Explanatory Memorandum
(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel, The Honourable Darren Chester MP)OUTLINE AND FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Explanatory Memorandum to the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Single Treatment Pathway) Bill 2019 (the Bill) provides a description of amendments to the Bill being made.
Schedule 1- Single treatment pathway
The amendments proposed to be made by Schedule 1 would amend the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) to simplify treatment pathways for medical treatment. The amendments would replace the two existing treatment pathways with a single treatment pathway that enables medical treatment to be accessed and provided through a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Health Card. This amendment will align the MRCA treatment pathway to that in the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988.
The amendments would also regularise the past transfer of clients from treatment pathway one to treatment pathway two and enable clients to be issued with a DVA Health Card to access treatment without the need to pay up-front and later seek reimbursement. Currently, clients on treatment pathway one have to pay up-front for medical services and then seek reimbursement from DVA.
The purpose of the amendments is to streamline access to medical treatment for veterans without the need for claim forms, upfront costs or being out of pocket while awaiting reimbursement.
Financial Impact
$0.091M over the forward estimates.