Compassionate grounds medical treatment and/or transport
You may be eligible for early release of superannuation on specified compassionate grounds to pay for the following expenses for yourself or your dependant:
- medical treatment
- transport to access medical treatment
- dental treatment
- transport to access dental treatment.
You or your dependant must need the treatment to:
- treat a life-threatening illness or injury
- alleviate acute or chronic physical pain
- alleviate an acute or chronic mental disturbance.
The treatment must not be readily available through the public health system and the cost of the treatment not be completely covered by your (or your dependant's) private health insurance and/or workers’ compensation.
Eligibility
To check whether you are eligible, ask yourself the following questions about possible early access to your superannuation on medical grounds.
- Do you or your dependant suffer from a life threatening illness or injury, acute or chronic pain, or an acute or chronic mental disturbance?
- Do you or your dependant require medical treatment for this condition that is not readily available through the public-health system or require transport to access treatment for this condition?
If you have answered 'no' in response to either of those questions, it is unlikely that you are eligible for the early release of superannuation on specific compassionate grounds.
Supporting documents
To avoid delays in processing your application, you must get the required documentation before submitting your application.
Your medical/dental practitioner and medical/dental specialist will each need to complete a Report for medical practitioners and/or specialists.
Alternatively, your medical practitioner and/or medical specialist can provide a letter, on their letterhead, containing all of the information requested within the report. The letter(s) will also need to
- be signed and dated no earlier than six months before the date of your application
- clearly show the their qualifications in English or translated into English by a certified translator.
You will need to complete and submit a Medical, dental or transport form and provide two copies of the Report for medical practitioners and/or specialists completed by your registered medical/dental practitioner and your registered medical/dental specialist.
For medical or dental treatment
Step 1 You will need to get a report from a registered medical/dental practitioner and a medical/dental specialist qualified in the area of medicine relevant to you or your dependant's medical treatment.
Each Report for medical practitioners and/or specialists letter needs to:
- state that your or your dependant's condition can be categorised as one of the following:
- a life threatening illness or injury
- acute or chronic pain
- an acute or chronic mental disturbance
- state that the treatment required is not readily available to you or your dependant through the public health system
Step 2 You will need to get quotes and/or provide outstanding invoices from relevant service providers that show the amount needed to pay for every expense you are claiming.
The quotes and invoices must:
- indicate any amounts claimable through private health insurance
- be dated no earlier than six months from the date of your application
- not be more than 30 days old (for unpaid invoices).
Note: Without the required documents, we cannot process your application.
For medical transport
Step 1 You need to get a letter from a registered medical/dental specialist as well as from a registered medical practitioner stating that you or your dependant requires transport to access treatment.
Each Report for medical practitioners and/or specialists needs to state:
- that you or your dependant’s condition can be categorised as one of the following:
- a life-threatening illness or injury
- acute or chronic pain
- an acute or chronic mental disturbance
- the type of transport that is required
- how often you or your dependant must attend treatment
- the location(s) where the treatment is provided
- how long you or your dependant is expected to require the treatment.
Step 2 You will need to get quotes and/or provide outstanding invoices from relevant service providers that show the amount needed to pay for every expense you are claiming.
The quotes and invoices must:
- indicate any amounts claimable through private health insurance
- be dated no earlier than six months from the date of your application (for quotes)
- not be more than 30 days old (for unpaid invoices).
If you are applying to purchase a vehicle for medical transport purposes and already have a vehicle, you need to provide:
- confirmation of the trade-in value of your existing vehicle from a relevant service provider or online vehicle pricing service, and
- a written statement explaining why the existing vehicle is not suitable for providing the necessary transport to access medical treatment.
If you have borrowed money to pay expenses
If you have borrowed money to pay for your expenses and you are claiming early release of superannuation benefits to repay this loan, you must provide the required documentation to support your claim.
The following information should be provided in addition to the information listed above.
If the money was borrowed from an individual, such as a family member or a friend, you must provide a statutory declaration written by the person you borrowed the money from which confirms:
- the date when he or she gave you the money
- how much he or she gave you
- his or her understanding of what the money was needed for
- how much you still owe
- the agreed date the loan was to be repaid by
- receipts showing how the borrowed funds were spent, and
- documented evidence that the loan took place (this could be demonstrated by bank statements, money transfer receipts, cheque stubs, or credit-card / bank statements in the lender’s name showing the payment of your expenses).
If the expenses were paid using a credit card, you need to provide:
- copies of your credit card statements showing the payment of the claimed expenses
- receipts showing the payment of the claimed expenses
- a currently dated credit card statement that shows:
- the current balance owing
- the minimum monthly repayment
- the arrears owing (if any)
- the total credit limit.
If the expenses were paid using a loan from a financial institution, you need to provide:
- receipts showing how the borrowed funds were spent
- a written statement from the institution which gave you the loan, which states:
- the amount of the loan
- the date on which the loan was given
- the date by which repayment was required
- the amount still owing
- the repayment amount and frequency
- the amount of arrears owing (if any).