Applies to
This supplement is for providers of:
- the Support at Home program
- residential aged care.
What is the supplement?
The enteral feeding supplement is a primary supplement. This supplement supports older people who have a medical need for enteral feeding.
Supplement rate
View the current supplement rate in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.
Eligibility
You receive this supplement when you support an older person who is prescribed enteral feeding.
Enteral feeding is where a person gets nutrients through a tube in their nose, stomach or small intestine. The supplement is not payable for dietary formulas that are taken orally, used as food supplements, or administered in addition to food by mouth.
To claim the enteral feeding supplement on behalf of a resident or Support at Home participant, you will need:
- a doctor’s (not a dietician’s) written certification that the person has a medical need for enteral feeding
- a doctor’s or dietician’s written certification that the dietary formula prescribed is nutritionally complete
- details of the care person’s particular enteral feeding requirements, which can be in their written certification, care plan or hospital discharge papers, or dietician’s enteral feeding instructions.
Other government payments
A Support at Home participant who uses enteral feeding may also be eligible for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment.
Those eligible for the enteral feeding supplement may no longer be eligible for state and territory government products and equipment schemes.
How to apply
Apply for the enteral feeding supplement online with Services Australia.
For residential aged care, the enteral feeding supplement does not carry across providers or care types. You will need to make a new application for each participant or resident, even if their previous provider received the supplement.
Under Support at Home, eligibility for the enteral feeding supplement continues to apply even if the participant changes providers. The supplement will automatically continue to be paid into the participant’s budget when they transition to a new provider. The new provider does not need to reapply for the supplement.
Payment
The supplement will be paid from the date you receive approval. Notification of approval will be on your Medicare payment statement.
Payments may be backdated to whichever date is the latest, of either the:
- date of medical certification
- date the person entered care.
Contact
