WA Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) — Country residents

What Is This Payment?

The Patient Assisted Travel Scheme helps country Western Australians meet the cost of travelling to specialist medical services that are not available where they live. Inside the rule database it is tagged as an eligibility only WA health-and-transport rule in the WA Health Travel Support cluster, with an entitlement scope of one person, claimed per trip. Rather than a fixed payment, it reimburses travel and accommodation costs on a per-trip basis according to set rates.

The scheme is run by the WA Country Health Service. Applications are lodged through the regional PATS office that covers the patient's area, supported by a specialist referral and Medicare details. Because country residents can face hundreds of kilometres of travel to reach a specialist in Perth or a regional centre, the scheme is structured to reduce the financial barrier to attending essential appointments.

The rule reflects several recent operational changes. The fuel subsidy moved to 40 cents per kilometre from 1 July 2025. From June 2025, cheque payments were discontinued and all payments are now made by EFT. The terminology shifted as well, with the former "escort" now referred to as a support person. The scheme is also set to broaden in early 2026 to cover travel for allied health and dental services, extending it beyond medical specialists. As a per-trip entitlement, PATS is claimed each time a qualifying trip is made rather than as an ongoing standing payment.

How Much Can You Get?

This rule has an amount type of eligibility_only, so the app does not produce a single calculated figure — the display period is recorded as per_trip. The actual support is worked out from two components defined in the rule note, both driven by the specifics of each trip.

The first component is travel. The fuel subsidy is 40 cents per kilometre, the rate effective from 1 July 2025, and travel support is calculated as distance in kilometres multiplied by $0.40. As a worked example, a return journey of 600 km attracts a fuel subsidy of $240 (600 multiplied by $0.40), while a 1,200 km return trip attracts $480.

The second component is accommodation, which can be claimed separately where an overnight stay is required. It is calculated as the number of nights multiplied by a per-night rate set by region tier, so two nights at a regional tier rate is two multiplied by that nightly figure. Accommodation is applied for alongside the travel component, not folded into the kilometre rate. A support person, previously called an escort, can be included where the patient needs assistance, and their travel and accommodation are claimed as part of the same application.

Because the per-night rate depends on a region tier rather than a single statewide figure, this rule does not estimate accommodation inside the app and instead points users to the regional PATS office to lodge the claim. There is no multiplier, reduces_if taper or date_windows in the rule; the support simply scales with distance travelled and nights stayed. All payments are made by EFT from June 2025 onward, so bank account details are needed to receive the reimbursement.

Eligibility Conditions

The eligibility block is an all set, so every item must pass.

1. Western Australian residence: state = WA. PATS is a WA Country Health Service program for travel within and from regional WA.
2. Regional resident: wa_regional_resident = true. The patient must live in a regional or remote part of WA, not the metropolitan area, since the scheme exists to bridge the distance country residents face in reaching specialist care.

Required fields for assessment are state and regional residence — a short list, because the financial detail is worked out at the regional PATS office rather than inside the rule. The exclude block is empty in the YAML, so there is no disqualifying payment. The practical gates sit in the evidence requirements: a specialist referral establishes that the travel is for eligible specialist care, and Medicare details confirm the patient's identity and entitlement. A first consideration is that the scheme is keyed to specialist services in this rule version, with allied health and dental due to be added in early 2026. A second is that distance and overnight need drive the value, so the same eligible patient may receive very different amounts depending on the trip.

How To Apply

Application metadata defines a single channel: regional PATS office. Claims are lodged through the PATS office that covers the patient's region, which assesses the travel and accommodation components and arranges the EFT payment.

Evidence requirements are explicitly listed in the rule and should be prepared in advance:

• specialist referral confirming the appointment is for eligible specialist care
• Medicare details to confirm identity and entitlement

Two practical tips help. First, provide bank account details with the claim, because all payments have been by EFT since June 2025 and cheques are no longer issued — a claim without account details cannot be paid. Second, if you need someone to travel with you, flag the support person on the same application, since their travel and accommodation are claimed together with yours rather than through a separate process.

