Financial Assistance Information

Bambini Allied Health like to make payments as easy as possible for you so we offer a variety of payment options for our clients and their families.

Our fees depend on the services received. Please contact Bambini Allied Health for our current fee schedule.

Bambini Allied Health accepts cash, credit cards (Visa and MasterCard), and direct debit to our bank account. Please note that additional fees may apply to all credit card transactions.

Funding and Rebates

There are many funding and rebate options available that you may be eligible for. We have listed the most common ones below:

  • Helping Children with Autism Package

  • Chronic Disease Management Plan (Medicare CDM Plan)

  • FaCHSIA Funding

  • Better Start for Children with Disabilities

  • Private Health Insurance

  • Carer Allowance

  • National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

  • BUSHkids

  • Carers Queensland

Chronic Disease Management Plan (Formally Enhanced Primary Care)

Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM), formally known as the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program provides Medicare rebates for allied health services, for children and adults who have a chronic medical condition. You may be eligible to claim a rebate through Medicare for these services if you have a chronic condition that is being managed by your GP under an Enhanced Primary Care Plan. A chronic medical condition is one that has been or will be present for at least 6 months.

The EPC provides a maximum of 5 total rebates per calendar year for all Allied Health services. For individuals who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders a maximum total of 10 rebates per calendar year is offered. This means that if you are accessing more than one Allied Health service, you are entitled to 5 rebates across all of the services combined, not 5 rebates per service.

How do I access the EPC plan?

Your GP will decide if you are eligible for these services and will refer you where appropriate. For further information, please contact your GP.

I have been referred to you on an EPC plan, how does it work?

You will need to provide us with your referral form. Once you have given us the form you will be eligible to claim up to a maximum of 5 rebated sessions per calendar year, provided that your GP has registered your plan through Medicare.

Therapy provided by Bambini Allied Health will need to be paid for as usual, but you will be able to take your receipt to Medicare or submit via Medicare’s online services in order to claim your rebate.

The Medicare rebate is currently $56.00 per service. Bambini Allied Health provides on the spot claiming through Medicare. This means you can claim your rebate immediately after your consult.

Where can I access further information?

Further information is available through the Department of Health and Ageing, Enhanced Primary Care Program website.

FaCHSIA Funding

FaCHSIA is a funding scheme that has been allocated by the federal government, for early intervention services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Provided your child is aged 0-7yrs, and has not started full time compulsory schooling, you are eligible to access the funding. Families who are eligible can spend up to $6000 per financial year (up to a total of $12000) on early intervention for the affected child.

What does this mean for me?

Provided your health service is registered with FaCHSIA, all services provided will be paid for via your FaCHSIA funding. This means that accessing early interevention services for your child will cost you nothing, up to the $6000 threshold per financial year. Once the $6000 limit is reached, you will need to start paying your health service provider as usual. FaCHSIA funding can be used to access more than one health service. For example, you can use your funding to access both Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy.

FaCHSIA funding cannot be used for:

  • subsidising the gap in a Medicare funded service.

  • paying for cancelled or missed appointments.

When is my child no longer eligible?

Children may access funding up until the day that they turn 6 years old. Children may be eligible up until the age of 7 years if they have not yet started full time school.

If you use up the $12,000 of allocated funding, regardless of the child’s age, you are no longer eligible to access FaCHSIA funding.

What happens if my child is no longer eligible?

Your child may still be able to access other subsidised services through the Helping Children with Autism package, but will no longer be able to receive FaCHSIA funding.

See the Autism Initiative page for more information.

Can I access my FaCHSIA funding at Bambini Allied Health?

Yes, you can!! Bambini Allied Health is registered to provide FaCHSIA services.

Where can I access further information?

Further information can be accessed through FaCHSIA – Helping Children with Autism Website.

The Department of Health and Ageing also has a site dedicated to Helping Children with Autism, which covers FaCHSIA funding and the Autism Initiative through medicare.

Better Start for Children
with Disabilities

The Better Start Package is a federal government initiative to assist families with children diagnosed with an eligible disability to access early intervention services. This initiative assists children with disabilities including; Down syndrome, Cerebral palsy, Fragile X syndrome, vision or hearing impairment, Prader Willi syndrome, Williams syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Kabuki syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, CHARGE syndrome, Cornelia de Lange syndrome, ‘Cri du Chat’ syndrome or Microcephaly. Each disability included in the Better Start program is subject to an eligibility threshold. These thresholds have been determined by the Department of Social Services.

Children with an eligible diagnosis must register for Better Start before they turn 6 years old. A child will have until they turn 7 to access funding. Children registered with Better Start can access up to $12,000 (maximum $6,000 per year) to pay for early intervention services. These services include:

  • audiology

  • occupational therapy

  • orthoptics

  • physiotherapy

  • psychology and

  • speech pathology.

Families living in outer regional or remote areas may be eligible for an additional one-off payment of $2,000. This payment is to assist with additional expenses associated with accessing services.

How do I access Better Start funding?

This plan is initiated by your Paediatrician or GP. In order to utilise these rebates, you must provide your referral plan from your GP or paediatrician prior to the session on which you wish to claim. Rebateable sessions can only be provided after the date of the referral.

