The Continence Aids Assistance Scheme (CAAS) is an Australian Government program that assists eligible people who have permanent and severe incontinence to meet some of the costs of continence products. CAAS is administered on behalf of the Australian Government by Intouch, the commercial arm of the Spinal Injuries Association. CAAS clients receive a subsidy of up to $489.95 per year indexed annually on continence products ordered through Intouch.

Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS)

You may have heard that the Continence Aids Assistance Scheme (CAAS) will become the Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) 1 July 2010, but what does that mean for you? Find out more...

What is permanent and severe incontinence?

For the purpose of CAAS, permanent and severe incontinence is defined as the frequent and uncontrollable; moderate to large loss of urine or faeces which impacts on a person's quality of life and that is unlikely to improve with medical, surgical or clinical treatment regimes. This condition is likely to last at least two years, or for the remainder of a person's life.

Additional guidelines for health professionals

Applicants for CAAS assistance are required to obtain an assessment from an appropriate health professional such as a continence nurse, general practitioner, medical specialist, community nurse, physiotherapist or occupational therapist, to support their application. The outcome of this assessment should be recorded on the CAAS Health Report - Section 2 of the CAAS Application Form.

The health professional should only complete the CAAS Health Report if he or she is in a position to make an accurate assessment of the applicant in relation to their incontinence, and the cause of this incontinence. The completed Health Report should be returned to the applicant to forward to Intouch.

For a list of the most common eligible neurological conditions refer to the CAAS guidelines or visit the CAAS page on the Department of Health and Ageing's Bladder & Bowel website.

Translation service

For people from non-English speaking backgrounds, we offer a translation service at no extra cost. To ensure accurate consultation to all our customers we have access to over 1 300 interpreters speaking more than 120 languages and dialects. Simply advise your Intouch Direct Healthcare Consultant of the language required to access this service.

Where can I get more information?

For information on eligibility conditions click here. If you are eligible for CAAS you can make your application to Intouch, visit how to apply for information on the application process which has only a 48 hour approval process. You can find our product catalogue and all application forms available for download on our forms page. For more information or to apply, please contact us.

Intouch
PO Box 2082
MILTON QLD 4064
P 1300 366 455*
E caas@intouchdirect.com.au

You can also visit our useful links page for more information resources, or contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 330 066*.

*Free call 1800 - calls are chargeable if the number is called from a mobile phone/1300# are charged at the cost of a local call, mobile phones incur a higher charge.

Information was sourced from the Department of Health and Ageing in November 2008 and was correct at the time of going to print. Please check the Departments' web site www.health.gov.au - CAAS for further updates or contact Intouch on 1300 366 455.