Compensation for costs of a patient's journey
(1) The Commonwealth is liable to pay compensation for any costs reasonably incurred if:
(a) the costs are incurred in respect of a journey that is made by a person that is necessary for the person to obtain compensable treatment for an injury or disease of the person; and
(b) any one or more of the following applies:
(i) if the journey is by ambulance services--the person's injury or disease reasonably requires using those services; or
(ii) the journey is by public transport; or
(iii) if the journey is by means other than public transport or ambulance services--it is unreasonable for the person to use public transport having regard to the nature of the person's injury or disease, or public transport is unavailable; or
(iv) the reasonable length of the journey (including the return part of the journey) exceeds 50 kilometres; and
(c) a claim for compensation in respect of the person has been made under section 319.
Note 1: Section 289 defines compensable treatment .
Note 2: This subsection might be affected by the following provisions:
(a) section 292 (journeys etc. outside Australia);
(b) section 293 (amount of compensation).
Compensation for costs of an attendant's journey
(2) The Commonwealth is liable to pay compensation for any costs reasonably incurred if:
(a) the Commission approves a person (the attendant ) to accompany another person (the patient ) on a journey that is necessary for the patient to obtain compensable treatment for an injury or disease of the patient; and
(b) the costs are incurred in respect of the attendant's journey; and
(c) any one or more of the following applies:
(i) if the journey is by ambulance services--the person's injury or disease reasonably requires using those services; or
(ii) the journey is by public transport; or
(iii) if the journey is by means other than public transport or ambulance services--it is unreasonable for the person to use public transport having regard to the nature of the person's injury or disease, or public transport is unavailable; or
(iv) the reasonable length of the journey (including the return part of the journey) exceeds 50 kilometres; and
(d) a claim for compensation in respect of the attendant has been made under section 319.
Note 1: Section 289 defines compensable treatment .
Note 2: This subsection might be affected by the following provisions:
(a) section 292 (journeys etc. outside Australia);
(b) section 293 (amount of compensation).