Read the official WA PATS guidance

Rule-Based Scenarios

Scenario 1: long drive to a Perth specialist

Bogdan lives in Esperance and is referred to a cardiologist in Perth, a return drive of roughly 1,400 km. Because state = WA and wa_regional_resident = true both hold, the rule returns eligible. His fuel subsidy is 1,400 multiplied by $0.40, which is $560. He stays one night before the appointment and claims accommodation at his region tier rate on the same application, paid by EFT to his bank account.

Scenario 2: shorter regional trip with a support person

Ewa, who lives near Geraldton, is referred to a specialist a 500 km return trip away and needs her daughter to accompany her as a support person. The rule returns eligible. The fuel subsidy is 500 multiplied by $0.40, which is $200, and because a support person is included, her daughter's travel and any overnight accommodation are claimed under the same PATS application rather than separately.

Scenario 3: metropolitan resident not eligible

Giulia lives in a Perth suburb and is referred to a specialist on the other side of the city. When she checks PATS, wa_regional_resident is false because she is a metropolitan resident, so the rule returns not eligible. PATS exists to offset the long-distance travel country residents face; a within-metro trip does not meet the regional residence test, regardless of how inconvenient the journey is.

Scenario 4: country resident, dental referral in this rule version

Sione lives in a remote community and is referred for a dental procedure rather than a medical specialist. He is a WA regional resident, so the residence tests pass, but in this 2025-26 rule version PATS support is keyed to specialist care, with allied health and dental scheduled to be added in early 2026. He confirms with his regional PATS office whether his dental travel can be supported yet, since the expansion changes which referrals qualify.

Common Mistakes

• Using an outdated fuel rate: the subsidy is 40 cents per kilometre from 1 July 2025. Estimating a trip on an older lower rate understates the claim — travel support is distance in km multiplied by $0.40, so a 1,000 km return trip is $400.
• Expecting a cheque: cheque payments were discontinued from June 2025. All PATS payments are now by EFT, so a claim lodged without bank account details cannot be paid until those details are supplied.
• Forgetting to claim accommodation separately: the per-night accommodation amount is a distinct component applied for alongside travel, set by region tier. Patients who only claim the fuel subsidy miss the overnight support they were entitled to.
• Leaving the support person off the application: a support person, formerly called an escort, must be included on the same PATS application. Travelling with an unclaimed helper means their travel and accommodation are not reimbursed.
• Assuming metropolitan trips qualify: the rule turns on wa_regional_resident = true. A metropolitan resident does not meet the regional residence test, so even a long cross-city journey to a specialist is not covered.
• Booking allied health travel too early: in this 2025-26 rule version PATS is keyed to specialist care. The expansion to allied health and dental is scheduled for early 2026, so confirm with the regional PATS office before assuming a non-specialist referral is covered yet.

Related Benefits

The conflicts and affects lists in this rule are both empty in the YAML, but PATS sits inside the WA Health Travel Support cluster and connects to several other WA travel and concession entitlements. Use these links to navigate the surrounding rules.

• WA Regional Pensioner Travel Card — annual travel allowance for regional pensioners; complements PATS by helping with general regional travel beyond specialist appointments.
• WA TransWA Concession Fare — discounted regional coach and rail fares, an alternative to driving for some PATS-eligible journeys.
• WA TransWA TPI and EDA Free Travel — free TransWA travel for eligible TPI veterans and EDA holders making regional trips.
• WA Public Dental — subsidised dental care, relevant as PATS broadens toward dental travel support in early 2026.
• WA State Concession Card — the broad WA concession card unlocking transport and utility discounts for eligible residents.
• WA Ambulance Concession — discounted ambulance cover for eligible concession holders, a companion health-cost support for regional residents.

Frequently Asked Questions