Use of the Access Card Post Registration
See also information on Registration; People Under 18 Years of Age; and Carers and Dependants.
Registration for the access card will be conducted over a two year period. In order to be eligible to receive Commonwealth benefits after the conclusion of the registration period, a person must:
- have registered for an access card; and
- be issued with a valid access card.
Or, a person must either:
- be exempt from being registered and obtaining an access card; or
- be linked as a dependant on someone else’s valid access card. (See information on People under 18 Years of Age, and Carers and Dependants.)
While it will be compulsory to meet these guidelines to receive benefits (such as Medicare rebates), it is important to note that no one will be denied access to health and veterans’ services if they do not meet these requirements.
For example, people will not be denied treatment by a medical professional if they are not registered for a card, although they may not be able to claim a Medicare rebate for that treatment. This is the same as the situation today when a person must be enrolled in Medicare, but does not need to present it when seeking treatment. In these circumstances the doctor may need to contact Medicare to confi rm the person’s eligibility to receive benefits.
The legislation states that a person does not need to carry their card with them at any time.
Special and urgent circumstances
There will always be special and urgent circumstances where the access card does not need to be presented to receive benefits, but in most cases it will be more convenient for a person to use their card. For example if a person visits a Centrelink office, it will be easier and faster to present their access card to the customer service officer, rather than to be asked questions to fully confi rm identity.
Also, while most people are expected to register and receive their cards during the registration period, there are cases where this may not occur. The proposed legislation provides an exemption on hardship grounds, at the discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Human Services, for up to three months from the requirement to be registered and have a valid card.s
Notes
- Further information on Use of the Access Card Post Registration can be found in Part 2 Division 2 and Part 4 Division 10 of the Human Services (Enhanced Service Delivery) Bill 2007.
- Use of the Access Card Post-Registration Fact Sheet
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