TAC equipment hire

by Road Accidents site | Mar 30, 2022 | Medical and like expenses

TAC equipment hire

As part of the TAC’s responsibility to pay for medical and like expenses, they can in some circumstances pay for medical equipment or other equipment (such as exercise equipment) used to assist in your recovery from an injury.

An example of this would be for a very seriously injured person who was on a life support machine, that TAC would fund the cost of the machine on behalf of the client.

If the equipment is only needed on a temporary basis however, then the TAC may not consider it reasonable to pay for the full expense.

In this case that TAC may consider paying or contributing towards hire of the equipment rather than outright purchase.

As an example, after a surgery an injured person may need crutches or the use of a wheelchair.

In most circumstances the crutches are not going to be required for more than a number of weeks or months after the surgery has occurred, and depending upon the type and cost of the crutch involved, it may make more sense to hire them from a medical equipment store or hospital rather than purchase them outright.

The TAC consider equipment hire as appropriate when short term use only is required.

They define short term use as a 6 to 12 week period.

There will need to be clinical justifications for the use of the equipment and there needs to be a specific recovery outcome.

In general, the reasonable cost of the item is considered to be the recommended retail price.

For the TAC to consider purchase or hire of equipment you would need either a registered medical practitioner or a health professional with the appropriate expertise in the relevant area.

This could be a hand therapist who recommends hand putty, as an example.

Within 90 days of the accident, the TAC can provide the following without pre approval:

basic rehabilitation and medical items such as bandages and braces
adapted cleaning equipment
dressing aids
continence equipment
eating and drinking aids
hand strengthening items
heat and ice packs that are reusable
household aids such as bottle and jar openers or reaching aids
non customizable orthosis
support such as braces and splints
walking and mobility aides.

Specialised equipment will need pre-approval from the TAC

This includes:

beds
bikes
custom toilet shower or commode chairs
hoists large exercise equipment
lifting and standing items
lounge chairs or tilt recliners
mattresses
customised orthosis
powered conversion kits
pressure cushions
ramps
recumbent trikes
scooters
shower trolleys
standing frames tilt tables
treatment couches
vocational aids
wheelchairs.

There is a certain set of criteria that the medical practitioner or health professional must explain and meet before the TAC will approve the request.

This includes an itemised quote, if the equipment is for hire – the duration and expected use of the equipment, the relationship between the equipment and the transport accident injuries and a summary of the patients injuries and equipment needs.

If you have the purchase of equipment refused by the TAC, looking at the option of hiring the equipment may be an appropriate alternative depending upon how long you intend to use the equipment.

If you pay for equipment hire or purchase and want to know how long the TAC may take to pay you, you can read about that here.

We can provide you with no cost assistance in disputing any decision by the TAC to not pay for or not contribute towards the purchase or hire of any equipment (or not make enough of a contribution) that you and your doctors or health professionals think you need for your recovery.

All about the TAC medical excess

by Road Accidents site | Feb 25, 2022 | Medical and like expenses

All about the TAC medical excess (Vic)

TAC medical excess graphic

The TAC excess is just like any other excess payment on an insurance claim.

You’ve paid your insurance premium, but if you have to make a claim, you still might have to pay an excess, which is a payment you have to make before the insurance kicks in.

Accidents after 14 February 2018

The good news is that the rules around the TAC excess changed on 14 February 2018.

If your accident occurred on or after that date then you will not have to make an excess payment before your TAC insurance starts.

Given the law says that you normally have only one year from the date of an accident to make a claim, and up to three years in exceptional circumstances, if you’re reading this post because you’ve had a TAC accident, it’s very unlikely you will have to pay the excess.

Accidents before 14 February 2018

If however your accident was before 14 February 2018 and you haven’t yet made a claim or dealt with the medical excess, than the following applies:

If you were admitted as an inpatient at a hospital after the accident, the excess will be waived. If you stayed overnight in hospital, you are likely to be classified as an inpatient.
If you weren’t admitted as an inpatient but a family member in the same accident was, then likely the excess will be waived. The excess applies to a family as a whole, so if one person is exempt, all family members are.
If none of the above applies to you, you/your family will need to meet the excess before most treatment will be paid for.

Ambulance related expenses and hospital charges aren’t subject to the excess, so TAC will pay those expenses on an accepted TAC claim even if the excess hasn’t been waived or met.

This also applies to household support, occupational therapy, travel, social work, nursing and exercise physiology.

The excess is $651.

How do you reach this amount?

It’s not a payment you make to the TAC.

It’s the cost of treatment that you’ve had due to the accident.

It is also not necessarily going to come entirely out of your pocket.

If you used private health insurance or Medicare paid for some or all of your treatment costs, that all goes to meeting the excess.

If you need to meet the excess and believe that you have, complete a Medical Excess Declaration Form and send it to the TAC.

The TAC will confirm with you once they are satisfied the excess is met, then you and your treating health professionals will be able to bill the TAC directly for your medical costs.