Concessional medicines under the RPBS

Medicines and wound care items may be available at a concession rate. Your health care provider can check to see if the RPBS covers the items you need.

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What is the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

The Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) provides eligible people with access to a wide range of medicines and wound care items at a concession rate.

The RPBS may help you access more items than are available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

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Who can receive it

You may get your prescribed medicines and wound care items at the concession rate if they are available through the RPBS, you have an assessed clinical need for the item and you have a:

• Veteran Gold Card
• Veteran White Card and the script is for a condition covered by your Veteran White Card
• Veteran Orange Card

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What you can receive

You will have access to medicines and wound care items at a concession rate if they are available through the RPBS via a prescription from your health provider and you have an assessed clinical need.

If you have a:

• Gold or Orange Card you can get available items for any assessed clinical need
• White Card you can get available items for an assessed clinical need that relates to a condition covered by your card

Talk to your health provider about access to other over the counter items through RPBS via a prescription.

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How much you pay

You will need to pay a co-payment of $7.70. A co-payment is the contribution you make when getting medicines and wound care items at a concession rate. Pharmacists may choose to offer a discount of up to $1.00 on your $7.70 co-payment for each prescription.

If there is more than one brand of medicine with the same active ingredients, the $7.70 co-payment covers the lowest priced brand. If you or your health provider want a more expensive brand, you will need to pay the difference.

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How you claim

Let your treating health provider know that you have a Gold, White or Orange card.

Your health provider may need to get approval from us before prescribing you some of the items:

• Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits
• Repatriation Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits

They will need to get approval from us before prescribing items not listed on either schedule.

Your health provider should contact the Veterans’ Affairs Pharmaceutical Advisory Centre (VAPAC) on 1800 552 580 to see if items they want to prescribe are available through the RPBS.

The concession rate of $7.70 will apply automatically when you present your White, Gold, or Orange Card and your RPBS prescription to a pharmacy.

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Things you should know

• If your medicine is no longer available, speak to your health provider or pharmacist about alternative options available through the RPBS.
• The Safety Net Scheme can help you with the cost of co-payments once you reach the Safety Net threshold.
• If you do not receive the concession rate, you may pay a co-payment of up to $31.60 per script for PBS items.
• If you don’t qualify for RPBS, you may still be able to get a concession rate on PBS items. The concession rate of $7.70 may apply to PBS items if you have a:
  • Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
  • Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC)
  • Health Care Card from Centrelink
• In certain circumstances some of your co-payments may be refunded to you through the Veterans’ Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Scheme (VPRS)
• If you would like further information you can contact us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

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Feedback

Your feedback helps us deliver quality service to veterans and families. Read more about complaints, compliments and other feedback.

Other health bodies can also benefit from your input. For feedback about:

• medicine quality or safety, contact the Therapeutic Goods Administration
• pharmacists, contact the AHPRA Pharmacy Board
• other health professionals, contact AHPRA.

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