What is the Essential Medical Equipment Payment

An annual payment to help with energy costs to run essential medical equipment or medically required heating or cooling.

Who can receive it

You may receive this payment if you or the person you care for has:

• a medical condition for which they need heating or cooling
• essential medical equipment

You or the person you care for also needs to be listed on a:

• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card issued by us
• Pensioner Concession Card issued by us
• Veteran Gold Card; or
• Veteran White Card

You also need to be contributing to the energy costs at an Australian residence. 

If the energy account is not in your name, you may need to show us proof of your contribution. As proof you may need a signed declaration from the account holder saying you or your carer contribute to the cost.

Eligible energy sources

• electricity
• natural gas
• liquid petroleum gas
• diesel
• heating oil
• petrol
• kerosene

Eligible medical conditions for heating or cooling

• spinal cord injury at or above the T7 level
• stroke
• brain injury
• a neurodegenerative disorder
• muscular dystrophy
• full thickness burns on more than 20 percent of the body
• rare disorders of sweating including congenital absence or mal-development of sweat glands
• chronic erythroderma

You can't get it for any other medical conditions.

Eligible essential medical equipment items

• home dialysis machine
• home ventilator
• home respirator
• home enteral or parenteral feeding device
• oxygen concentrator
• heart pump
• suction pump
• infant apnoea monitor (when prescribed by a medical practitioner following apnoeic events)
• nebuliser (if used daily)
• positive airways pressure device (PAP)
• phototherapy equipment
• airbed vibrator
• electric wheelchair
• insulin pump

You can’t get it for any other equipment.

If you don’t see the equipment you use above, it might be under a different name. Read about alternative names for essential medical equipment.

How much you can receive

You can receive either: 

• an annual payment of $163 for each piece of approved medical equipment; or
• a single payment of $163 for medically required heating or cooling

How you claim

Complete and return the relevant form:

• Eligible person claim form
• Carer claim form

If the essential medical equipment is not provided by us, we will need to confirm the equipment. Complete and return the Essential Medical Equipment Medical Confirmation form.

Things you should know

• You can claim the payment for a maximum of two homes in a financial year. If you contribute to the energy costs for two Australian homes you can claim the payment for each piece of equipment in both.
• The payment is not assessed as income and is not included as a part of your taxable income.
• This payment can also be claimed through Centrelink.

What to tell us

If anything changes that could affect your entitlements, you need to let us know within 14 days (or 28 days if you receive the Remote Area Allowance or live overseas).

You need to tell us if you:

• change address or no longer live with the person you care for
• no longer need the essential medical equipment or heating or cooling, or your needs change
• change how much you pay towards the energy bills, or stop contributing
• move overseas
• no longer need or provide care
• change your living arrangements, including being admitted to an: 
  • aged care facility
  • residential rehabilitation centre
  • hospital
  • medical facility 
  • detention centre or prison