Information for Families and Carers

The National Assistance Card is a personalised card to assist people with disability and health conditions in the community.  

The Card can be used in everyday or emergency situations where a cardholder needs assistance or support.  

The National Assistance Card can:

• help cardholders communicate their unique areas of difficulty and the assistance they may need
• give cardholders greater independence
• assist cardholders to feel more confident in everyday social situations
• provide peace of mind for families and carers
• enhance community understanding of disability and health conditions
• support positive community interaction with cardholders.

Disability

The National Assistance Card is available to all people in Australia living with brain injury.

In Tasmania the Card is being trialled with the autistic community.

The National Assistance Card Service hope that, in the future, the National Assistance Card will be available to all people in Australia with disability and health conditions.

Please note: As part of your application, you must provide a supporting document from a medical or allied health professional that verifies any disability or health condition you choose to list on your Card.

Age

There are no age restrictions for applying for the National Assistance Card.

The Card is available to children and adults.

You can read more about who is eligible to apply for a Card here.

You need to complete the National Assistance Card online application using a computer, smartphone or tablet.

You can access the online application and How to Apply Guides here.

To help you with your application we recommend you:

• read the 'How to' guides – you can download them here
• watch the 'How to' videos included in the application
• ask a family member, friend or support worker to help you with the application.

If you have already started an application but not submitted it yet, please log in to your application to complete it.

How to log in to your application

• Visit the application portal here
• Click ‘Start’
• Click ‘Existing’
• Enter your details (make sure you enter the same information you used to start your application)
• First Name
• Surname
• Phone number (no spaces)
• Email address
• Tick ‘I am not a robot’
• Click ‘Next’
• Complete the verification code screen
• A 6 digit code will be sent to your email or phone (you can choose which)
• Enter the code and click verify

This opens your application.

Please complete and submit your application.

If you cannot log in to your application, please contact us.

If you have submitted your application, your application is under review and you cannot log back in.

Please contact us if you would like to make any changes to your submitted application or have any questions.

A new National Assistance Card costs $44 (including GST).  

If you need a replacement Card, it will cost $22 (including GST) – a replacement is only required if the Card is lost or an update of the information printed on the Card is required.

Why is there a cost for the National Assistance Card?

The cost contributes to the Card production and helps to pay for information and education resources about the Card.

Can NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) and other third party organisations pay for the Card?

Applicants have been successful in claiming the cost of the Card from their NDIS plan and third party organisations such as compensation insurers.

People whose NDIS Plan is self-managed or plan-managed may be able to claim the cost of their National Assistance Card under the line item:- ‘Low cost AT for personal care and safety 03_090000911_0103_1_1’ from their Consumables budget. 

You can forward your National Assistance Card invoice or receipt to the relevant organisation to request payment or reimbursement.

What if I cannot pay for my Card?

If you are unable to pay for your Card due to social or financial hardship you can select the 'Other' or 'Unable to pay' options on the payment screen of the application.
A National Assistance Card Service team member will contact you to discuss your options.

You should apply for a National Assistance Card if you would like:

• assistance to explain the impacts you experience as a result of your disability or health condition
• to feel more confident in the community – knowing you can show your Card if you get into difficulty
• a sense of security knowing your nominated contact person can be called if required.

The National Assistance Card includes a cardholder's:

• first and last name
• photo
• date of birth
• nominated contact person's name and phone number
  (A cardholder can choose if this person is contacted).

Also printed on the Card:

• up to five areas of difficulty chosen by the cardholder
  (for example: communication, fatigue, memory, processing information)
• a QR code providing access to additional information (written or personalised video) that the cardholder has chosen to include
• the Police Assistance Line phone number.

Your Card can be used in everyday or emergency situations.
This includes:

• shops, cafes, hotels and cinemas
• banks, Centrelink and other Government departments
• transport, such as airports, buses, trains, trams, taxis and Ubers
• with family, friends and work colleagues
• with first responders, such as police, ambulance, or fire.

People you show your Card to can read your Card and scan your QR code to learn more about the impacts you experience and/or how they can assist you.

Important

• The National Assistance Card explains a cardholder's unique areas of difficulty. It does not make a cardholder exempt from the law.
• The National Assistance Card is a community service. It is not an official identity card or legal document.

You can download the wallet sized Cardholder Guide here.

All information provided to the National Assistance Card Service is kept private, confidential, and secure in line with the National Assistance Card Privacy Policy.

You can read our Privacy Policy here.

To ensure the success of the National Assistance Card as a community service it is important the cardholder’s disability and/or health condition has been professionally verified.

As part of the application, you must provide a supporting document to verify any disability or health condition you choose to list on your Card.  

The documents must be from a medical or allied health professional and need to include your name and disability or health condition diagnosis. The documents do not need to go into detail.

