WELFARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (December 2023)

General

1. The aim of the Mosman Anzac Memorial Hall Trust Welfare Assistance Programme (The Programme) is to provide assistance for eligible persons as defined by Section 21 of the Mosman Anzac Memorial Hall Trust Act.

2. The assistance is in the form of reimbursement of medical/dental/ pharmaceutical/optical/ancillary expenses, domestic support expenses, medical appliances, utilities relief, aged and home care expense relief, and/or mortuary expense relief.

Eligibility criteria

3. Eligible applicants are:

3.1 ‘Returned servicemen and women’ – current or former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members who have served overseas on an operational deployment; or

3.2 Current or former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members who are members of the Mosman RSL Sub Branch and who:

3.2.1 enlisted for service whilst residing in Mosman 2088; or

3.2.2 currently reside in Mosman.

3.3 ‘War widows/war widowers’ as defined by s 5E(1) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act (Cth) 1986, whose late spouse or partner was a returned serviceman or woman; or

3.4 Dependants of eligible applicants as defined in rule 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 or dependants of deceased returned servicemen and women, as defined by s 3 of the Mosman Anzac Memorial Hall Act (NSW) 1938.

4. If claiming by virtue of a relationship with a deceased serviceman or woman, the deceased serviceman or woman must have either:

4.1.1 Enlisted for service whilst a resident of Mosman NSW 2088; or

4.1.2 Resided in Mosman NSW 2088 immediately prior to their death.

5. The Municipality of Mosman is defined as Postcode 2088. Applicants who are eligible only under rule 3.2.2. will cease to be eligible if they relocate outside of Mosman NSW 2088.

6. Notwithstanding rule 4, applicants who are residents of aged care facilities will be considered eligible if their residential address immediately prior to entry into the aged care facility was in Mosman NSW 2088.

7. Eligible applicants under 3.1 and 3.2 who are eligible for assistance under these rules may also claim assistance for their dependants.

8. For the purposes of rule 3.4, a dependant is defined as:

8.1 A child of the applicant (including adopted child, stepchild, or the child of the applicant’s de facto spouse), who is:

8.1.1Under the age of 21, or

8.1.2 Between the ages of 21 and 24, and is:

8.1.2.1 A full-time student, and

8.1.2.2 Wholly or substantially financially dependent on the applicant.

9. Eligibility under these terms and conditions does not guarantee that an applicant will receive welfare assistance. The resources of the Trust are finite and in applying those resources the Trustees are bound to observe the order of preference set out in s 21(2) of the Mosman Anzac Memorial Hall Act (NSW) 1938. The Trustee’s will determine the extent to which the Trust can reasonably fund the program and how far, in order of precedence as set by s21(2), the Trust is able to support the members.

Applications

Applications must be submitted using the current authorised Claim Form, which is available on the Trust website. Fully and correctly completed Claim Form with appropriate documentation and receipts are to be sent as ONE DOCUMENT attached to an email to trustees@mamht.com .

10. Applicants who are eligible for assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), RSL, Legacy, or any other government or community assistance programs must apply to the relevant organisation/s before being considered for any category of assistance from the Trust. Applicants must provide evidence of prior applications and refusals from relevant organisations.

11. The eligible term for an application is six (6) months from the provision of the support.

12. Applications will be processed by the Trustees in the second week of September, December, March and June. Applicants must submit their applications by the seventh day of September, December, March and June in order to ensure payment is made before the end of each quarter.

13. The Trustees may, in their absolute discretion, process applications out of cycle if they are of the view that delay would cause extreme hardship to the applicant.

Categories of Assistance

A         Medical Expenses

14. The Trust will reimburse eligible applicants as defined in rule 3 the out-of-pocket cost of certain medical, dental, optical, pharmaceutical, and other ancillary products and services.

15. Types of expenses which may be eligible for reimbursement include:

15.1 Consultations with a General Practitioner or Specialist;

15.2 Massage, physiotherapy, or chiropractic services;

15.3 Pharmaceuticals;

15.4 Dental and orthodontic work;

15.5 Spectacle frames and lenses;

16. Applicants will be reimbursed the ‘gap’ amount for eligible goods and services, being the total cost of the good or service less the benefit paid by their private health insurance fund or MediCare gap. If no amount is payable by either Private health insurance or Medicare, then the full amount is able to be claimed for payment.

17. The Trust will not accept claims for:

17.1 Services for which Medicare provides no service identification number;

17.2 Cosmetic medical treatment, e.g. non-essential plastic surgery;

17.3 Cosmetic dental work including braces, scale and clean, or calculus removal;

17.4 Non-PBS pharmaceuticals which are not supported by a doctor’s prescription.

18. The Trust will not reimburse PBS pharmaceuticals.

19. The Trust may, in their discretion, reimburse claims for non-PBS pharmaceuticals that have been prescribed by a doctor, to a maximum of $1,000 per financial year.

