For the purpose of CAAS, you are eligible for CAAS if you are five years of age or older and meet either requirements A or B below and meet the criteria on the CAAS Application Form:

A.  Eligible neurological conditions

You have permanent and severe loss of bladder and/or bowel function (incontinence) due directly to an eligible neurological condition. A list of eligible neurological conditions is provided in the CAAS Application Guidelines.

Or

B. Other conditions

You have permanent and severe loss of bladder and/or bowel function (incontinence) caused by another condition (for example, bladder prolapse)

And

You have a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card, or if you are under 16 years of age, your parent/guardian has a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card.

Applicants will need to complete a CAAS Application Form which includes a Health Report from a health professional.

What are the eligible conditions?

The following lists state many of the eligible conditions for the purpose of CAAS. For conditions not listed, specialist medical advice will be sought on receipt of an Application Form.

• CAAS - eligible neurological conditions
• CAAS - eligible other conditions

Source: www.bladderbowel.gov.au/furtherinfo/professional/profcaas.htm

Who is eligible for a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card?

A Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card is a card issued by Centrelink to people in receipt of certain income support payments such as the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Mature Age Allowance or Carer Payment. For questions regarding eligibility for a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card please contact Centrelink on 132 717 (Disability, Sickness and Carers line) or 132 300 (Retirement line) or visit www.centrelink.gov.au

Who is not eligible for CAAS?

You are not eligible for CAAS if:

1. Your incontinence is one of the following types:

• transient incontinence (not permanent)
• incontinence that can be treated with an existing conservative treatment regime (for example pelvic floor exercises or bladder re-training), medication or surgery
• confined to night time bed wetting (enuresis).

 Or

2. You are a high care resident in an Australian Government funded aged care home or receiving an Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) or EACH Dementia (EACHD) package (details below).

Or

3. You are eligible for assistance with continence products under the Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) which is available through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Or

4. Your incontinence results from a condition other than an eligible neurological condition and you do not hold a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (other concession cards such as a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, a Low Income Health Care Card or a State Seniors Card are not acceptable for CAAS).

Or

5. You are not an Australian citizen or permanent Australian resident.

Notes for recipients of Australian Government funded aged care

If you are living in an Australian Government funded aged care home, and are receiving high care, you will not be eligible for CAAS as the home is required to provide appropriate continence products.

If you are receiving an Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) or EACH Dementia (EACHD) package while living in your own home, you will not be eligible for CAAS as the EACH/EACHD service provider is required to provide appropriate continence products, if negotiated as part of your care plan.

If you are receiving low care in an aged care home or receiving a Community Aged Care Package (CACP) in your own home, you can apply for CAAS provided you meet the CAAS eligibility criteria. You are required to advise Intouch if you move from low care to high care services.

Notes on state and territory government continence schemes

If you do not meet the CAAS eligibility criteria you may still be eligible for assistance with continence products under another program. The National Continence Helpline (1800 330 066*) or your state or territory department of health can provide information and advice on possible alternatives.

If you are eligible for the CAAS, and are currently receiving assistance with continence products through a state or territory government funded continence scheme, you should contact your state or territory scheme manager to find out if that assistance will be affected by your eligibility for CAAS.

Forms

All form are available for download on our forms page.

Where can I get more information?

If you are eligible for CAAS you can make your application to Intouch, visit our how to apply page for information on the application process, approvals take 48 hours. You can find our product catalogue and all application forms available for download on our forms page. For more information or to apply please contact us.

Intouch
PO Box 2082
MILTON QLD 4064
P 1300 366 455*
E caas@intouchdirect.com.au

You can also visit our useful links page for more information resources or contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 330 066*.

*Free call 1800 - calls are chargeable if the number is called from a mobile phone/1300# are charged at the cost of a local call, mobile phones incur a higher charge.

Information was sourced from the Department of Health and Ageing in November 2008 and was correct at the time of going to print. Please check the Departments' web site www.health.gov.au - CAAS for further updates or contact Intouch on 1300 366 455.