Rural Retention Grant
What is it?
The rural retention grant is an initiative that aims to recognise and retain long-serving general practitioners in rural and remote communities that may experience significant difficulties in retaining general practitioners. The rural retention grant is awarded in one of two ways:
| 1.
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The Central Payments System (CPS) is administered by Medicare Australia, and payments are automatically calculated based on GPs Medicare data. GPs are advised of their eligibility to receive CPS grant payments by Medicare Australia.
For more information on the Central Payments System, please call 1800 010 550. |
| 2.
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The Flexible Payments System (FPS) is administered in South Australia by Rural Doctors Workforce Agency. The FPS seeks to recognise long-serving general practitioners who do not receive a fair and equitable level of support under the Central Payments System because their services are not captured by Medicare data or the Central Payment System does not adequately take their locations into account.
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Who is eligible?
To be eligible for the rural retention grant, doctors must meet a specific qualifying period of service in categories of eligible locations (see table below).
| Retention Category | Qualifying Period | Max. Payment |
| A | 6 years | $ 5,000 |
| B | 5 years | $10,000 |
| C | 3 years | $15,000 |
| D | 2 years | $20,000 |
| E | 1 year | $25,000 |
More information about the FPS please click here.
An application form for the FPS can be downloaded from The Department of Health and Ageing Website
For more information please contact:
Paul Kimber
Ph: +61 8 82348277
Email: Paul.Kimber@ruraldoc.com.au
