Essential Medical Equipment Payment (EMEP) 008-01040000

Item

Description

1

Respirator and a feeding pump used at home

Alice provides care for partner Eric at their home and lodges a claim for EMEP.

With the claim, Alice provides confirmation from their Doctor that Eric requires the use of a respirator and a feeding pump.

Alice meets other EMEP eligibility criteria and is paid 2 EMEPs when the claim is processed, 1 for each item of essential medical equipment used.

Alice does not need to claim again to receive 2 EMEPs each subsequent year for the use of the same 2 items of essential medical equipment at the same residence.

Alice is paid every 12 months on the anniversary date of the initial grant date, provided nothing has changed that results in ineligibility.

2

Additional heating/cooling required after a stroke

Mary has had a stroke and partner Tom enquires about claiming an EMEP for heating/cooling costs at their home.

Tom claims EMEP due to providing ongoing care for Mary.

Tom provides confirmation from their Doctor that Mary has had a stroke that has resulted in an inability to regulate body temperature.

Tom meets other EMEP eligibility criteria and is paid an EMEP when the claim is processed.

Tom does not need to claim again to receive an EMEP each year for medically required heating/cooling at their current residence.

Tom is paid every 12 months on the anniversary date of the initial grant date, provided nothing has changed that results in ineligibility.

3

Equipment user lives in different residences during the year

An elderly parent lives with 2 family members at different residences during the year and uses medically required heating/cooling at each residence.

The family members and/or the elderly parent contribute to paying the energy account at each residence.

In this scenario, either the family members or the elderly parent may claim and be eligible for an EMEP at each residence.

Up to 2 EMEPs can be paid every 12 months for the same medical equipment or for medically required heating/cooling at 2 different residences.

• The family members could each be paid an EMEP as a carer of the elderly parent at their home during the 12 month period. Separate claims would be required for each residence, and the elderly parent would need to be at the residence on the date the claim is made
• The elderly parent could be paid an EMEP at each residence in a 12 month period. They would need to lodge a new claim upon moving to a different residence, as this will cancel EMEP eligibility at the current residence

Once EMEP eligibility has been established for the elderly parent for a medical equipment item and/or medically required heating/cooling, that evidence is not required again.

EMEP is paid every 12 months on the anniversary date of the initial grant date, provided nothing has changes that results in ineligibility.

4

EMEP anniversary date

John claims EMEP on 1 July 2024 due to using a home respirator. John provides proof of medical needs with the claim.

John is paid an EMEP on 3 July.

An anniversary date is set up so that EMEP will be paid automatically on 1 July 2025 if John is still using a home respirator at the same residence and meets EMEP eligibility requirements on that date.

Change of address

If John were to move to a different residence, EMEP would automatically cancel.

John would need to lodge a new EMEP claim to receive an EMEP for the use of a home respirator at the new address.

If John advises a change of address on 1 October 2024 and lodges a new EMEP claim on the same day, another EMEP could be paid and a new anniversary date would be set up to pay an EMEP on 1 October 2024 (because the anniversary date set up with the previous claim will no longer apply).

Proof of medical needs/evidence for the new claim

Proof of medical needs/evidence is not required again for the new claim because EMEP eligibility was established with John’s initial EMEP claim and John is using the same medical equipment.