Patients Assistance Travel Schemes - rebates & rules as at July 2025
We have a private BCNA group for those living in Rural, Regional and Remote areas of Australia - join up if you have to travel distances to your treatment. Group: Connecting rural, regional & remote areas | BCNA Online Network If you live in a rural/regional or remote town and have to travel to access your specialists, surgery & treatment, then you are also eligible to receive rebates on both fuel and accommodation costs! If you (or someone you know) is aged between 15 & 29, there is additional assistance - you can read about it here: Accommodation thru You Can Stay if aged 15-29 for rural/regional/remote cancer patients | BCNA Online Network One of the biggest cost (and time) factors for rural & remote patients - is the travel from home to the hospital or Dr/Services that you require as the ongoing part of your treatment and also accommodation costs. Many of us don't find out about the Patients Assistance Travel Schemes until we are well into our treatment schedules & some may have missed the opportunity to claim at all, as most have a time frame whereby submissions need to be done - or you miss out. I have found a site called National Rural Health Alliance .... it might be worth keeping an eye on it, as a source of information - for all states. https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/advocacyhttps://www.ruralhealth.org.au/publication/fact-sheet/patient-assisted-travel-schemes-guide/ They currently have a PDF of ALL the State's Patient Travel Assistance Schemes in the one document ..... Make sure you save it to your files! Most states now have a 'total' Km total per week available, not just the 'one way' Km. So if you are doing radiation Mon-Fri - you 'may' qualify under the 'weekly km' figure. NSW is 200k/week, but Vic is a huge 500k/week! 🤨 SOME states have special consideration for Oncology and Kidney dialysis patients .... it may be worth enquiring about that! Here is a basic guide to all states - This is the July 2025 'guide' - the Websites and Phone numbers should also help & I'll update the info if/when they put up the latest document. Click the link below and then 'click on' View PDF ... and download it to your computer ... even print off YOUR state's info!! https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/publication/fact-sheet/patient-assisted-travel-schemes-guide/ ACT: https://www.canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1985479/ACT-Interstate-Patient-Travel-Assistance-Scheme-Assessment-Guidelines.pdf NSW: https://www.iptaas.health.nsw.gov.au/home NT: https://nt.gov.au/wellbeing/health-subsidies-support-and-home-visits/patient-assistance-travel-scheme QLD: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/services/travel/subsidies SA: https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/Public%20Content/SA%20Health%20Internet/Services/Regional%20Health%20Services/Patient%20Assistance%20Transport%20Scheme/Patient%20Assistance%20Transport%20Scheme TAS: https://www.health.tas.gov.au/patients/support-services-your-visit-hospital/travel-support-ptas VIC: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/rural-health/victorian-patient-transport-assistance-scheme-vptas WA: https://www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/Our-patients/Patient-Assisted-Travel-Scheme-PATSRegional and Rural Information forums - We want your feedback!
The below post was recently added to the private group Living in Regional, Rural and Remote areas . If you are not a member of this group and live rural, regional or remote, please consider joining. (Refer to the Monash Modified Model (MMM) that classifies locations according to geographical remoteness via the link https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/modified-monash-model-fact-sheet Hi Members, BCNA will be delivering information forums to regional, rural and remote communities, more details on the locations and dates will be shared soon. Traditionally these have been delivered as full day events from 9.30-3.00. We acknowledge the current cost of living crisis, work and personal commitments might make it challenging for people to attend a whole day event. So we are hoping to get a better understanding on preferred timings from our members. If you could please take the time to complete this short survey to help with the planning of the upcoming forums. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=dgJVk0E5rkyacWRewHkFZW92LAal_5RAn6S9wZSqa_hURU9VU1NLNjlTWTlORFJMTTNHTlVFQlE5Qi4uCan you add more suggestions re travel & accommodation schemes in Australia
NSW Gov is asking for comments re travel & accomodation schemes - but, really, it relates to ALL states .... If you live in rural/regional/remote areas, make your concerns KNOWN to the powers that be ..... and JOIN OUR PRIVATE GROUP to share/agitate for better reimbursements! https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/nsw-regional-health-plan?fbclid=IwAR1pSqCbCrPsargRf6xFxO817kIRjlrwB7Ll6evGRs1AOivg5VC9ZIaaWyU I reckon it is all of the above - as the hoops needed to jump thru for IPTAAS are ridiculous. 3 things that need to change asap - 1) ALL family members on the Medicare card should be able to contribute to the 200k a week travel required to access the payments - not each individual having to travel that amount themselves. 2) The specialist referrals for chronic/terminal conditions should last for the length of the treatment, not needing a new referral every 2 years. Either the patient gets better & the treatment/claims stop - or the patient passes away & the treatment/claims stop. 3) Essential Dental Treatment (eg extractions required before undergoing some forms of chemo) currently need to be done in a hospital to be able to make a claim (which takes up essential hospital beds) when they can be readily done in the Dental Chair .... THIS NEEDS to be changed - as we still need to travel for the service, but are not allowed to claim for it & it is an essential part of the patient's treatment. NOT having it done, can cause death or permanent disfigurement. And that is just the beginning ...... feel free to do the survey, tell them your ideas - hopefully some of them will be carried thru!
Responding to my diagnosis while living in remote outback South Australia
Just over 4 weeks ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am off to have surgery next week so I am trying to get my head around it all. I live in the remote outback town of Andamooka. My hubby has bipolar and will not cope going to the city so he will be staying home. I will be almost 700kms from home. There is a plane that flys out of Olympic Dam but I will not always be able to catch it. It is mainly for BHP staff and they only have a few community places. So what I want to know is has anyone accessed Angel flight? I realise it is early days but trying to work things out.
