The benefits listed on this page will be available from 1 July 2026. For benefits available before 1 July 2026, visit Healthcare for your family overseas and Excess health costs.
Who can get it
APS employees on a long-term posting overseas and their dependants may also access the benefits listed on this page.
When Defence won’t pay for your travel
You’re posted to Germany. Your partner is your dependant in the posting location.
Your partner takes a weekend trip to France. While in France, your partner is injured and needs to take an ambulance to a hospital.
Because they’re outside the posting country for personal reasons, Defence won’t pay for the ambulance ride or the treatment costs.
If your eligible dependant leaves the positing country for official travel, such as on a reunion travel visit or assisted leave travel, Defence may cover medically necessary transport and treatment costs that come up during the journey to and from their destination location under Defence’s Travel Outside Country Policy. However, while at the destination location, they won’t be covered by Defence or Defence’s Travel Outside Country Policy.
Ambulance and other medical transport
Travel to another location for treatment
Your eligible dependant will need pre-approval to claim costs for treatment outside the posting country. If they don’t have approval to claim the costs, and they leave the posting country for treatment, Defence will not pay for the treatment.
If your eligible dependants are away from the posting location for more than 56 consecutive days for medical treatment, your Overseas Living Allowances may be reduced.
Air travel
Private vehicle use
Public transport
Accommodation
Your dependant and an approved chaperone are approved to travel to a different overseas location so your dependant can be treated at a hospital.
Your dependant needs to stay overnight at the hospital. Because this treatment has been approved, Defence will cover the accommodation costs while your dependant is at the hospital.
Defence will pay for the chaperone to stay at a nearby hotel.
After your dependant is discharged, they need to stay at the treatment location for one night. Defence will pay for your dependant to stay at a nearby hotel for that night. The chaperone is expected to stay in the same hotel room as your dependant. If the chaperone wants their own room, they will need to pay for it themselves.