Claiming Essential Medical Equipment Payment (EMEP) 008-01040010

EMEP is paid to customers:

• to cover the additional energy costs of running essential medical equipment or medically required heating/cooling
• at 12 month intervals based on the customer’s initial grant date. Customers will not have to lodge a new claim each year to continue to receive the payment

Customers can claim EMEP to receive payment for:

• one or more items of qualifying essential medical equipment being used in their current residence, and/or
• medically required heating/cooling at their current residence

Once EMEP is granted, the customer will not need to claim again for the same equipment or heating/cooling at the same residence. For the payment amount, see  Rates and thresholds > Essential Medical Equipment Payment (EMEP).

Note: a change in circumstances will cancel EMEP.

Customers with medical needs who use the equipment (or their carers who live at the same residence) must lodge a new claim for:

• another qualifying item of essential medical equipment and/or heating/cooling they are not receiving an EMEP for
• a change of circumstances that results in ineligibility, or
• ceasing to qualify for EMEP. For example, they changed their residential address

If the customer lives in different residences during the year, separate claims are needed for each residence. EMEP can be paid for the same item(s) of equipment at up to 2 residences every 12 months.

EMEP applies to the customer’s current residential address. Customers only need to claim once for EMEP for their current residence and qualifying medical equipment item(s).

Once granted:

• EMEP remains current
• Current EMEP customers will:
• be automatically paid
• receive EMEP on the anniversary of the initial grant date at 12 monthly intervals, and
• continue being paid until they lose qualification

If there is a change in circumstances (such as a change in residence):

• the customer loses qualification
• the customer must lodge a new EMEP claim
• a new anniversary date is set (based on the grant date of the new claim)

Note: medical information provided for the initial EMEP claim cannot be more than 2 years old.

Once EMEP eligibility is established, proof of medical needs is not required again if:

• the customer changes address but the new claim is for the same person with the same medical equipment/requirements, or
• a new carer claims, with no other changes to medical requirements

A carer can claim if they provide care and attention on a regular and ongoing basis for a person with medical needs (equipment user). They must live together at the same address. They do not need to be a formal carer or be receiving Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance to qualify for EMEP. A parent, or other person responsible for a dependent child can be a carer, including a foster carer. The carer of a non-dependent adult may also qualify for EMEP.

Encourage customers to claim online. After submitting the claim, the What you must do page tells customers what documents are required to support their claim.

If the customer is unable or unsuitable to complete an online claim, they can lodge a paper claim. See the Resources page for relevant claim forms.

As EMEP is an online claim currently available via Centrelink online account on the legacy platform, Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) cannot be used for EMEP.

Customers may require an individual or organisation to act on their behalf as a nominee when conducting Centrelink business with Services Australia.

Correspondence nominees can only apply for an EMEP on behalf a customer via paper claim. Issue a paper claim to the correspondence nominee, as they cannot apply online.

The nominee arrangement can be short term or ongoing.