Under the Victorian State Concessional Agreement, you may be eligible for free ambulance cover depending on the type of concession benefits you receive.

Your concession benefits will only cover transport costs when:

• You are taken to the closest medical facility that can help and:

• there is a medical reason for the transport to occur.

Ambulance services WILL NOT be covered if:

• You only have a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

• You have a Health Care Card for carer allowance or foster care issued in the name of a child.

• Transport is from a hospital or other health service to home after discharge (without pre-approval from AV and a demonstrated clinical requirement for ambulance transport).

• Transport is to other health services we don't think you need, like if you want to move to another location to be closer to home/family or to attend your preferred doctor.  

• Transport is used to return to Victoria (unless under special circumstances and pre-approved by Ambulance Victoria (AV).

• Transport is FROM a private healthcare facility:

  • If a valid concession card holder is transported from a private healthcare facility the sending private facility is responsible for payment (including registered private hospitals and private day procedure centres) however they may decide to pass this cost onto you. This is where you may wish to buy AV membership.

• Another party is responsible for the account such as:

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

  • Victorian WorkCover Authority (VWA) (subject to the conditions under the scheme).

  • Transport Accident Commission (TAC) (subject to the conditions under the scheme). 

Ambulance services may be covered under the following concession benefits:

• Victorian Pensioner Concession Card (includes dependent children listed on the card but not spouses).

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

• Child Disability Health Care Card or Foster Child Health Care Card, but not 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 and Wellbeing Act 2022, 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 nominated agencies for asylum seeker support. 

What happens when you use ambulance services

If ambulance services are used, you may receive a bill. If this happens, please contact us and provide your CRN number so we can determine if concession benefits were current at the time services were used:

Online               ambulance.vic.gov.au/provide-information              

Phone               1800 990 029 (9.30am-4.30pm Monday-Friday)

Email                 accountsreceivable@ambulance.vic.gov.au 

It is the responsibility of the patient to ensure they are eligible for concession benefits. If you don’t have valid ambulance cover, the account will remain the responsibility of the relevant individual, hospital or chargeable authority as detailed in the Ambulance Transport Payment Guidelines.

For more information

Further information can be found on the Department of Health (DOH) website.

Membership queries

** Ambulance Victoria can only provide general advice as concession benefits are determined by DOH and DVA.  This information is correct at the time of printing and subject to change by DOH without notice.