MASS: Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme
Queensland's equipment subsidy pathway, separate from the NDIS.
The Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme is Queensland Health's program of subsidy funding for medical aids and equipment, supporting people in Queensland with an eligible health condition or disability to live safely and independently at home. Aids are provided on a permanent loan basis, through private ownership, or through the supply of consumables. MASS is a separate program with its own rules and its own application process - NDIS rules do not apply to it.
Who it serves
Three conditions anchor eligibility: permanent Queensland residency, a permanent or stable condition or disability, and an eligible concession card held in the applicant's own name - a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card, a Centrelink Health Care Card, a DVA Pensioner Concession Card with conditions, or a Queensland Government Seniors Card. Hospital inpatients and high-care residents of Commonwealth-funded facilities fall outside the aids and equipment programs, and individual programs can carry extra criteria of their own.
What it covers
MASS works through defined categories: communication aids, continence aids, daily living aids, heat moisture exchangers, home oxygen, medical-grade footwear, mobility aids, palliative care aids and equipment, prosthetic limbs, spectacles, and spinal and lower limb orthoses. It also administers specialty hospital programs, and repairs and maintenance of MASS-funded equipment.
How it works with the NDIS
Queensland Health is unambiguous here: MASS does not provide services for NDIS participants. The NDIS is the pathway for funding disability supports for people under sixty-five in Queensland, and someone with an urgent equipment need while awaiting an NDIS plan is directed to their support coordinator or local area coordinator, not back to MASS. People who are not eligible for the NDIS can apply to MASS instead. Eligibility for MASS is decided by the program itself. The official program pages have the current criteria and application forms.
Applying
Applications start with a clinical assessment by a health professional approved by MASS to prescribe that type of aid. The prescriber helps complete the forms, or submits the application on your behalf through the MASS-eApply portal. Which clinician is the right prescriber varies by category, so your treating health professional is the place to begin.
Official sources
Program details verified against the official Queensland Health MASS pages in . Rules change; the official site is always current.
Frequently asked questions
Can NDIS participants use MASS?
No. Queensland Health states plainly that MASS does not provide services for NDIS participants, and that the NDIS is the funding pathway for disability supports for people under sixty-five in Queensland. People who are not eligible for the NDIS can apply to MASS if they meet its criteria.
Who is eligible for MASS?
Eligibility requires permanent Queensland residency, a permanent or stable condition or disability, and an eligible concession card held in your own name: a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card, certain DVA pensioner concession cards, or a Queensland Government Seniors Card. Individual programs can add their own criteria.
What does MASS cover?
MASS subsidises a defined set of categories: communication aids, continence aids, daily living aids, heat moisture exchangers, home oxygen, medical-grade footwear, mobility aids, palliative care equipment, prosthetic limbs, spectacles, and spinal and lower limb orthoses. Aids are supplied on permanent loan, through private ownership, or as consumables.
How do you apply to MASS?
You do not apply directly. A health professional approved by MASS to prescribe the equipment type carries out a clinical assessment, then completes and submits the application on your behalf through the MASS-eApply portal. The right prescriber depends on the aid, so start with your treating clinician.
Related: CAPS, the national continence payment (the CAPS checker has the current rate), plus EnableNSW, SWEP in Victoria, and the Other Schemes & Aged Care guide.