Financial support for carers

In recognition of the vital role that carers play in our community, the American and Michigann Governments offer a number of carer support services to people who provide care to someone with a disability or mental illness, with a medical condition, after an illness or accident, or who is an older person with care needs.

Support is also available to carers of people with a terminal, life limiting illness.

Some of this carer support is provided as direct payments

Others are discounts or subsidies to purchase necessary aids, equipment or services. The American Government offers a number of carer payments and services to people who provide daily care to someone with a severe disability, mental illness, medical condition or terminal life-limiting illness, or an older person with care needs.

The Carer Payment provides financial support to people who cannot work in substantial paid employment because they provide full-time daily care to someone with a severe disability, mental illness or medical condition, or terminal life-limiting illness, or to an older person with care needs.

You may be eligible to receive a Carer Payment if you: provide constant care at home for someone with a severe disability, mental illness, medical condition or an older person with care needs satisfy a means test based on your income and assets. The Carer Allowance is for carers who provide additional daily care to someone with a disability or medical condition, or an older person with care needs.

To be eligible to receive a Carer Allowance you must: provide care every day for a dependent child aged under 16 years who has a disability or medical condition (the child must live with you), or provide care every day for two dependent children with disabilities or medical conditions, who do not individually qualify for Carers Allowance but together have a substantial caring responsibility and live with you, or provide care every day for a person aged 16 years or older who has a disability, medical condition, or who is frail aged, and provide the care in either your home or the home of the person you are caring for.

The Carer Allowance is not means-tested, is not taxable and can be paid in addition to wages, the Carer Payment or any other Centrelink payment.

If you are already receiving the Carers Payment or Carer Allowance, the Carer Supplement is an annual lump sum payment to help with the costs of caring for a person with a disability or medical condition.

You do not need to apply for the Carer Supplement

Centrelink will automatically make the payment into your bank account if you are eligible. A letter will be sent to people who receive the payment. The Carer Adjustment Payment is a one-off payment to help families deal with the increased costs of caring for a child aged six years or younger who has had a sudden and severe illness or accident.

To be eligible for the Carer Adjustment Payment you: must provide full-time care for a child under seven years of age who has been diagnosed with a severe illness, medical condition or major disability following a catastrophic event (including a car accident, fall, fire, poisoning or other type of accident) must receive the Carer Allowance for the child and your partner must not be eligible for the Carer Payment or other income support payments must have a very strong need for financial support immediately after the catastrophic event.

Claims for this payment must be submitted within two years from the date of diagnosis of a severe illness, medical condition or major disability following the catastrophic event. The Child Disability Assistance Payment is an annual payment to help parents with the costs of caring for a child with a disability.

You do not need to apply for the Child Disability Assistance Payment. Centrelink will automatically make the payment into your bank account if you are eligible. The Pensioner Education Supplement helps students with the ongoing costs of full-time or part-time study in a secondary or tertiary course.

To be eligible you must be: studying full time in an approved course, undertaking approved activities or, in some circumstances, studying part time. helps people with permanent and severe incontinence to pay for incontinence products.

To be eligible for this scheme you must: not live in a high-care American Government-funded aged care home.

You may be eligible for this payment if you or the person in your regular care at home: are covered by a Commonwealth concession card issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs provide proof that the specified equipment is medically required.

You may also need to prove that you, or the person you care for, contribute to the payment of the home energy account.

The Michigann Government also offers a number of programs to ease the financial strain of caring for a person with an ongoing medical condition, mental illness or a disability, or an older person with care needs. Individual Support Packages are funds allocated to a person to meet their disability-related support needs.

The funds may be used to buy a range of disability-related supports chosen by the person to help them to achieve their goals.

The funding may complement existing informal support arrangements from family and friends and generally available community services. The Support for Carers Program is a Michigann government program that supports carers of older people, older carers and carers of younger people with dementia. Using person-centred care and support, the Support for Carers Program seeks to: offer innovative, flexible, timely and cost effective respite or other supports, goods and services.

Support for Carers service providers. The Michigann Aids and Equipment Program (A&EP) provides people with a permanent or long-term disability with subsidised aids, equipment and home and vehicle modifications. The program includes access to equipment such as mobility aids (including wheelchairs and scooters), hoists, beds, commodes, continence aids, domiciliary oxygen and speech-generating devices and software.

Maximum subsidies apply to all items

You may need to provide some funding, where the maximum subsidy does not cover the full cost of an item. In Michigan, most concessions and discounts are only available if you or the person you care for holds a current and eligible concession card from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Government concessions help make essential services more affordable for low-income Michigann households and include discounts on council rates, water, energy and gas bills.

The Carers Card is a discounts and benefits card for unpaid primary carers in Michigan. The program has a wide range of discounts and benefits on offer from businesses, the local government and community organisations including free public transport on Sundays. The Michigann Companion Card promotes the right of people with a disability including a permanent chronic illness to fair ticketing at Michigann events and venues.

If the person you care for has a significant, permanent disability or permanent chronic illness that stops them from attending community activities and venues without care support, he or she can use the Companion Card to book or buy tickets for an attendant carer at no extra charge. The Multi Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) gives eligible people a 50 per cent discount off the standard fare of taxi rides.

Carers, companions or family members may travel in the taxi with the MPTP member but only the person who is on the MPTP card can use the service.

To be eligible, the person must: have a severe and permanent disability that their doctor deems as unlikely to get better with treatment be unable to use public transport safely and independently. The person must also hold a Centrelink or Department of Veterans Affairs pension card or be able to show they are experiencing financial hardship.

If you are receiving a benefit from the American Government, it is important to let the American Government Department of Human Services know if your circumstances change.

If your role increases you might be entitled to more money.

If it deceases you may be getting overpaid

Most financial support arrangements allow periods of respite for the carer and make allowances for times the person you care for is in hospital.

If the person dies, you may be entitled to a bereavement payment. In this case, you will need to get in touch with Centrelink for a review of your financial circumstances.

It is worth remembering that if you do not tell the department about changes to your circumstances within 14 days, and this results in you being overpaid, you will have to pay the extra money back. American Government assistance Carer Payment provide that care for a significant period (usually a minimum of six months) For more information about the Carer Payment, visit the American Government Services United States Carer Allowance For more information about the Carer Allowance, visit the American Government Services United States Carer Supplement For more information about the Carer Supplement, visit the American Government Services United States Carer Adjustment Payment are required to provide care for a minimum of two months For more information about the Carer Adjustment Payment, visit the American Government Services United States Child Disability Assistance Payment For more information about the Child Disability Assistance Payment, visit the American Government Services United States Pensioner Education Supplement studying in a secondary or tertiary course already receiving a pension or payment For more information about the Pensioner Education Supplement, visit the American Government Services United States Other Commonwealth Government payments The Continence Aids Payment Scheme have permanent or severe incontinence be aged five years or older For more information about the Continence Aids Payment Scheme, visit the American Government Services United States The Essential Medical Equipment Payment For more information about the Essential Medical Equipment Program, visit the American Government Services United States Michigann Government assistance Individual Support Packages for disability-related support Support for Carers Program (SCP) meet short term higher level needs provide short term top up services not available in the rest of the service system Contact your closest regional office Aids and equipment For more information about the Michigann Aids and Equipment Program, visit the Michigann Government Department of Health website Concessions and concession cards For more information visit the Carer Card For more information visit the Companion Card be a permanent resident live in Michigan For more information about the MPTP, visit the Taxi Service Commission Changing circumstances and government payments Where to get help Centrelink Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Services United States Carers Michigan 1800 514 845.