Health Care Card (HCC) 101-06020000

HCCs are automatically issued to the following customers who are residing in Australia and whose information is up-to-date and correctly recorded:

• customers receiving:
• an eligible payment
• the maximum rate of income tested FTB Part A paid by instalment
• Farm Household Allowance (FHA)
• FTB for a foster child - card displays name of foster child only
• Carer Payment (CP) for short-term or episodic conditions
• Mobility Allowance customers not already on a pension (card displays customer only). Note: if Mobility Allowance is cancelled due to the customer becoming a funded participant of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the customer will retain entitlement to their Mobility Allowance HCC
• customers who would be eligible for maximum rate FTB Part A except that they only have care of a Regular Care Child
• customers whose FTB Part A is reduced only by the Maintenance Income Test
• a Carer Allowance (CA) child whose carer qualifies for a Carer Allowance payment - card displays name of child only
• a CA child whose carer does not qualify for a fortnightly payment but who meets certain eligibility requirements. The card displays name of child only

There are some circumstances where the FTB customer's HCC is not renewed/issued.

If an FTB customer requests a letter to confirm concession entitlement for a past period, check the FAO Reconciliation and Claim Summary (FRCS) screen to ensure actual taxable income details for the period would have entitled the customer to maximum FTB Part A paid by instalments through the agency. Customers may have received a concession card (as shown on the Concession Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen) during the financial year due to an income estimate provided.

However, after reconciliation with income details transmitted from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the actual taxable income may have been higher than the estimate provided. This will be shown on the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen as a deleted line.

Not all HCCs are automatically issued. Customers are required to claim for certain HCCs, such as:

• Low Income Health Care Card (LIC)
• Ex-Carer Allowance (child) Health Care Card (EHC)
• Foster Child Health Care Card (FST) should be claimed separately if the customer is not claiming or receiving Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for the foster child

If a customer is on a two weekly reporting regime, their initial automatically issued HCC is generated after their first Reporting Statement is lodged.

If the payment status is assessed and is scheduled to become current within 14 days, the card should be issued before the payment becoming current, but the start date displayed on the card will be the date the payment becomes current.

For example, JobSeeker Payment (JSP) is processed on 3 March with a future start date of 15 March. HCC will be issued on 3 March displaying a start date of 15 March.

For a customer on any other reporting regime or no reporting required, the card (if a priority card) should be issued to the customer automatically within 14 days of the grant being finalised.

When a customer is granted their payment or concession card, an interim voucher may be issued immediately.

Customers eligible for a Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) will automatically receive their PCC where it is the priority card. Any other HCCs (to which they are entitled) are not automatically issued.

To receive a non-priority card, see Preferences for concession cards.

Individuals named as dependents on concession cards may be entitled to concessions, but this is at the discretion of the service provider. For example, State Governments may provide transport concessions only to the card holder and dependent children, but not to any partner listed on the card.

Customers can request their concession card to be issued without their partner's name, but still show details of any dependent children. For more information, see Preferences for concession cards.

A partner will only display as a dependant on the HCC if they meet the requirements of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, section 240B. To qualify, the partner must:

• be in Australia and an Australian resident, a special category visa holder residing in Australia, or the holder of a qualifying visa, or
• a New Zealand citizen, and the holder of the card is in Australia and is receiving a social security pension or benefit solely because of the operation of the scheduled international agreement between Australia and New Zealand

The date of grant is the date on which entitlement to a concession card was last granted. In most cases this corresponds with the date a person's income support, or income supplement payment or HCC claim was granted.

A difference between the date the payment is granted and the 'date of grant' on the concession card could be due to their HCC entitlement being affected by the customer travelling overseas or having variations in income for Family Tax Benefit.

If a customer's HCC start date is backdated, the customer may be able to claim reimbursement for expenses, such as Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medication purchases, incurred in the period from the backdated start date to the present.

CCeS assists concession providers to accurately determine a cardholder's entitlement. If a concession provider does not use this service, it may be necessary for the agency to manually confirm concession entitlement periods. The Concession Entitlement Validation Online Enquiry system allows confirmation of concession entitlements for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare Safety Net, between Centrelink and Medicare.

Customers who are eligible for Working Credit continue to be entitled to the HCC for up to 24 weeks if they are in an employment income nil rate period on any of the following payments:

• JobSeeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (YA) customers excluding single principal carers and customers who have been assessed by an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) as having a partial capacity to work
• Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP). See Employment income nil rate period
• Austudy (AUS) if in an employment income nil period
• ABSTUDY (ABY) Living Allowance if in an employment income nil rate period

JSP and YA job seekers, who obtain full-time work, remain qualified for their payment. These customers can continue to be paid until their working credits are depleted, access the employment income nil rate period and are entitled to the HCC continuation in the employment income nil rate period. They may still be entitled to the 26 week extension period if they have been in continuous receipt of certain payments for 52 weeks before cancellation.

Customers who are in the Youth Bonus Wage Subsidy 26 Week Suspension Period may retain concession card entitlement during the suspension period in some circumstances.

See Extended Entitlement to concession cards.

A person who is no longer eligible for payment because of an increase in self-employment income would qualify for an extension concession card if they have been in continuous receipt of certain payments for 52 weeks before cancellation.

See Extended Entitlement to concession cards.

Customers who are eligible for CP based on short-term or episodic care, will be eligible for a Health Care Card (HCC) for the same period of time as they are entitled to CP. The maximum length of the HCC will be for 6 months.

Customers whose income support payment is cancelled following their incarceration also lose their entitlement to their HCC. These customers are not able to claim a Low Income Health Care Card (LIC) while in prison.

Customers can request replacement HCCs which are sent to their postal address and may take up to 14 days to arrive. See How to reissue concession cards.