The Queensland Government provides an electricity life support concession for eligible people who are seriously ill and use a home-based oxygen concentrator or kidney dialysis machine.

This concession is to contribute to the electricity cost of running these machines.

If you or someone in your household depends on life support equipment, contact your electricity provider and register your household as a life support household. If you lose power, you will be contacted and provided with updates on when it will be fixed. You can register as a life support household even if you are not eligible for the Life Support Concession.

Payments

If you are eligible for the concession, you will receive a payment of:

• $1,024.38 per year for each oxygen concentrator, or
• $686.01 per year for each kidney dialysis machine you use.

The concession is calculated monthly and paid quarterly into your nominated bank account.

Payment dates

You will receive your payment on or around 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October each year, by electronic funds transfer to your nominated bank account.

Applications lodged less than 21 days before the payment date will be paid on the next payment date.

Eligibility

Oxygen concentrators

To be eligible, you must:

• receive your oxygen concentrator free of charge through the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS)

AND

• have been medically assessed in accordance with the eligibility criteria determined by MASS

AND

• hold one of the following concession cards:
  • Pensioner Concession Card
  • Health Care Card
  • Health Care Interim Voucher
  • Child Disability Allowance
  • Queensland Seniors Card.

Kidney dialysis machines

To be eligible, you must receive your home-based kidney dialysis machine free of charge through a Queensland Health hospital.

Oxygen concentrators and kidney dialysis machines not supplied by MASS or Queensland Health

If you have an oxygen concentrator or kidney dialysis machine, but MASS or Queensland Health did not supply it, you are not eligible to receive the electricity life support concession.

Private and home care package supplied oxygen concentrators and kidney dialysis machines are not eligible for this concession.

The electricity life support concession is not available for any other machines supplied through Queensland Health or other agencies.

Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) machine users are not eligible to receive the concession.

• Phone: 13 74 68
• Email: concessions@smartservice.qld.gov.au