We’re here to help you get your life back on track after your transport accident. To help with your injuries we can pay for the medical and rehabilitation equipment you need and receive in Australia.

In the first 90 days after your accident, the TAC can help pay for your medical and rehabilitation equipment without the need for you to contact us for approval first.

When you need to contact us for approval

You or your provider need to contact the TAC for approval of your medical and rehabilitation equipment if:

• It is approaching or more than 90 days since your accident and we have not approved further treatment or services, or
• It has been more than 6 months since you’ve had any treatment or service paid for by the TAC

What sort of equipment is available?

Basic equipment and medical aids

You might need basic medical and rehabilitation equipment items such as braces, dressing aids, kitchen and bathroom aids, bandages, hygiene products, crutches or moonboots as a result of your transport accident injuries, or if you had prescription glasses or dentures damaged or lost in your accident you might need these replaced or repaired.

Specialised medical and rehabilitation equipment

You may also require highly specialised pieces of medical and rehabilitation equipment.  We consider these items things like medical grade beds, computers, minor home modification items like hand rails, wheelchairs and life support equipment.  Items like these require prior approval from us before they are purchased and need to be recommended by a health professional.

Low cost rehabilitation equipment can also be provided to help you manage your injuries at home and reduce for the need for you to have hands on treatment. Some examples of this type of equipment include exercise bands, gym mats, massage/spiky balls.

When we can pay for your equipment

We can pay for the medical and rehabilitation equipment you need because of your transport accident injuries.

In the first 90 days after your accident, any basic, low cost equipment you need is approved by the TAC. You can get this equipment from one of our contracted equipment suppliers when your doctor or other health professional recommends it.

After the first 90 days, you will need TAC approval for more equipment.

If you need specialised medical and rehabilitation equipment, you need our approval.

We will pay for you to visit your doctor or other health professional so you can discuss your specialised medical and rehabilitation needs with them. As part of that visit, they can prescribe medical or rehabilitation equipment items to help you manage your injuries. We can pay the cost of this equipment, including supply, delivery and installation.

We can also pay for the repair, adjustment or replacement of medical and rehabilitation equipment that was broken, damaged or lost in the accident.

These services are available through our contracted equipment supplier.

What we can’t pay for

We cannot pay for:

• Normal household items
• Medical and rehabilitation equipment that is not needed to treat your transport accident injuries
• Multiple items of the same type except for consumables such as wound dressings or hygiene products
• Medical and rehabilitation equipment that has been provided by a hospital as part of your inpatient stay, as this cost is included as part of the bed fee
• The cost of insurance. We strongly encourage you to insure any high cost equipment items you might be prescribed
• Any costs associated with non-attendance at consultations or fittings.

We also cannot pay for medical and rehabilitation equipment items that:

• Do not treat your transport accident injuries
• Are not reasonable, necessary or appropriate
• Are not clinically justified, safe and effective.

Ways that equipment can be purchased

Basic medical and rehabilitation equipment

Your treating health professional will recommend the medical and rehabilitation equipment item you require for your transport accident injuries and can directly order from our contracted equipment supplier's equipment ordering portal.

Specialised medical and rehabilitation equipment

Before we can pay for specialised medical and rehabilitation equipment items we require your treating health professional to provide us with an Assistive technology assessment and recommendations form. We will work with your health professional and the contracted equipment supplier to organise the supply of the item you need.

We can also pay for repair and maintenance of any medical and rehabilitation equipment item that you may have been prescribed on an ongoing basis, provided it was used properly and looked after.

Where a treating health professional cannot recommend equipment through the contracted equipment supplier portal, they should contact us. We will work with your treating health professional to source the equipment you need.

Medical and rehabilitation equipment supplied by a hospital at discharge

All medical and rehabilitation equipment items you require in hospital will be provided by the hospital. When you leave hospital, the equipment you need will be recommended by the hospital on either a hire or permanent basis. We will then pay the cost of hire or the purchase of equipment through our contracted equipment supplier.

Capital Services Agreements

For items in excess of $5,000 you may be required to enter into a contractual agreement with the TAC, called a Capital Services Agreement. We will notify you where this is required. This agreement establishes our respective responsibilities with regards to ownership over the medical and rehabilitation equipment and any ongoing costs.

How treatments and services are paid for

We pay for these items:

• Directly to your service provider or the medical and rehabilitation equipment supplier, when you have provided them with your TAC claim number.
• If you have to pay, use myTAC to send a copy of your receipt to us and we will repay you.
• Directly to your service provider or medical and rehabilitation equipment supplier, if you have entered into a Capital Services Agreement.

We pay for your services in line with our responsibilities under the Transport Accident Act 1986.

We expect you to use the equipment items that we pay for with reasonable care and use them for their intended purpose.

How much we will pay

We pay the reasonable cost of medical and rehabilitation equipment items required as a result of your transport accident injuries.

With the supply of medical and rehabilitation equipment, we:

• Accept the reasonable cost of items as being the recommended retail price.
• Expect consumables used as part of an in-rooms consultation to be included in the price of the consultation. There may be some exceptions with regards to the excessive cost of consumables related to hand and burn specific dressings.

You may need to pay some of the cost of your equipment when:

• You choose a medical and rehabilitation equipment item or brand that is more expensive than the base model that you require.
• You would have needed the equipment regardless of your injuries
• The equipment is not completely related to your injuries

If your accident was before 14 February 2018, we can only pay for medical services once any required medical excess has been reached.  Find out if the medical excess applies to you.

For providers

If you need to prescribe or provide medical and rehabilitation equipment items for our clients, please see our TAC Provider Guidelines.