Contents

Part 1--Preliminary                                                                                                              1

1............ Short title [see Note 1] ........................................................................ 1

2............ Commencement [see Note 1] .............................................................. 1

3............ Definitions .......................................................................................... 1

4............ Definition of compensation ................................................................. 7

5............ Application of this Act to events occurring before the commencement of this Act    8

6............ Crown to be bound ............................................................................. 9

6A......... Application of the Criminal Code ....................................................... 9

Part 2--Consequences of compensation payments                                          10

Division 1--Medicare benefit                                                                                  10

7............ Reimbursement of amounts payable for professional services .......... 10

8............ Recovering past payments of medicare benefit from judgments and settlements       11

Division 2--Nursing home benefit and residential care subsidy           13

9............ Reimbursement of amounts payable for nursing home care or residential care          13

10.......... Recovering past payments of nursing home benefit or residential care subsidy from judgments and settlements     14

Part 3--Payments to the Commonwealth in respect of compensation payments                17

Division 1--Notices about compensation claims etc.                                  17

11.......... Operation of Division ....................................................................... 17

13.......... Notice of reimbursement arrangements ............................................. 17

14.......... Notice of intention to recover amounts .............................................. 17

17.......... Notice to claimant .............................................................................. 18

18.......... Statement by claimant of past benefits ............................................... 19

19.......... Reconsideration of decisions about extensions of the period for giving statements   22

20.......... Effect of date of hearing on period for giving statement .................... 22

21.......... Notice of past benefits ....................................................................... 23

22.......... Restriction on making settlements ..................................................... 25

23.......... Notice of judgment or settlement ....................................................... 26

23A....... Statement after judgment or settlement--no relevant past benefits .... 28

23B....... Notice of statement that is not substantially correct ........................... 30

23C....... Notice of acceptance of amended statement ....................................... 31

23D....... Review of decision under section 23B by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal       31

24.......... Notice of charge--claims resulting in judgments or settlements ....... 32

25.......... Notice of charge--claims resulting in reimbursement arrangements . 34

26.......... Offences ............................................................................................ 35

Division 2--Payments to the Commonwealth in respect of amounts of compensation   38

27.......... Limit on total amount payable in respect of amounts of compensation 38

28.......... Payments to the Commonwealth ....................................................... 38

29.......... Recovery of amounts payable to the Commonwealth ........................ 39

30.......... Notice of charge suspends liability to pay compensation etc. ............ 40

31.......... Payment to the Commonwealth discharges liability .......................... 40

32.......... Offence to make payment before discharging liability to the Commonwealth           41

33.......... Interest not payable on amount withheld ........................................... 43

Division 2A--Advance payments to the Commonwealth                         44

33A....... Notice of advance payment ............................................................... 44

33B....... Advance payments ............................................................................ 44

33C....... Notice of past benefits ....................................................................... 45

33D....... Time within which notice of past benefits must be given .................. 46

33H....... Refunds from advance payments ...................................................... 46

33J........ Additional payments to the Commonwealth ...................................... 47

33K....... Payment of the whole of the advance payment .................................. 47

33L........ Advance payments to the Commonwealth discharge liability ............ 47

33M...... Interest not payable on advance payments ......................................... 48

Division 3--Waiver of the requirements of this Part                                 49

34.......... Bulk payment agreements ................................................................. 49

35.......... Waiver--bulk payment agreements ................................................... 50

36.......... Extended waiver--settlements during periods of bulk payment agreements             51

37.......... Limits of waiver--bulk payment agreements .................................... 52

38.......... Waiver--small amounts of compensation ......................................... 52

Part 4--Administration                                                                                                     54

Division 1--General                                                                                                     54

39.......... General administration of Act ........................................................... 54

40.......... Additional functions of the Chief Executive Medicare ...................... 54

41.......... Delegation ......................................................................................... 54

Division 2--Power to obtain information                                                         56

42.......... Chief Executive Medicare etc. may obtain information etc. ............... 56

43.......... Content of notices ............................................................................. 57

44.......... Offences ............................................................................................ 57

45.......... Exemption ......................................................................................... 58

Part 5--Miscellaneous                                                                                                        59

46.......... Form of notices etc. ........................................................................... 59

47.......... Regulations ....................................................................................... 59

Notes                                                                                                                                              61

An Act relating to the consequences of certain compensation payments, and for related purposes

  

Notes to the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995

Note 1

The Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 130, 1995 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

For all relevant information pertaining to application, saving or transitional provisions see Table A.

