{"id":"F2022L00065","name":"Social Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Medical Conditions) Specification 2022","slug":"social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":441181,"registerId":"F2022L00065-fast-fetch-1775956545764","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Social Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Medical Conditions) Specification 2022","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-keywords: \"[SEC=OFFICIAL:Sensitive]\"\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nSocial Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Medical Conditions) Specification 2022\n\nI, Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services, make the following Specification.\n\nDated 21 January 2022   \n\nAnne Ruston\n\nMinister for Families and Social Services\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Medical Conditions\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Social Security (Essential Medical Equipment Payment – Medical Conditions) Specification 2022.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument 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.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument 1 April 2022\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under paragraph 917C(3)(b) of the Social Security Act 1991.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Social Security Act 1991.\n\n5  Medical Conditions\n\n1.   Each of the following medical conditions is a specified medical condition for the purposes of paragraph 917C(1)(b) of the Act:\n\n\n1.     Spinal cord injury at or above the T7 level;\n2.     Stroke;\n3.     Brain injury;\n4.     Neurodegenerative disorder;\n5.     Muscular dystrophies;\n6.      Full thickness burns covering more than 20 per cent of the body surface area;\n7.     Rare disorders of sweating including congenital absence or mal-development of sweat glands;\n8.     Chronic erythrodermas.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function intended by its enabling provision (paragraph 917C(3)(b) of the Social Security Act 1991): specifying which medical conditions qualify for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment. It has not expanded beyond this narrow, technical purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument — only 5 sections and 8 listed conditions","Only 1 defined term ('Act') in the interpretation section","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling provision (paragraph 917C(3)(b))","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Straightforward declarative structure: 'Each of the following medical conditions is a specified medical condition'","Medical terminology is technical but used in standard clinical sense without legal redefinition"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument names the specific medical conditions that make someone eligible for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment, a government benefit to help cover extra electricity costs of running essential home medical equipment (e.g., temperature control, ventilators). \n\nIt thus determines who can get financial help for powering medically necessary devices: people with the listed serious conditions qualify, while those whose conditions aren’t on the list do not under this payment."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument itself does not state that it alters the statutory scope; it expressly specifies which medical conditions qualify for paragraph 917C(1)(b) of the Social Security Act 1991 (see s.5). There is no text in this instrument indicating an expansion or narrowing relative to a prior specification, so no change of scope is evident from the instrument alone."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow and focused instrument: single list of conditions (s.5).","Relies on cross-reference to paragraph 917C(1)(b) of the Social Security Act 1991 — understanding full effect requires reading that Act (s.3, definitions).","Uses medical terms and thresholds (for example, “at or above the T7 level”, “more than 20 per cent of the body surface area”) that are clinical rather than legal and may require medical evidence or interpretation when applied.","Operational complexity for administrators arises from applying clinical criteria to individual claims (administrative burden, evidence collection).","Ministerial instrument-making power is centralised (made under paragraph 917C(3)(b)), so changes to eligibility are effected administratively rather than by primary legislation."],"plain_english_summary":"This Specification (commencing 1 April 2022) lists the medical conditions that count as “specified medical conditions” for paragraph 917C(1)(b) of the Social Security Act 1991, thereby defining who may qualify for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment (see s.5). It names eight conditions including spinal cord injury (at/above T7), stroke, brain injury, neurodegenerative disorders, muscular dystrophies, extensive full‑thickness burns, rare sweating disorders, and chronic erythrodermas.\n\nIt affects claimants and administering officers by clarifying clinical eligibility; the Minister made the list under the Act (s.3)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022","history":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022/history","analysis":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/social-security-essential-medical-equipment-payment-medical-conditions-specification-2022/documents"}}