We accept letters, reports, and certificates from the following professionals:

• General practitioner (GP)
• Medical specialist (for example, neurologist)
• Clinical neuropsychologist or psychologist
• Allied health practitioner (for example a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist).

A scan or photo of the document can be uploaded directly to the application, or you can email or post the document to the National Assistance Card Service.

Please know that:

• Your personal data is protected by the National Assistance Card Service in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Your supporting document is only accessed by the National Assistance Card team to assess your application eligibility.

Supporting documentation to verify the applicant’s disability or health condition is a current requirement for the National Assistance Card.

You cannot apply if you do not have a supporting document to verify your disability or health condition.

However – even if you are not eligible – if you are interested in the Card we still want to hear from you!

The National Assistance Card Service acknowledge that not everyone will have supporting documentation to verify their disability or health condition.  

The National Assistance Card Service hope that, in the future, the Card will be available to all people in Australia with disability and health conditions.  

It is important for us to document how many people experience challenges with providing evidence of their disability or health condition.

Your feedback will help us to review eligibility requirements as part of our evaluation of the National Assistance Card.

If you do not have supporting documents to evidence your disability or health condition, please:

• Contact us

Police have many different roles in our community including:

• Preventing anti-social behaviour;
• Dealing with community safety concerns;
• Attending accidents;
• Investigating crime;
• Dealing with drug and alcohol affected people; and
• Attending critical incidents and emergencies.

They also undertake many other tasks such as:

• Building positive relationships with community groups and members;
• Visiting schools and interacting with students;
• Attending community events; and 
• Talking to and assisting vulnerable members of the community.

The National Assistance Card Service is working with Police in all States and Territories to ensure they are aware of, and informed about, the National Assistance Card. 

We are trialling a data sharing agreement with Tasmania Police where National Assistance Card cardholders will have a flag added to a personal identity record in their State or Territory Police database.

In Tasmania, this means that, should Police be contacted for any reason regarding a cardholder, they will be able to access cardholder information prior to attending the call-out.  Because Police will know in advance how a cardholder’s disability or health condition impacts them, what supports they may require, and who their nominated contact person is (should this be required), they will be able to provide an informed and considered response. 

We hope to put similar data sharing agreements in place with police in other states and territories soon.

Please Note:

• The only information provided to Police will be your: name, date of birth, address, areas of difficulty, QR code additional information and your contact person’s name and phone number.
• Your supporting documentation will not be provided to Police.‍
• ‍Police in each State and Territory will sign an agreement with the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania (owners of the National Assistance Card Service) that they will only use National Assistance Card information provided to them if it is reasonably necessary for their work.
• Police will only use information provided to them if it is reasonably necessary for their work.
• If you decide you no longer want your National Assistance Card, your information on the Police information system will be deactivated and will not be able to be viewed by police (note: deactivated NOT deleted).

You can also show Police and/or other emergency services (ambulance, fire) your Card should you need assistance.

There are many reasons why a person may choose to show their Card:

• to communicate their needs
  (for example: needing extra time to complete an activity or task)
• because they are feeling overwhelmed, confused, disorientated or unsafe.

The cardholder may choose to show:

• the front of their Card only.
  This means they would appreciate your understanding and patience while they communicate to you the assistance they require.
• both the front and back of their Card.
  The back of the Card includes some of the areas where the cardholder has difficulty, and a QR code, which, when scanned, may link to additional information.

We have developed a dedicated request a replacement card form which is now available here.

You can also contact the National Assistance Card Service here, and please provide your full name and contact details (phone number and email).  

The National Assistance Card has replaced the Tasmanian ABI (acquired brain injury) Identification Card Program and the Brain Injury Assistance Card Program.

You can apply for a National Assistance Card here or contact us here for more information about how to transition to the new Card.

Brain injury is defined as any damage or injury to the brain, occurring after birth, resulting in ongoing impairments. (The definition also includes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder which is brain damage caused by alcohol exposure before birth).

Common causes of brain injury include motor vehicle crashes, assaults, sporting accidents, stroke, lack of oxygen to the brain, brain tumours and degenerative neurological conditions.

The ongoing impairments a person may have could be physical, cognitive, emotional and/or behavioural.

Many of the effects of brain injury are not visible; this doesn’t make the impacts any less real.

Every brain injury is different.

• Autism is a neurological and development condition that occurs when the brain develops differently.
• Autism affects the way people sense, communicate, behave and interact with the world.
• While there are some common autistic traits, people experience autism in different ways.
• All, some, or none of a person's autistic traits may be obvious to others or only noticeable in difficult settings.

Visit the Helpful Links section of our website to find local and national service providers. Click here.

If you have a question about the National Assistance Card – please fill in our Contact Form; a member of the National Assistance Card Team will respond to your question.

You can complete the Contact Form here.