Isolated Patient Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme
Funding boost to increase subsidies and expand eligibility
Patients needing to travel to receive specialist healthcare will benefit from a $149.5m funding boost to the Isolated Patient Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme, or IPTAAS.
The increased assistance, announced in the June 2022 State Budget, will apply for travel and accommodation from August 2022 and will help ease the financial burden on people in regional and rural NSW.
Accommodation subsidies will now be paid at a rate of:
- $40 per night if you are staying with family or friends (Airbnb will also be paid at this rate)
- $75 per night if you are staying in not-for-profit or commercial accommodation for the first seven nights and $120 per night from day eight onwards.
Patients attending high-risk foot services, non-commercial clinical trials, highly specialised publicly funded oral health clinics in NSW and ocularists are also eligible to claim.
Patients travelling by private vehicle to access specialist healthcare will also benefit from an increase in the private vehicle subsidy – from 22c per kilometre to 40c per kilometre.
IPTAAS complements the support services that provide practical assistance for people living in regional NSW to access specialist healthcare.
What is IPTAAS?
The Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme, or IPTAAS, provides financial assistance towards travel and accommodation in rural, regional or remote areas in NSW. You are generally eligible when you need to travel long distances to access specialist healthcare that is not available locally.
To be eligible, you must meet the travel criteria. More information about eligibility can be found by visiting iptaas.health.nsw.gov.au, talking to your healthcare team or calling the IPTAAS team directly on 1800 478 227.