Table of Acts

Act	Number and year	Date of Assent	Date of commencement	Application, saving or transitional provisions
Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995	130, 1995	14 Nov 1995	1 Feb 1996 (see Gazette 1996, No. GN2)
Health and Other Services (Compensation) Amendment Act 1996	33, 1996	28 Aug 1996	Schedule 1 (item 4): (a) Remainder: Royal Assent	--
Aged Care (Consequential Provisions) Act 1997	114, 1997	7 July 1997	Schedule 5 (items 4-28): (b)	--
Health and Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001	111, 2001	17 Sept 2001	17 Sept 2001	S. 4
Health and Other Services (Compensation) Legislation Amendment Act 2001	150, 2001	1 Oct 2001	Schedule 1: 1 Jan 2002 (see Gazette 2001, No. GN49) (c) Schedule 3 (items 3-7): (c)	Sch. 1 (items 42, 43)
Health Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) 2003	84, 2003	23 Sept 2003	Ss. 1-3 and Schedule 1: Royal Assent	Sch. 1 (item 39)
Health Legislation Amendment (Podiatric Surgery and Other Matters) Act 2004	117, 2004	13 July 2004	Schedule 1 (items 15, 16): (d)	--
Human Services Legislation Amendment Act 2005	111, 2005	6 Sept 2005	Schedule 2 (items 92-203): 1 Oct 2005	--
Health and Other Services (Compensation) Amendment Act 2006	43, 2006	22 May 2006	22 May 2006	Sch. 1 (item 3)
Human Services Legislation Amendment Act 2011	32, 2011	25 May 2011	Schedule 4 (items 116-149): 1 July 2011	--
Acts Interpretation Amendment Act 2011	46, 2011	27 June 2011	Schedule 2 (item 672) and Schedule 3 (items 10, 11): 27 Dec 2011	Sch. 3 (items 10, 11)

(a)     Subsection 2(2) of the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Amendment Act 1996 provides as follows:

                 (2)   Item 4 of Schedule 1 is taken to have commenced immediately after the commencement of the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995.

         The Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 came into operation on 1 February 1996 (see Gazette 1996, No. GN2).

(b)     The Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 was amended by Schedule 5 (items 4-28) only of the Aged Care (Consequential Provisions) Act 1997, subsection 2(1) of which provides as follows:

                 (1)   Subject to this section, this Act commences immediately after the commencement of the Aged Care Act 1997 (other than Division 1 of that Act).

         The Aged Care Act 1997 (other than Division 1) commenced on 1 October 1997.

(c)     The Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 was amended by Schedule 1 and Schedule 3 (items 3-7) only of the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Legislation Amendment Act 2001, subsections 2(1) and (4)(a) of which provide as follows:

                 (1)   Subject to subsections (2), (3), (4) and (5), this Act commences on a day to be fixed by Proclamation.

                 (4)   Subject to subsection (5), Schedule 3 commences at the later of:

                                    (a)   the time when Parts 4 to 10 of the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2001 commence; and

         Schedule 1 (item 21) does not commence.

         The Administrative Review Tribunal Bill has not been enacted. Therefore these amendments do not commence.

(d)     Subsection 2(1) (item 5) of the Health Legislation Amendment (Podiatric Surgery and Other Matters) Act 2004 provides as follows:

                 (1)   Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provision(s)	Commencement	Date/Details
5.  Schedule 1, items 15 and 16	Immediately after the time specified in the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 for the commencement of sections 21 and 24 of that Act.	1 February 1996

