Life Support Rebates - questions & answers

What is the Life Support Rebate?

The NSW Government's Life Support Rebate program assists people who are required to use energy-intensive life support machines at home, in paying their electricity bills. The list of approved Life Support Machines include medical equipment that is essential for supporting life such as home dialysis, ventilators and oxygen concentrators.

Rebates are credited to the accounts of eligible NSW electricity customers by their electricity retailer. The NSW Government reimburses the total Rebate amount paid by each retailer to its customers.

The daily Rebate rate applied on a customer's bill depends on the type of machine used by the customer.

I hear that the Rebate was recently reviewed; what has changed?

The NSW Government has reviewed the Life Support Electricity Rebate. As a result, the daily Rebate rates of two machines have increased, and two new machines have been included in the approved list of machines. The two new machines are Parenteral Feeding Pumps and Heart Pumps. A new separate higher daily Rebate rate has been introduced for those who are required to use their oxygen concentrators or PAP devices 24 hours a day (compared to sleep hour usage only).

The daily Rebate rates of the other machines on the Approved List of Machines, such as the Enteral feeding Pump and Ventilators, have been maintained in order to ensure that no customers will be worse off as a result of the changes.

What specific changes have been made to each machine and how they will be implemented?

The following table shows the specific changes that have been made to each of the NSW Life Support Rebate rates, and how these changes will be implemented for customers:

Am I entitled to the Life Support Rebate?

If you have an electricity account in your name and you or someone else in your household requires one of the following items of medical equipment to sustain that person's life, you may be entitled to a Rebate on your electricity bill:

1. Positive airways pressure (PAP) device
2. Enteral feeding pump (formerly known as Kangaroo Pump)
3. Phototherapy equipment
4. Home dialysis
5. Ventilators (formerly known as 'respirator')
6. Oxygen concentrator
7. Total parenteral nutrition (new as at 1 October 2009)
8. External heart pump (new as at 1 October 2009)

If you are unsure of the medical term used for your machine, please check with your doctor.

If I use one of the new machines (parenteral feeding pumps and heart pumps), how do I apply for the Rebate?

You will need to obtain an application form which can be obtained from your electricity supplier. You will need to fill in the form, have it signed by your doctor to confirm that you require the equipment, and send the completed form back to your supplier. The Rebate will be applied to your future bills on approval of your application.

What is the new Application Form?

The new Application Form is the new standard Life Support Electricity Rebate Application Form (24 kb, PDF). This form has been introduced in order to ensure that customers are able to use the same form regardless of which retailer supplies electricity to them. Currently, customers are required to fill in different forms depending on which retailer they have chosen to be their electricity supplier.

Furthermore, as the new form includes a section for the doctor to prescribe the required machine(s), a separate doctor's certificate is no longer required.

In due course your retailer may request you to fill the Application Form as part of the two-yearly verification process to ascertain your continued Rebate eligibility.

Will I need to fill in the new Application Form in order to receive the increased Rebate amount?

The increased Rebate rates will automatically be applied to the customer's account by their electricity retailer.

However, if you use your oxygen concentrator or PAP device for long periods each day, you may be eligible for the new higher (24 hours a day) Rebate rate. If this applies to you then you will need to fill in the new standard Application Form, have it signed by your doctor to confirm that you require the equipment, and send the completed form back to your supplier. The new higher daily Rebate rate for 24 hour usage will be applied to your future bills following approval of your application.

If I would like to apply for the new Rebate for a heart pump or parenteral feeding machine, will I need to fill in the new Application Form?

Yes. The Rebate will be applied to your future electricity bills once your application has been approved.

If I currently receive the Rebate, do I need to reapply for the new increased rate?

No. If you currently receive the Rebate for a machine for which the Rebate has increased, you will automatically receive the higher rate.

However, if you would like to access the new higher (24 hours a day) Rebate rate for the use of your oxygen concentrator or positive airways pressure device, you will need to fill in the new standard form, have it signed by your doctor to confirm that you require the equipment, and send the completed form back to your supplier.

The new higher daily Rebate rate for 24 hour usage will be applied to your future bills on approval of your application.

Will my daily Rebate rate reduce as a result of the changes?

No. The current daily Rebate rates for all those machines, where the Rebate has not increased, have been maintained. No customers will be worse off as a result of the changes.

Why is there no increase in the Rebate amount for the enteral feeding, phototherapy equipment or ventilators (formerly known as respirators)?

The Rebate rates for each of the Life Support Rebate machines had been based on the electricity consumed by these machines in 2002 when the current daily Rebate rates were first introduced.

All approved machines were assessed again as part of the recent review to take account of their actual energy use. For those machines which are consuming more electricity compared to their earlier models, the review has resulted in a higher daily Rebate rate.

For some machines there are newer models that use less electricity. In these cases the Rebate amount has been maintained to ensure that no customers are worse off.

Can I receive more than one Rebate if I use more than one type of machine?

Yes. Based on your medical condition, if your doctor has prescribed more than one type of machines, such as an oxygen concentrator and a ventilator, two separate Rebates will be applied to your bill. For this to occur, your Application must include these machines.

What if I use my machine 24 hours?

The review has resulted in some machines receiving an increase in the Rebate if required to be used on a 24 hours basis.

For example, if you are required to use your oxygen concentrator or a positive airways pressure device on a 24 hours basis, you may be eligible to apply for the higher daily Rebate rate by filling in the new Application Form. The form can be obtained from your electricity supplier. You will need to fill in the Application Form and have it signed by your doctor before providing the completed form to your electricity supplier.

The new higher Rebate will be applied to your account from the date of your application, if approved.

Why do only some machines receive the higher 24 hours Rebate?

The former Department of Water & Energy (now Industry & Investment NSW) conducted a review of Life Support Rebates in consultation with NSW Health. The review has identified that some customers need to use their machines only during sleep, while others are required to use them for up to 24 hours each day.

In order to ensure adequate assistance for customers who need to use their machines for up to 24 hours a day, a new higher Rebate amount has been introduced.

Will I still receive my Rebate if I change my electricity supplier?

Yes, the Rebate will continue to be paid by your electricity supplier, whether this is your existing supplier, or a new supplier. This is because all electricity suppliers are required to deliver the NSW Government Life Support Rebate to eligible customers.

However, you will need to provide details to the new retailer regarding your entitlement to the NSW Life Support Electricity Rebate when you agree to a new contract with them.

The new Application Form will ensure that you will be using the same form regardless of which electricity supplier you choose to be your supplier.

Can I receive the Rebate on my account if a dependent family member is required to use a Life Support Machine at my place of residence?

Yes, if the dependent family member who is on life support machine lives at the supply address for your electricity account.