Returning to school or study after a motor accident injury

Lifetime Care pays for learning supports to help participants get back to school or study after a motor accident injury.

Returning to school and study is an important step in your recovery after a severe injury.

That’s why we work in partnership with families and education facilities to support participants to return to school or study.

Finding the right learning supports for someone with a brain or spinal cord injury is not always straightforward. If you or your child are a participant in the Scheme, and you’re ready to return to school or study, your coordinator or case manager will help you to work out your learning and support needs.

Learning support services we pay for

We pay for additional education and study support services for you that can’t be met by resources available through your education facility, such as a school, TAFE or university.

The services must be for learning needs that are a result of your motor accident injury. We can pay for:

  • Learning support for when you’re first discharged from hospital to help you settle back into school or other study and catch up on missed learning
  • A school learning support officer or teacher’s aide to support you in the classroom if required
  • Support with transitions such as starting school, moving to high school or tertiary studies (including TAFE)
  • Teacher release time so they can modify programs to meet your learning needs and attend training
  • Specialist support such as therapists, special education consultants or other professionals
  • Tutoring required as part of your individualised learning plan.

We will consider any reasonable and necessary requests for services needed to implement your learning program which are additional to what your education facility is responsible to pay for.

What we can’t pay for:

  • Education support or assistance available through your education facility to all other students
  • Costs that are expected to be funded by the education facility, such as professional development
  • Education materials or resources that all other students require and should be provided by the education facility
  • Tutoring or programs when the support needs are not related to your motor accident injury and are not part of your individualised learning plan

Education facility obligations:

The education facility – such as a school, TAFE or university – must fulfil its obligation to meet the needs of students with disabilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

The education facility should:

  • Develop an individualised learning plan in consultation with you, your family and therapy team
  • Determine what supports and adjustments can be provided by the education facility
  • Submit education support requests for additional education and study support in line with the icare Lifetime Care and Support Guidelines.

Requesting additional education support services

The education facility must comply with our Guidelines (Part 9) and complete an education support request.

This must include

  • Information about your development and learning before your accident, including services you received or were waiting to receive
  • An outline of your learning needs related to your motor accident injury, your individualised learning plan and learning goals
  • Details of what can be provided through the relevant state or federal funding system, including information about any applications for assistance that have been submitted or approved
  • Details of the additional educational or study support you need (including the type, amount, frequency and cost) and how this will help address your learning needs related to your motor accident injury
  • Ensure the service provided to you is delivered according to our approval
  • Only submit invoices for services that have been approved and provided
  • Copies of your individual education plan, and recent school report, and attendance records as requested

They must also:

  • Ensure the service provided to you is delivered according to our approval
  • Only submit invoices for services that have been approved and provided