Insulin Pumps subsidy for young people with Type 1 Diabetes 101-03040000

The Australian Government's Insulin Pump Program provides subsidies to very low income families who have children with Type 1 diabetes. The Program aims to improve access and affordability of insulin pumps for limited income families who have children (up to 18 years of age) with Type 1 diabetes and do not have access to other means of reimbursement, such as private health insurance. Program recipients receive their pumps fully subsidised by the Program. No payments are made to the applicants or the recipients.

The Insulin Pump Program was announced in the 2008-09 Federal Budget. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) administers the Program on behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care, including assessment and approval of applications for subsidies.

Centrelink staff need to be aware of the scheme because they may receive enquiries. Centrelink's role is to provide a Q999 letter to the insulin pump recipient or the recipient's parent/partner/carer to confirm relevant details. See Resources for details on the information required in the letter.

If Centrelink Service Officers receive enquiries about the Insulin Pump Program that are not covered in the information below, they should direct the query to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Eligibility criteria for the Insulin Pump Program are:

• the claimant has a combined annual family income of up to or less than the annual income limit
• the claimant must be in receipt of a qualifying Centrelink payment
• the child (recipient) on whose behalf the application is made must be under 18 years of age on the date of application
• the child must hold or be listed on a current Medicare card, and
• the child has Type 1 diabetes and an endocrinologist or a specialist physician has assessed the child to benefit from insulin pump therapy

The annual income limit is based on the amount above which Family Tax Benefit Part A (for a family with 1 child between 16 and 19 years) will stop.

Claimants are required to supply 1 of the following to confirm their income eligibility:

• statement from Centrelink confirming the claimant is in receipt of a full income support payment, or
• income assessment statement from Centrelink, or
• copy of previous financial year's tax return or notice of assessment, or
• other approved evidence of income

The Centrelink customer must receive 1 of the following payments:

• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• Youth Allowance (YA)
• ABSTUDY
• Carer Payment (CP)
• Special Benefit (SpB)
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• Double Orphan Pension (DOP)
• Maximum rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB Part A) customer, including:
• Partner of the FTB Part A customer
• Child for which the customer receives FTB Part A
• Non-FTB Part A child but on FTB Part A customer record
• FTB Part A child in an Approved Care Organisation (ACO)

Approved Care Organisations (ACO) are also eligible to claim the subsidy for youths in their care who meet the above criteria.

The above payment list is in hierarchical order. The letter should provide details about the highest-ranked payment the customer receives. Check the list before providing the letter.