Key messages
- The Department of Health fee schedule and income ranges provide a basis for calculating fees for community health services.
- The department indexes fees and income levels in January each year.
- The schedule of fees breaks fees down by activity, population type, policy, and the fees payable for low, medium and high income Victorians.
- Even if a consumer has declared that they are in a particular income level, mitigating circumstances may affect the consumer's ability to pay a fee. In these cases, consumers have the right to have the fee reduced or waived.
- No one can be denied a service because they are not able to pay fees.
Community health services apply a schedule of fees within the framework of fees principles when assessing people seeking services.
Community Health schedule of fees
Fees should be applied pro rata when part hour services are provided.
| Activity / Population Type | Policy | Fee Payable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Income | Medium Income | High Income | ||
| Financially dependent children | Parents of financially dependent children may be charged if they are not low income | Nil | 17.50 | Full cost recovery |
| Health promotion and group activities | Agencies may charge a fee for group activities | 8.85 | 8.85 | Full cost recovery |
| Community Health Nursing | Chargeable services | 11.55 | 17.50 | Full cost recovery |
| Counselling/Casework Consultations | No charge for low and medium income clients | Nil | Nil | Full cost recovery |
Allied Health Consultations · Podiatry · Physiotherapy · Speech Therapy · Dietetics · Audiology · Occupational Therapy | Chargeable services | 11.55 | 17.50 | Full cost recovery |
| Interpreting | Nil | Nil | Nil | |
| Initial Needs Identification | Nil | Nil | Nil | |
| Other services and items (such as report writing, court attendance, orthotics, information material, secondary consultations) | Where appropriate such service fees may be charged even when associated with a service which does not attract a fee (e.g. counselling provided to a low-income person) Fees should be levied in a manner consistent with the exemptions and capping provisions included in this policy | Agency may set fees | Agency may set fees | Agency may set fees |
Income ranges
| Low | Medium | High | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | < $39,089 | > $39,089 | < $86,208 | > $86,208 |
| Couple | < $59,802 | > $59,802 | < $115,245 | > $115,245 |
| Family (1 Child) | < $66,009 | > $66,009 | < $118,546 | > $118,546 |
| (plus $6,206 per additional child) | ||||
The Community Health income ranges are based on the Centrelink Income test for pensioners.
Income ranges are being reviewed as part of a Community Health Program and Home and Community Care Program for Younger People fees policy review.
Fees policy principles
The following principles provide a consistent framework within which community health services providers are to operate.
- Inability to pay cannot be used as a basis for refusing a service to people who are assessed as requiring a service:
- Where fees are to be charged, it should be done in accordance with a scale of fees appropriate to the consumer’s level of income, amount of service used, and any changes in circumstances and ability to pay.
- All agencies should charge the full cost of the service where consumers are receiving, or have received, compensation payments intended to cover the cost of care.
- Consumers with similar levels of income (after considering levels of expenditure) and service usage patterns should be charged equivalent fees for equivalent services.
- Fees charged should not exceed the actual cost of service provision. Generally, the fee charged should be all-inclusive and covers all materials used in delivery of the service. Where there is a significant additional cost for material utilised in the provision of a service, a separate fee can be charged.
- Fee collection should be administered efficiently and attempts should be made to minimise the cost of administration.
- The revenue from fees is to be used to enhance and/or expand services.
- Procedures for the determination of fees, including assessment criteria, should be clearly documented and publicly available. The onus is on the service provider to ensure all consumers are aware that this information is available.
- Procedures for determination and collection of fees should take into account the situation of special needs groups.
- Assessment of a person’s capacity to pay fees should be as simple and unobtrusive as possible, with due regard for individual’s privacy. Any information obtained should be treated as confidential.
- Consumers and their advocates have the right of appeal against a given fee determination.
- For the purposes of this policy, solicited donations for services are equivalent to fees and are subject to all provisions of this policy. The implementation of this policy cannot be avoided by using the terms payments or donations instead of fees.
Contact us
For more information about community health services incident reporting arrangements, email partnerships.primary@health.vic.gov.au.
Reviewed 02 October 2024