Ambulance fees

For emergency services accessed through 111, there is sometimes a charge per call out for an Ambulance. If the client meets all qualifications, they may be able to receive a Special Needs Grant for Ambulance fees if:

• special circumstances exist and
• the client and/or their family would suffer serious hardship without the item or service

To consider whether special circumstances exist, consider the following:

• the consequences to the client if they did not have the service (that is, was the service a preference or a must?) and
• whether there were other medical alternatives that could have met the need

Sometimes the client also pays for a private ambulance to return them to their home. You can consider a Special Needs Grant in this situation if there was no alternative transport available.

Note it is reasonable to expect that the client would be applying for assistance after the event. You should consider payment of a Special Needs Grant if the client has no other way of paying (for example through instalments) or their current budget does not leave room to meet this unexpected cost.

St Johns also offer a subscription scheme. This is a prepaid service of a yearly amount that gives the client unlimited access to emergency services for 1 year.

It may be an alternative for families who use the services frequently, for example, families with severe asthma sufferers. A Special Needs Grant would not normally be paid for the subscription fee, however, the client may be able to receive an Advance or a Recoverable Assistance Payment (for non-beneficiaries).

Unless exceptional circumstances exist, the maximum amount payable towards emergency medical treatment is $500.

Although Special Needs Grants under this category may be recoverable or non-recoverable, generally grants for Ambulance fees are recoverable. However, if you consider it equitable in the circumstances for the client not to pay the grant back, you may decide the Special Needs Grant should be non-recoverable.

For more information see:

• Qualifications
• Exceptional circumstances
• Advance Payment of Benefit Ambulance subscription fees
• Recoverable Assistance Payment Ambulance subscription fees
• Recovery of payment