20. Total reimbursement for Category A expenses is capped at $6,000 per applicant per financial year. The Trustees may, in their absolute discretion, exceed this limit in exceptional circumstances.

21. Within this category, reimbursement caps apply to specific goods and services.

21.1 The maximum limit for all dental claims is $2,000 per financial year.

21.1.1 Claims for dental crowns or bridges are capped at $1,800 and a maximum of one claim per financial year.

21.2 Claims for massage (doctor referred), chiropractic, and osteopathic treatments are capped at a total of $1,000 per financial year.

21.3 Claims for spectacle frames and lenses are capped at $600 per financial year.

22. Claims under this category must be accompanied by supporting documentation, which must include:

22.1 An invoice or receipt, as applicable, indicating:

22.1.1 Name/s of the Patient receiving the treatment;

22.1.2 The total cost of the good or service;

22.1.3 The amount of any benefit paid by DVA or Medicare;

22.1.4 The amount of any benefit paid by a private health fund;

22.1.5 A description of the good or service;

22.1.6 The date of purchase or payment;

22.1.7 The item number, if applicable, and;

22.2 Where a referral, doctor’s certificate, or prescription is required under these rules, a copy of that document.

B         Domestic Maintenance Support

23. Eligible applicants as defined in under Rule 3.1 and 3.3, may apply to be reimbursed for domestic support. This category of support is intended to assist eligible applicants to maintain their existing residence to a reasonable standard.

24. Reimbursement will only be granted if the Trustees are of the view that circumstances were urgent or necessary in order to maintain the residence to a reasonable standard.

25. Applicants must provide evidence that they have exhausted or been refused assistance from other agencies.

26. Types of expenses which may be eligible for reimbursement include, but not limited to: Maintenance

26.1 Lawn mowing and gardening;

26.2 Emergency plumbing and electrical repair;

26.3 Other essential home maintenance and repairs.

27. The Trust will not reimburse claims for domestic support provided by friends or family which would otherwise be gratuitous.

28. Total reimbursement for Category B expenses is capped at $2,000 per applicant per financial year.

C         Medical Appliances

29. The Trust may provide eligible applicants under Rule 3.1, 3.3 and their dependants, with essential medical appliances (or hire of items) on presentation of a specialist’s certificate.

30. Applications for medical appliances will be assessed by the Trustees on a case by case basis.

31. Medical appliances provided to applicants by the Trust remain the property of the Trust and are to be returned to the Trust when:

31.1 They are no longer required by the applicant, or

31.2 The applicant ceases to be eligible for welfare assistance under the Programme.

D         Utilities Relief

32. The Trust will reimburse eligible applicants under Rule 3.1 and 3.3, for electricity, gas, water, and Council rates. Eligible applicants for this category are: Returned servicemen and women’ – current or former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members who have served overseas on an operational deployment; including rule 3.2.1 or 3.2.2.

33. Applications for utilities relief may be made a maximum of four (4) times per financial year. Claims for multiple utilities should be batched into one application and submitted quarterly in accordance with the timing identified above.

34. Application for Council rates relief require the Applicant to provide documentation showing the ownership of the property for which the Claim is made. The Trust shall be notified of changes of ownership prior to any further claim being made. Where property is part owned with other third parties (non spouse) only a proportion of the rates matching the proportion of the ownership shall be paid (eg. Three named owners = 1/3 would be paid). If proportions differ from above appropriate ownership should be provided from the Land Titles office.

35. Eligible applicants who have a Pensioner Concession Card should claim the concession from the service provider prior to making their payment. All other applicants must attach either, a payment receipt or confirmation of direct debit notification to their application.

36. Total reimbursement for Category D expenses is capped at $5,000 per applicant per financial year.

E         Aged Care Relief

37. The Trust will reimburse eligible applicants under Rule 3.1 and 3.3, for aged care facility expenses or in-home aged care packages.

38. The Trust will only reimburse aged care provided by an accredited aged care provider.

39. Applicants who receive government subsidised care or are supported by private health insurance will only be reimbursed the ‘gap’ amount payable for the service. Evidence of eligible applicants contributions to co-payment plans is required.

40. Total reimbursement for Category E expenses is capped at:

40.1 For residential aged care facilities, $1,000 per month;

40.2 For in-home aged care, $1,500 per month.

F          Mortuary Relief

41. Where an eligible applicant under Rule 3.1 and 3.3 has previously received welfare assistance from the Trust, and has since passed away, the executor of their estate may claim reimbursement for reasonable mortuary expenses.

42. Total reimbursement for Category F expenses is capped at $5,000.

43. Claims under this category must be accompanied by supporting documentation, which must include:

43.1 A death certificate, and;

43.2 A fully itemised invoice and/or receipt, as applicable.