These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the information at Working with the TAC.

Who can provide drug and alcohol services?

Services can be provided by the following providers:

• Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) funded alcohol and other drug services that comply with the Alcohol and Other Drug Program Guidelines 2017
• medical practitioners, including psychiatrists, with relevant qualifications and experience in treating drug and alcohol dependence
• a public or private hospital or a day procedure centre as defined by the Health Services Act 1988

What we can pay for

Within the first 90 days of a client’s accident, we can help pay for drug and alcohol services without the need for you or the client to contact us for approval first. The service must be recommended by a health professional, related to the client’s accident injuries and delivered in line with the Clinical Framework.

If you intend to continue treating a TAC client beyond 90 days after their transport accident you will need to send us a request in writing or a copy of their treatment plan. We will review our client’s treatment to ensure it’s reasonable, clinically justified, outcome focused and in line with the Clinical Framework. We will assess your request and let you and the client know our decision about what we can help pay for and for how long.

If our client has not received treatment in 6 months they will need to seek approval from us before we will pay for further treatment. Ask our client for a copy of their approval if you haven’t seen them in 6 months.

For details see What we can pay for and How to seek TAC approval.

Drug and alcohol services and supports

We can help pay for DHHS-funded drug and alcohol services, including:

• the DirectLine statewide screening and referral service
• catchment-based intake
• assessment
• counselling
• non-residential withdrawal
• residential withdrawal
• therapeutic day rehabilitation
• residential rehabilitation
• care and recovery coordination
• pharmacotherapy
• youth alcohol and other drug services
• Aboriginal alcohol and other drug services
• forensic alcohol and other drug services

We can help pay for DHHS-funded drug and alcohol additional supports, including:

• drug and alcohol clinical advisory service
• statewide neuropsychology service
• the Victorian Dual Diagnosis Initiative
• women’s drug and other drug services
• mother and baby residential withdrawal unit
• compulsory drug withdrawal services

We can help pay for services that include:

• consultations with medical practitioners
• consultations with psychologists
• drug services conducted by a private, denominational or public hospital

Other things to note

Medical excess

For accidents that occurred prior to 14 February 2018 a medical excess may apply. Visit the medical excess page to see if it applies to your patient.  If the medical excess applies you will need to invoice the client directly.

Clients with a severe injury

For clients with a severe injury, the discussion, referral and approval of drug and alcohol services may form part of the independence planning process between the client’s treating team and the TAC coordinator.

How much we can pay

We can pay for services in line with:

• the fees charged by DHHS, or
• the applicable fee schedule for relevant hospital or provider services

If your fee is higher than our fee, you may choose to charge the client the difference in the form of a gap payment.

What we cannot pay for

We cannot pay for:

• services that are not clinically effective, reasonable or necessary
• services for an injury, condition or circumstance that existed before a transport accident or is not a direct result of a transport accident

Also see general items we cannot pay for.

For more information

Access our policies for health and support services.