Aids, equipment and modifications through the Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP)

The items provided through the RAP can help you stay independent and active.

Video transcript

Back to top

What is RAP

RAP supplies items that can improve the quality of your everyday life. There is a wide range of aids, equipment and modifications available.

Back to top

What items you can get

Your health care provider will assess what your clinical needs are. This will determine the items you can access. If you decide to buy one without a clinical assessment and prescription, we may not reimburse you afterwards.  

Aids include:

• assistive listening devices and tinnitus devices
• speech and communication devices
• low vision devices (non-optical)
• cognition and memory devices
• swallowing and feeding products
• bathing, toileting, continence and personal hygiene products
• diabetes products
• assistance dogs, (including psychiatric assistance dogs, guide dogs, hearing assistance dogs and mobility assistance dogs).

Equipment includes:

• personal response systems i.e. an alarm which allows you to get help quickly in an emergency
• respiratory home therapy devices, including oxygen and positive airway pressure machines
• chairs and other supports
• beds and related appliances
• lifting devices
• adaptive household appliances to help with doing everyday things around the house
• mobility devices to help with moving around, such as a walking frame, knee walkers, manual wheelchairs, electric scooters and wheelchairs 
• orthoses and prostheses
• rehabilitation exercise and treatment machines
• palliative care appliances.

We can cover modifications to your home or vehicle. These modifications can help you access, use and transfer safely in and out of your home or vehicle.

Home modifications include:

• non-slip surfacing
• ramps, step modifications and rails
• ceiling hoists
• stair, platform and vertical lifts
• making the bathroom and other areas of the home more accessible for daily living.

Vehicle modifications include:

• hoists and rotating seats for transfers
• devices to transport manual wheelchairs
• customised driving controls.

Back to top

Who can get them

You may be eligible if you have an assessed clinical need and either a:

• Veteran Gold Card
• Veteran White Card and the treatment is for a condition covered by your card.

Contact us if you need to find out more.

Back to top

How you can get them

See your GP. Let them know you might need some aids, equipment or modifications to help you. They will either assess your clinical needs or refer you to an appropriate health professional who will do the assessment.

Your GP or health professional will:

• help you work out which items will best meet your clinical needs
• prescribe the safest and most suitable item
• contact us if we need to approve the item
• send the prescription to one of our contracted suppliers who will arrange delivery and installation at no cost to you.

Living in residential aged care

We can provide aids and equipment to supplement the care and services you get from your aged care home. These items are listed on DVA’s RAP In Residential Aged Care List.

Speak to your aged care home to find out if they are funded to provide the item. If they aren’t, we can talk to them about what we can provide. Your aged care home can refer to our RAP In Residential Care List and contact us for help with this.

Your aged care home will then arrange a GP or health professional to assess what you need.

Information for your GP, health professional or aged care home

They can:

• find out about RAP  
• call the DVA Health Provider Line on 1800 550 457
• email rapgeneralenquiries [at] dva.gov.au (rapgeneralenquiries[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au).

Back to top

What if we don’t approve an item

Sometimes we do not approve the item you asked for and you may not be satisfied with this. Contact us and we can help you understand the decision and talk through the next steps with you.

You can read more about our reasons and what your review rights are on RAP decisions.

Back to top

What you should know

Find out about:

• repairing, replacing and returning an item
• moving to a new address
• moving into residential aged care
• travelling in Australia and overseas
• saving on energy costs
• getting medical grade footwear
• duplicating items.

Repairing, replacing and returning an item

Contact the supplier of the item:

• if it is lost or damaged
• when you need it repaired
• when you no longer need it.

The supplier’s contact details will be on the item. They will collect it, and repair or replace it at no cost to you.

Contact us if:

• you can’t find the supplier’s contact details
• the supplier can’t repair or replace the item
• they can’t collect an item that you no longer need.

We ask that you do not:

• try to repair or modify an item because this will cancel the warranty cover
• sell or give the item to someone else without getting permission from us or the supplier because we may own the items.

Moving to a new address

You may take portable aids and equipment to your new address.

You cannot remove fixed items that are installed at your current address and reinstall them at your new address. If you need to make modifications at your new address, see your GP for a referral to an occupational therapist who will help you with this.

Contact the supplier of the items to let them know:

• you are moving and what items you will be taking or returning
• your new address.

This will help with any repairs or replacements of the item that you take to your new address.

Moving into residential aged care

You may take some portable aids and equipment to your aged care home. Speak with them first to find out what items you can take, because they may already have the aids and equipment you need.

If you take any of these items with you when you move, we will continue to repair them.

The aged care home is responsible for repairing or replacing the aids and equipment they provide.

Travelling in Australia and overseas

You may take portable aids and equipment with you.

If you use oxygen, contact the supplier for portable oxygen supplies.

If you’re travelling by plane, contact your airline as they may have special requirements for some equipment.

We can cover the costs of aids, equipment or modifications while you’re overseas if both of the following apply:

• You have an accepted service-related injury or condition (contact us if you don’t know what this is).
• A health professional has assessed that you have a clinical need and it relates to your accepted injury or condition.

War widowers and dependants cannot receive aids, equipment or modifications from us while they are overseas.

To find out more and about claiming costs, refer to medical care while overseas. 

Saving on energy costs

To help with energy costs to run essential medical equipment, you can claim the annual Essential Medical Equipment Payment. You can claim this if we provided you with one or more of the following pieces of equipment:

• home dialysis machine
• home ventilator
• home respirator
• home enteral or parenteral feeding device
• oxygen concentrator
• heart pump
• suction pump
• infant apnoea monitor
• nebuliser (if you use it daily)
• positive airways pressure device (PAP)
• phototherapy equipment
• airbed vibrator
• electric wheelchair
• insulin pump.

Getting medical grade footwear

If you have a significant deformity or abnormality of the foot or ankle, Medical Grade Footwear may help you keep moving.

Duplicating items

You cannot duplicate items.

If you request items through us, you can’t make the same request through:

• the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) 
• Home Care Packages
• Commonwealth Home Support Programme.

Back to top