How does Better Start funding work?

Your Paediatrician or GP can allocate up to 4 sessions for assessment and treatment planning for which rebates are available up until the child turns 13 years of age. A total of 20 therapy sessions can then be allocated (as a once off), until your child turns 15 years of age.

Can I access Better Start at Bambini Allied Health?

Bambini Allied Health is a registered provider on the Early Intervention Service Panel, allowing you to use this funding for assessment and therapy services as well.

Where can I access further information?

Please contact Bambini Allied Health if you require further information or visit the Department of Social Services website.

Private Health Fund

If you have health insurance through a private health fund you may be eligible for a rebate from your Heath Insurer. Private speech pathology is covered under many health fund plans. Each health fund varies with respect to the rebate they provide. You may wish to check with your health fund before making an appointment in order to determine whether you are covered for Speech Pathology services.

The following item numbers will help your fund identify if you are covered;

  • 320 is the item number for a Speech Pathology Assessment.

  • 340 is the item number for a Speech Pathology therapy consultation.

  • 380 Group treatment 46 - 90 minutes for Speech Pathology

  • 100 Initial Individual Assessment/Treatment for Occupational Therapy

  • 200 Individual Assessment/Treatment 30 minutes for Occupational Therapy

  • 250 Individual Assessments/Treatment over 30 minutes for Occupational Therapy

  • 300 Group Assessment/Treatment for Occupational Therapy

It is not possible to use both Medicare and private health rebates for the same session.

I’ve contacted my health fund and they’ve said you aren’t registered?

Bambini Allied Health are registered with health funds for health fund rebates, and every effort is made to register with all health funds. From time to time a new health fund will start, or their requirements may change and we may not have been informed of this by the fund themselves. If you do find that we aren’t registered with your specific fund, please contact us so we can rectify this for you. Every effort will be made to make sure that we are registered so you can receive the health fund rebate that you are entitled to.

Do you process claims through the HICAPS system?

Yes! We can process your health fund claim on the spot provided you have your health fund card, and your health fund is registered with HICAPS for Speech Pathology claims. This means that when you attend Speech Pathology, all you will need to pay is the gap between your health fund benefit, and our fee.

You can access more information on the HICAPS system through our website.

Carers Allowance

Carer Allowance is a payment available through centrelink for the parents or carers of a child under the age of 16, who has a disability or a severe medical condition, and is cared for at home. Both the carer and the child must live in the same home and also be residents of Australia.

How do I apply?

You will need to contact centrelink and fill out an application form in order to apply. You need to provide proof of identity for all carers, as well as the child being cared for. Once you have completed the forms, you will need to contact your GP in order to finalise them. Eligibility is determined by centrelink.

Centrelink has provided a claim form information booklet for further information. You can also download a Claims form from the centrelink website or visit your nearest centrelink office. You will need to register your intent to claim Carer Allowance in order to be eligible for back payment if approved.

Carer Allowance is currently not means tested.

How much assistance can I get?

Carers who are found to be eligible for Carer Allowance can receive up to a maximum of $123.50 per fortnight per child as at 30th June 2016.

Where can I get more information?

For more information, please consult the Centrelink website, Carer Allowance page

National Disability
Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) commenced rolling out across Queensland on 1 July 2016. The NDIS is being rolled out geographically based on Local Government Areas (LGA). People will move to the NDIS at different times depending on where they live. You can check when your LGA is moving to NDIS on NDIS-Queensland Rollout 2016-2019 by Date or on the NDIS webpage https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/our-sites/qld.html The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) intends to have a presence in the roll out areas several months before the roll out date. For further information visit www.ndis.gov.au

Will Bambini Allied Health accept NDIS funding?

Bambini Allied Health are approved and registered service providers and will be providing services across the Sunshine Coast from the beginning of 2019.

BUSHkids

BUSHkids is a not-for-profit organisation that has been supporting the health and well-being of children and families in Queensland’s regional, rural and remote communities for over 85 years.

BUSHkids provides free preventative and early intervention allied healthcare to children and families who are unable to access services locally due to the unavailability or affordability of those services. BUSHkids is also the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Partner in the Community for the delivery of NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Services. If your child is under the age of 9 they can potentially access funding via BUSHkids without the need for a diagnosis.

Carers Queensland

Carers Queensland is working with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to deliver the Local Area Coordination Partner in the Community Program, supporting Australians with disability to live fulfilling and connected lives for individuals who are 7 years or above on the Sunshine Coast.

As an NDIS Partner in the Community, we will:

  • help you understand and access the NDIS

  • work to understand what is important to you, your goals and plans for the future, and the supports needed to get there

  • assist you to find local services and start using your NDIS plan, and provide guidance throughout your NDIS journey

  • provide opportunities for you to explore employment, volunteering or education options

Local Funding Services

There are other local funding services that you can apply for but it is advised that you check that you meet the eligibility criteria before submitting an application. Contact Bambini Allied Health for a list of local funding services.

Cancellation Policy

Bambini Allied Health reserves the right to charge for any cancellations made within 48 hours prior to a scheduled appointment (excluding weekends).

We ask that you understand that we are not always able to fill your allocated time with another client on the waitlist.