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted     am. = amended     rep. = repealed     rs. = repealed and substituted
Provision affected	How affected
Part 1
S. 3......................................	am. No. 33, 1996; No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 4......................................	am. No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 43, 2006
S. 6A...................................	ad. No. 111, 2001
Part 2
Division 1
S. 8......................................	am. No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Division 2
Heading to Div. 2 of Part 2........................................	rs. No. 114, 1997
Heading to s. 9..................	am. No. 114, 1997
S. 9......................................	am. No. 114, 1997
Heading to s. 10................	am. No. 114, 1997
S. 10....................................	am. No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Part 3
Division 1
S. 11....................................	rs. No. 150, 2001
S. 12....................................	am. No. 33, 1996
	rep. No. 150, 2001
S. 13....................................	am. No. 33, 1996
	rs. No. 150, 2001
	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 14....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Ss. 15, 16............................	rep. No. 150, 2001
S. 17....................................	am. No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 111, 2005; No. 43, 2006; No. 32, 2011
Note to s. 17(1)..................	ad. No. 150, 2001
S. 18....................................	am. No. 33, 1996; No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 43, 2006; No. 32, 2011
S. 19....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 21....................................	am. No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 117, 2004; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 22....................................	am. No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Note to s. 22(1)..................	rep. No. 150, 2001
S. 23....................................	am. No. 33, 1996; No. 114, 1997; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 23A.................................	ad. No. 150, 2001
	am. No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Note to s. 23A(2)................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Ss. 23B-23D.......................	ad. No. 150, 2001
	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 24....................................	am. No. 33, 1996; No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 117, 2004; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 25....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 26....................................	am. Nos. 111 and 150, 2001; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Division 2
S. 28....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 29....................................	am. No. 150, 2001
S. 32....................................	am. No. 33, 1996; No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Division 2A
Div. 2A of Part 3 ................	ad. No. 33, 1996
S. 33AA...............................	ad. No. 150, 2001
	rep. No. 43, 2006
S. 33A.................................	ad. No. 33, 1996
S. 33B.................................	ad. No. 33, 1996
	am. No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 43, 2006
Note to s. 33B(1)................	ad. No. 43, 2006
Ss. 33C, 33D......................	ad. No. 33, 1996
	am. No. 150, 2001; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 33E.................................	ad. No. 33, 1996
	am. No. 114, 1997
	rep. No. 150, 2001
Ss. 33F, 33G......................	ad. No. 33, 1996
	rep. No. 150, 2001
S. 33H.................................	ad. No. 33, 1996
	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 33J..................................	ad. No. 33, 1996
S. 33K.................................	ad. No. 33, 1996
	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Ss. 33L, 33M.......................	ad. No. 33, 1996
Division 3
S. 34....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 35....................................	am. No. 150, 2001; No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 36....................................	am. No. 84, 2003; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 38....................................	am. No. 150, 2001
Part 4
Division 1
S. 39....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Heading to s. 40................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Ss. 40, 41............................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Division 2
Heading to s. 42................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 42....................................	am. No. 114, 1997; No. 150, 2001; No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 43....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
S. 44....................................	am. No. 111, 2001
Part 5
S. 46....................................	am. No. 111, 2005; No. 32, 2011
Note to s. 46.......................	am. No. 46, 2011

Table A

Application, saving or transitional provisions

Health and Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001 (No. 111, 2001)

4  Application of amendments

             (1)  Each amendment made by this Act applies to acts and omissions that take place after the amendment commences.

             (2)  For the purposes of this section, if an act or omission is alleged to have taken place between 2 dates, one before and one on or after the day on which a particular amendment commences, the act or omission is alleged to have taken place before the amendment commences.

Health and Other Services (Compensation) Legislation Amendment Act 2001 (No. 150, 2001)

Schedule 1

42  Application

The amendments made by this Schedule apply to a claim for compensation made:

                     (a)  after the commencement of this item; or

                     (b)  before that commencement, where a judgment or settlement in respect of the claim has not been made before that commencement.

43  Transitional

(1)       The new provisions operate in relation to a notice, statement or application made under the old provisions before the commencement of this item as if the notice, statement or application had been made under the new provisions.

(2)       In this item:

new provisions means sections 23B, 23C and 23D of the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 (as amended by this Schedule).

old provisions means sections 33E, 33F and 33G of the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 (as in force before the commencement of this item).

Health Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) 2003 (No. 84, 2003)

Schedule 1

39  Application

The amendments made by this Part apply in relation to an amount of compensation fixed by a judgment or settlement if the judgment or settlement is made after the day this item commences.

Health and Other Services (Compensation) Amendment Act 2006
(No. 43, 2006)

Schedule 1

3  Application of amendment of paragraph 17(6)(a)

The amendment of paragraph 17(6)(a) of the Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 made by this Schedule applies in relation to requests made on or after the commencement of this item.

Acts Interpretation Amendment Act 2011 (No. 46, 2011)

Schedule 3

10  Saving--appointments

The amendments made by Schedule 2 do not affect the validity of an appointment that was made under an Act before the commencement of this item and that was in force immediately before that commencement.

11  Transitional regulations

The Governor-General may make regulations prescribing matters of a transitional nature (including prescribing any saving or application provisions) relating to the amendments and repeals made by Schedules 1 and 2.