Indigenous enrolments in Medicare 011-44130000

This document outlines details about Indigenous enrolments in Medicare, specifically when Indigenous customers are unable to produce standard identification documents and need to use the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicare enrolment and amendment form (MS018).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Cultural and other special circumstances for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians can cause difficulty in identification. When needed, allowances have been made for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enrolling or updating their enrolment details in Medicare..

Enrolment procedures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who can provide standard identification documents must complete a:

Medicare enrolment form (MS004), or
Application to copy or transfer from one Medicare card to another form (MS011)

Note: an Aboriginal Population Record (APR) is an acceptable identity document for all Medicare enrolments.

An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person that cannot produce standard identification documents can use the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicare enrolment and amendment form (MS018).

The Resources page contains links to the forms.

For enrolments received on an MS018 form follow the process in Register a customer for Medicare in the Consumer Directory Maintenance System (CDMS).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicare enrolment and amendment form (MS018)

The MS018 has been designed for, and can only be used by, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who cannot provide standard identification documents.

The MS018 allows a referee to complete the relevant Proof of Identity section on the form. A referee can be a:

Community elder
Health service manager
School principal
Permanent Commonwealth employee with five or more years of continuous service
Council chairperson
Minister of religion
Welfare organisation worker

Note: If an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person cannot find a suitable referee, alternative identity may be used, see Alternative Identity for new or existing Medicare customers.

Indigenous child enrolment including newborns

The following is needed to enrol an Indigenous child (newborn to 15 years of age) if the applicant does not have standard identification documents:

a completed MS018 form, including
Sections 2 and 7 - Referee statement and declaration, completed and signed by an authorised referee

Note: the referee declaration on the MS018 is considered a valid eligibility document and is recorded in CDMS.

See Register a customer for Medicare in the Consumer Directory Maintenance System (CDMS) for processing details.

Children attending boarding school

Children who attend boarding school or live away from home may need a separate Medicare card. If standard identification documents are available, then the Application to copy or transfer from one Medicare card to another form (MS011) should be used.

The following is needed if the applicant does not have standard identification documents:

A completed MS018 form, including
Section 2 - Referee statement and declaration, completed and signed by an authorised referee
If the child is:
aged 15 years of age and over, the child must sign the enrolment form
under 15 years of age, the parent or guardian must sign the enrolment form

See Copy or transfer a person or child to another Medicare card for processing details.

Copy or transfer a person to an existing Medicare card

If standard identification documents are available, then the Application to copy or transfer from one Medicare card to another form (MS011) should be used.

The following is needed if the applicant does not have standard identification:

A completed MS018 signed by the applicant/cardholder, including:

Section 2 - Referee statement and declaration, completed and signed by an authorised referee
Section 7 (the cardholder is adding a person to their existing Medicare card)

See Copy or transfer a person or child to another Medicare card for further processing information.

Copy or transfer a person to a new Medicare card

If standard identification documents are available, then the Application to copy or transfer from one Medicare card to another form (MS011) should be used.

The following is needed if the applicant does not have standard identification:

A completed MS018 form signed by the applicant including:

Section 2 - Referee statement and declaration - completed and signed by an authorised referee
Section 7 (if more than one person is transferring to the new card)

See Copy or transfer a person or child to another Medicare card for processing details.

Change of name

Customers with standard identification documents can update their name with Medicare by:

calling Medicare to have their documents verified over the phone
visiting a service centre with their documents

See Change legal name on Medicare record for acceptable documents to update a customer’s name at both a Personal and Group level in CDMS.

If the applicant does not have standard identification documents the following must be provided to update a name at Group level only:

A completed MS018 form signed by the applicant, including
Section 2 - Referee statement and declaration, completed and signed by an authorised referee
Section 7 (if more than one person's details need to be changed)

The referee section also confirms that the customer is known by that name within the community.

To change the name of the customer at GROUP level, see Table 3 in Change legal name on Medicare record.

Children in care

If standard identification is available, the relevant Medicare enrolment form should be used.

Children in care of a person other than the parent can include being in the care of a:

family member
state or territory government department
foster carer

To enable a child to be included on a Medicare card other than the parents' card, the following is needed where the applicant does not have standard identification:

MS018 form, including
Section 2 - Referee statement and declaration, or
Section 7 if more than one person transferring to the new card, signed by an authorised referee, and
One of the following documents to confirm the child is in their care:

letter from the parent giving permission for the child to be included on the card, or
Centrelink documents confirming the third party is receiving benefits for the child.
Note: do not accept documents where only the first name of the child is recorded. Centrelink documents must state the child's full name, or
document from a state or territory government department to confirm the child is in that person's care

Note: these applications must be actioned by a Medicare Eligibility trained Service Officer. If the Service Officer is not trained, they need to contact Local Peer Support (LPS).

See Table 6 in the Child protection agencies - Medicare card number requests for children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) for further processing details.

Voluntary Indigenous Identifier

The Voluntary Indigenous Identifier identifies a person as being of: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin

The Voluntary Indigenous Identifier is used to:

improve service delivery by providing culturally appropriate service
enable identification of Medicare usage and patterns of servicing
improve Indigenous access to health services
monitor and assess effectiveness of Indigenous specific items and Medicare initiatives
assist in planning and funding to ensure ongoing service improvement

The Identifier is a voluntary question on all Medicare enrolment forms and digital Medicare Enrolment applications. Asking the question is mandatory, however responding to the question by the customer is voluntary.

Service Officers must ask customers if they wish to identify their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status when:

a new customer registers for Medicare services, or
at any touch point when a customer's Indigenous status has not been recorded

Service Officers must advise customers that:

responding to the question is voluntary
for Medicare, recording their status helps the government understand Indigenous health issues
their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status can be updated at any time

Note: Service Officers should not ask customers to provide proof of their Indigenous status.

The Resources page contains a link to the Voluntary Indigenous Identifier page on the agency intranet, which contains FAQs and further details.

Registering or amending the status of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person

Initial enrolment

Refer to the Medicare enrolment application form (MS004) or MS018 form. Where an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person's status has:

been supplied, select appropriate indicator in CDMS
not been supplied, select 'prefer not to answer' in CDMS

Where the customer has submitted a digital Medicare enrolment (DME) application, the MEE portal prefills the customers response.

Existing enrolment records

The following describes when the status of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person must be updated on existing enrolment records:

Where the existing record has an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status recorded and the form does not include an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status, do not update the status
Where the existing record has an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status recorded and the form includes a different Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status, update record with the new status
Where the existing record has 'Not stated' or 'prefer not to answer' for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status and the form includes an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status update record with the new status

The Resources page contains a link to the voluntary Indigenous identifier page on the Services Australia Intranet, which contains FAQs and further details.

The Process page contains details of how to amend the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status of a customer.

Operational Information