Under the State Concession Scheme, eligible Victorian's holding certain concession cards receive free clinically necessary ambulance coverage throughout Australia. In all cases, transport is provided to the nearest and most appropriate medical facility.

For the purpose of ambulance transport, the Concession classification includes:

• A person holding a current Victorian Pensioner Concession Card. This includes dependent children listed on the card. It does not include spouses.

• A current Health Care Card holder and their dependents including spouses listed on the card. This does not include Health Care Card for carer allowance and foster care issued in the name of the child.

• A child holding a current Child Disability Health Care Card or Foster Child Health Care Card. This does not include their guardians/families listed on the card.

• A child under a Family reunification, Care by Secretary or Long-term care order including children on interim accommodation orders.

• A person who is subject to an order under the Mental Health Act 2014, Sentencing Act 1991, or Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 requiring them to be compulsorily assessed or treated in a designated mental health service. This includes compulsory, security and forensic patients.

• Asylum seekers who are clients of one of the 16 nominated agencies for asylum seeker support. Please refer to Ambulance Transport Payment Guidelines for more information.

Concession transport from a private healthcare facility

If a concession card holder is transported from a private healthcare facility, the sending private facility is responsible for payment. This includes registered private hospitals and registered private day procedure centres.

The private healthcare facility decides whether to pass this cost onto the patient.

Concession benefits do not apply when:

• A patient only holds a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and they do not have one of the concession cards listed above

• A patient requests to be repatriated or relocated to or from Victoria for non-clinical reasons

• When the transport is not clinically necessary (repatriation back to Victoria must be authorised as clinically necessary and there must be a demonstrated clinical requirement for ambulance transport)

• Another party is responsible for the account such as:

  • The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) where a person holds a Gold or a White Card (subject to the conditions of the card)

  • The Transport Accident Commission (TAC)

  • The Victorian WorkCover Association (VWA)

Evidence of concession entitlements

To access entitlements, AV will require evidence of concession entitlements. The card must also be valid at the time of transport or the account will remain the responsibility of the relevant individual, hospital or chargeable authority.

Please refer to the Ambulance Transport Payment Guidelines and Membership Scheme Business Rules for more information.