Medicare
Allied healthcare providers (audiologists) provide audiology services funded by Medicare under the following categories:
Diagnostic audiology (must be requested by an Ear Nose and Throat specialist or Neurologist)
Chronic Disease Management (referred by a GP as part of a chronic disease management plan)
Medicare Better Start for Children with Disability items (referred by a paediatrician or psychiatrist)
Follow-up Allied Health Services for People of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Descent
Audiology / Otolaryngology procedures (auditory and vestibular assessment) undertaken on behalf of a medical specialist (Ear Nose and Throat specialist or Neurologist).
Cochlear implantation.
Referral and eligibility criteria apply.
Gap fees may be charged.
Hearing Services Program
The Hearing Services Program operates a voucher scheme for eligible pensioners. These might include Veterans and government pension recipients.
Voucher holders have full choice of which provider they wish to consult.
Most members of Independent Audiologists Australia are contracted hearing services providers
Each voucher entitles the holder to an assessment and intervention, usually in the form of hearing aids.
Fully subsidised hearing aids are available to all pensioners. Fully subsidised hearing aids meet standards to ensure they are beneficial to most people. An option to "top up" to obtain hearing aids with features not paid for by the government may be offered. Consult you audiologist to understand when such features may be helpful to you.
Voucher holders who have implanted hearing devices (cochlear implants or bone anchored hearing aids) may have them maintained under the hearing services voucher scheme.
Not all rehabilitation services are paid for by the Hearing Services Program and services such as counselling, communication training and specialised assessments might be recommended in addition to those products and services covered by the voucher.
Read more about HSP here....
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
The NDIS provides funding for necessary and reasonable services and devices for eligible Australians under the age of 65 years.
Individuals or their families apply for the NDIS. If found to be eligible, a plan is put into place that can be self-managed or managed by an NDIS support co-ordinator or local area co-ordinator.
The scheme is managed by each State.
From 1 July 2020, Australians 26 years and over, and under 65 years, living with hearing loss may be eligible for supports through the NDIS. For this age group, audiologists can provide devices and therapeutic supports for services such as counselling and communication training that are deemed necessary and reasonable.
For those 26 years of age and under, funding for hearing devices defaults to Hearing Services Program whereas other services may be funded by the NDIS. The NDIS may consider funding all aspects of required supports in individual cases.
Read more about the NDIS here....
Health and Safety in the Workplace
New South Wales (NSW) - SafeWork NSW, Insurance and Care NSW (icare) and State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) -https://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/
Queensland (Qld) - WorkCover Queensland (formerly known as Q-COMP) - https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
South Australia (SA) - SafeWork SA -https://www.safework.sa.gov.au
Northern Territory (NT) - NT WorkSafe - www.worksafe.nt.gov.au
Tasmania (Tas) - Worksafe Tasmania and WorkCover Tasmania - http://www.workcover.tas.gov.au/
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) - WorkSafe ACT - www.worksafe.act.gov.au
Western Australia (WA) - WorkSafe and WorkCover WA - www.workcover.wa.gov.au
Victoria (Vic) - WorkCover and WorkSafe - https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au
Each regulatory body is responsible for enforcing health and safety laws and to protect the health and safety of all workers in Australia - including noise exposure, protection of hearing and compensation for work related hearing loss.
