipment is shared by multiple people in the same residence only one EMEP is payable in respect of that equipment in that residence.
· Where one person uses more than one piece of medical equipment in their residence an EMEP is payable in respect of each piece of equipment.
· Where a person uses one piece of equipment in multiple residences, a maximum of two payments can be made in respect of that piece of equipment each financial year, regardless of the number of different residences involved.
The lists of eligible essential medical equipment, medical conditions that require the use of heating and/or cooling approved forms of energy and excluded residences at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/essential-medical-equipment-payment
30 January 2020
Basic rates and methods of payment:
· The EMEP is paid at one rate regardless of the piece of equipment being operated.
. The Essential Medical Equipment Payment is an annual payment of $160 for people who have extra home energy costs from the use of essential medical equipment to manage their disability or medical condition. To get this payment, you must submit a claim.
30 January 2020
Items that attract an Essential Medical Equipment Payment
The following list of equipment will attract an Essential Medical Equipment Payment. These items (except electric wheelchairs) currently attract subsidies under the various state and territory government life support equipment subsidy schemes.
Equipment not listed will not 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, the equipment must be powered by a form of energy that will increase under a carbon price. These forms of energy are electricity, natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, diesel, heating oil, petrol or kerosene.
Alternative names for essential medical equipment List of qualifying medical equipment, including alternative names for equipment The following table supplies alternative names for essential medical equipment.
Equipment Alternative names
Airbed vibrator Alternating pressurised air mattress; Alternating air mattress; Alternating pressure mattress
Home dialysis machine Home dialysis; Machine assisted peritoneal dialysis equipment (cycler or heater); Kidney dialysis machine, Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine; Haemodialysis machine; Peritoneal-dialysis machine
Home parenteral or enteral feeding device Total parenteral nutrition pump, Feeding pump, Enteral feeding pump; formerly known as kangaroo pump
Heat pump External heart pump
Nebuliser – used daily (for children only – used every day for 1-2 hrs per day)
Oxygen concentrator Child concentrator; Standard capacity (adult); High capacity ‘New Life Intensity’ (adult); OXCP (combination oxygen concentrator and chronic positive pressure and airways regulator)
Positive airways pressure device Continuous Positive Airways Pressure regulator – CPAP; Chronic positive pressure and airways regulator; Intermittent Positive Airways Pressure device – IPAP; APAP – automatic adjustment of the degree of positive pressure; Bi-Valve – combines the specifications of a positive airways pressure and of a respirator.
Home respirator Iron lung
Home ventilator Formerly known as ‘respirator’; VPAP or VPAP only
Please note: This is not an exhaustive list of alternative names for eligible equipment.
· The purpose of the EMEP is to cover the additional costs of running essential medical equipment, or medically required heating/cooling, following the introduction of carbon pricing. The EMEP is available in addition to any existing state and territory government medical equipment rebate schemes.
· Following the initial payment, the claimant will continue to receive the payment automatically in each subsequent year that they continue to be eligible.
Basic conditions of eligibility:
· The EMEP is payable to either the person with medical needs or their carer claiming on their behalf.
· The person with medical needs or their carer must be covered by a Commonwealth Government concession card or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold or White Card.
· The person with medical needs must use certain essential medical equipment or medically require the use of heating and/cooling in their home.
· Either the person with medical needs, their carer, the partner of the carer or the partner of the person with medical needs must contribute towards the energy account associated with running the equipment.
· The essential medical equipment or medically required heating and cooling must use an approved form of energy.
· The person with medical needs, and their carer is applicable, must live together in Australia in a residence that is not an excluded residence – residential aged care, hospital, prison or detention centre.
· Where one piece of medical equipment is shared by multiple people in the same residence only one EMEP is payable in respect of that equipment in that residence.
· Where one person uses more than one piece of medical equipment in their residence an EMEP is payable in respect of each piece of equipment.
· Where a person uses one piece of equipment in multiple residences, a maximum of two payments can be made in respect of that piece of equipment each financial year, regardless of the number of different residences involved.
The lists of eligible essential medical equipment, medical conditions that require the use of heating and/or cooling approved forms of energy and excluded residences at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/essential-medical-equipment-payment
30 January 2020
Basic rates and methods of payment:
· The EMEP is paid at one rate regardless of the piece of equipment being operated.
. The Essential Medical Equipment Payment is an annual payment of $160 for people who have extra home energy costs from the use of essential medical equipment to manage their disability or medical condition. To get this payment, you must submit a claim.
30 January 2020
Items that attract an Essential Medical Equipment Payment
The following list of equipment will attract an Essential Medical Equipment Payment. These items (except electric wheelchairs) currently attract subsidies under the various state and territory government life support equipment subsidy schemes.
Equipment not listed will not 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, the equipment must be powered by a form of energy that will increase under a carbon price. These forms of energy are electricity, natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, diesel, heating oil, petrol or kerosene.
Alternative names for essential medical equipment List of qualifying medical equipment, including alternative names for equipment The following table supplies alternative names for essential medical equipment.
Equipment Alternative names
Airbed vibrator Alternating pressurised air mattress; Alternating air mattress; Alternating pressure mattress
Home dialysis machine Home dialysis; Machine assisted peritoneal dialysis equipment (cycler or heater); Kidney dialysis machine, Intermittent peritoneal dialysis machine; Haemodialysis machine; Peritoneal-dialysis machine
Home parenteral or enteral feeding device Total parenteral nutrition pump, Feeding pump, Enteral feeding pump; formerly known as kangaroo pump
Heat pump External heart pump
Nebuliser – used daily (for children only – used every day for 1-2 hrs per day)
Oxygen concentrator Child concentrator; Standard capacity (adult); High capacity ‘New Life Intensity’ (adult); OXCP (combination oxygen concentrator and chronic positive pressure and airways regulator)
Positive airways pressure device Continuous Positive Airways Pressure regulator – CPAP; Chronic positive pressure and airways regulator; Intermittent Positive Airways Pressure device – IPAP; APAP – automatic adjustment of the degree of positive pressure; Bi-Valve – combines the specifications of a positive airways pressure and of a respirator.
Home respirator Iron lung
Home ventilator Formerly known as ‘respirator’; VPAP or VPAP only
Please note: This is not an exhaustive list of alternative names for eligible equipment.