Around 65,000 families in receipt of Family Tax Benefit Part A will receive letters this month reminding them to get their children fully immunised before the end of the financial year.
Department of Human Services General Manager Hank Jongen said families need to ensure their children’s immunisation details are up-to-date to receive family assistance payments.
“Families need to meet the immunisation requirements for their children during the financial years that they turn one, two and five to receive the Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement of up to $726,” Mr Jongen said.
“If you didn’t meet the immunisation requirements for the 2012-13 financial year, you still have until 30 June 2014 to meet the immunisation requirements and to claim the supplement for that financial year.
“When families lodge their tax return at the end of the financial year, we check the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register to see whether a child is fully immunised, or has an approved exemption before we pay their Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement payment.”
Mr Jongen said parents can check their child’s immunisation history by using the new Express Plus Medicare mobile app.
“In addition to Express Plus Medicare, parents can log on to Medicare Online Services using the myGov website to access their child’s immunisation history, as well as a wide range of other Medicare services,” Mr Jongen said.