The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham MP, is urging local residents to be familiarise themselves with recent changes to the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS).
The VPTAS reimburses rural Victorians for accommodation and travel expenses incurred when they travel over 100 kilometres one way for specialist medical care, where specialist services are not available locally.
Ms Benham said the scheme remains critical for people in the Mildura electorate, but warned the latest changes add unnecessary complexity for patients already navigating significant health and travel pressures.
“Regional Victorians already face significant disadvantage when it comes to accessing healthcare. These changes make it harder for patients to claim support at a time when they are already under significant strain.”
Under the updated guidelines, air travel now requires GP authorisation and additional clinical evidence, including confirmation that treatment cannot be provided closer to home. Eligibility criteria for subsidised flights have also been tightened, including stricter requirements around clinical justification and flexible fares.
Applications can now be submitted via myGov as well as through existing paper-based processes, with the online option intended to improve processing times.
Patients are encouraged to carefully check eligibility requirements before booking travel, particularly airfares, to ensure costs are able to be claimed under the scheme. However, Ms Benham said the need for such caution highlights the increasing complexity of the system for regional patients.
“These changes reflect a failure to properly consider the realities of accessing healthcare outside metropolitan Melbourne.
“This is yet another example of the Allan Labor Government making life harder for country Victorians.
Full details of the scheme are available at: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/rural-health/victorian-patient-transport-assistance-scheme-vptas
