Fees and Funding Options

There are various funding options that may be available for speech pathology intervention depending on your child's eligibility. These include the following:

Medicare Rebates

  • The Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Plan - (previously known as The Enhanced Primary Care (EPC)) provides clients with five sessions of allied health care per calendar year. The rebate will generally cover part of the session cost. Your GP will need to write a care plan to access this funding.
  • The Helping Children with Autism Plan - provides eligible children with up to 4 assessment sessions and 20 therapy sessions with Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists. The referral will need to be made by your child’s paediatrician or psychiatrist.

Other Funding Options

  • Helping Children with Autism Initiative - a federal government funding initiative for children aged 0-7 years with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Children must register with DSS before their 6th birthday. They can access services until they turn 7 years.
  • Better Start for Children with Disabilities Initiative – a federal government funding initiative for children aged 0-7 years with a range of disabilities. Please refer to the Department of Social Services website for a list of eligible diagnosis. Children with an eligible diagnosis must register with DSS before their 6th birthday. They can access services until they turn 7 years.
  • Private Health Rebates - Families with Private Health Care Insurance may be able to claim rebates for Speech pathology services.
    Please consult your private health fund for more details.

The most recent government initiative is the National Insurance Disability Scheme which is currently being rolled out over Australia.

For additional information on these federal government initiatives and the please refer to the Department of Social Services Website, in particular the Helping Children With Autism Initiative, the Better Start for Children with Disabilities Initiative and the National Disabilities Insurance Scheme pages.