Help to recover

If you’ve had a medical treatment, you may need some support.

We have payments and services to help you manage your bills so you can focus on getting better.

Payments from us

Disability Support Pension is income support if you have a physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that is likely to last for more than 2 years and stops you from working.

JobSeeker Payment is income support if you’re between 22 and Age Pension age and looking for work. It’s also for when you’re sick or injured and can’t do your usual work or study for a short time.

Youth Allowance for job seekers is income support if you’re 21 or younger and looking for work. It’s also for if you’re unable to work for a short time.

Mobility Allowance helps with travel costs for work, study or looking for work. You may get it if you can’t use public transport without help because of a disability, illness or injury.

The Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) is a regular extra payment to help with study costs. If you get PES, you may also get a one-off Education Entry Payment.

You may also be able to get extra payments to help with the cost of living such as:

• Telephone Allowance, which helps with the costs of having a phone and home internet service
• Rent Assistance, which is a regular payment if you pay rent.

Medical costs

You may be able to get a Health Care Card. This gives you cheaper health services and medicines.

Read about Medicare and other health care services that can help you with the cost of:

• health services
• prescription medicines
• medical equipment.

The Continence Aids Payment Scheme helps pay for continence products.

The Essential Medical Equipment Payment helps with energy costs to run medical equipment or medically required heating or cooling. This is a single yearly payment.

Talk to your doctor about how a Chronic Disease Management Plan can help when you have a chronic medical condition. Read more about chronic disease management on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

If you have a carer

Your carer may be able to get a payment, depending on their and your circumstances. The main payments are:

• Carer Payment if they give constant care to someone who has severe disability or medical condition, or who is frail aged
• Carer Allowance if they give additional daily care to someone who has disability or medical condition, or who is frail aged.

They may be able to get both Carer Payment and Carer Allowance at the same time.

Read about caring for someone.

Support services

These links will take you away from our website.

Disability Gateway helps people with disability, their families and carers find and access services.

Scope Australia has advice on employment and community support services for people with disability.

healthdirect has advice on health and wellbeing.

JobAccess offers help and workplace solutions for people with disability looking for work and for their employers.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme helps people with significant and permanent disability and their families and carers.