Transport for Health
Changes to IPTAAS | Who is eligible?Transport for Health provides a range of transport and travel assistance to people who cannot use or have difficulty using public and/or private transport or who are disadvantaged by distance.
Transport for Health integrates all non-emergency health related transport assistance programs into a single multifaceted transport assistance program in each Area Health Service.
Transport for Health includes the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS), the Statewide Infant Screening-Hearing (SWISH) Travel program, the Health Related Transport Program, inter-facility transport schemes and the former Transport for Health program.
The criteria for access to Transport for Health are:
- People who need to access specialist medical or oral surgical treatment not available locally and who live more then 100km from the nearest specialist are eligible to access Transport for Health-IPTAAS.
- The SWISH Travel program entitles babies and a parent, who live more than 100 km one way from one of the three SWISH assessment facilities, to be reimbursed for travel if the baby has been identified for follow-up diagnostic audiology services following screening for hearing under the SWISH program.
- Eligibility for other Transport for Health Services is based on a patient's inability to reasonably gain access to local health services by either public or private transport, or their need to be transported between hospital facilities.
Changes to IPTAAS
IPTAAS provides some assistance for people who need to travel long distances to obtain specialist medical or oral surgical treatment which is not available locally. IPTAAS assistance is now provided through the Transport for Health program in each rural Area Health Service.
The changes to eligibility for assistance formerly provided through IPTAAS are a reduction in the distance criteria from 200km to 100km one way and an increase in the motor vehicle allowance from 12.7 cents to 15.0 cents per kilometre.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for Transport for Health subsidies for long distance travel (formerly provided under IPTAAS) you must:
- be a permanent resident of New South Wales
- usually live more than 100km one way from the nearest treating specialist
- be referred by a medical practitioner to the nearest treating specialist for specialist treatment
- claim the maximum available benefits from your private health fund first
- not be eligible for any assistance under any other government assistance scheme
Isolated Patient Travel and Accomodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) Travel Diary Supplement
Patients travelling to multiple appointments associated with a block of treatment, e.g. patients receiving radiotherapy over an extended period of time, or attending dialysis appointments several times per week can submit one claim per block treatment where there is verification of multiple appointments by the treating specialist.
Patient can use the Travel Diary Supplement form to record the details of multiple appointment dates and submit it together with the completed Isolated Patient Travel and Accomodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) Application Form and original receipts and tickets for travel expenses.
The Travel Diary Supplement Form can be obtained from the Health Transport Unit in your Area Health Service.