Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS)– for Australian citizens and residents in country areas

I would just like to let people know about the PATS scheme which exists in most (if not all) states of Australia in some form. It is available to people who live more than a specified distance (varies from state to state) from medical specialists.

I wrongly assumed that it was just for pensioners and health care holders. It would have been handy earlier but luckily we found out about it last year when my husband had to travel back and forward to Perth for medical tests then surgery. We ended up getting a couple of hundred dollars back.

In Western Australia the distance is 100km each way (75 km for chronic conditions). If you are not on a health care card you pick up the first $50 of each trip and then they pick up the rest for the rest of the 12 month period.

You need a doctors referral and your doctor and specialist need to sign the forms.

In Western Australia the scheme includes
--a fuel subsidy 13-15cents per kilometer depending on certain conditions

--coach or rail travel subsidy

--air travel subsidy if more than 16 hours by road

--accommodation subsidy under certain conditions

--subsidy for an escort under certain conditions.

Further details on the scheme in WA can be found at http://www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/uploaddocs/publications/a5guide.pdf

Or talk to someone at your local hospital.

Details of the scheme in Victoria (Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme)

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ruralhealth/aservices/vptas.htm

In South Australia (internet brochure says 2002 so you may need to check with your local hospital for current info

http://www.countryhealthsa.sa.gov.au/documents/pats-brochure_sr.pdf

New South Wales Application form

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/living/transport/pdf/application.pdf

sorry I didn’t manage to find info for all states. I suggest you contact your local hospital or health service for local information.
I hope this information helps someone. It certainly helped us when my husband was off work (and I had to take time off work too) and had the expense of trips to Perth and accomodation. They even paid a subsidy for my accomodation as his medical condition required an escort at the time. I am happy to say the surgery went really well and he is now health and active and back at work.