Brain Injury Support in South Australia: Lifetime Support Scheme:
If a brain injury was caused by a motor vehicle accident on South Australian roads, the Lifetime Support Scheme (LSS) may fund the treatment, care and support you need, including speech therapy for as long as you need it.
What is the Lifetime Support Scheme?
The LSS is a South Australian Government scheme that provides necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support for people with serious injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in SA, commencing 1 July 2014. It's a no-fault scheme: support is available regardless of who caused the accident, provided the specific injury and accident criteria are met.
The Scheme is administered by the Lifetime Support Authority (LSA) under the Motor Vehicle Accidents (Lifetime Support Scheme) Act 2013, and is funded by a levy on motor vehicle registrations in South Australia.
Who is eligible for brain injury support in South Australia?
You may be eligible for the LSS if you sustained a serious injury in a motor vehicle accident on SA roads from 1 July 2014 onwards. Serious injuries recognised by the Scheme include:
- Moderate to severe brain injury
- Spinal cord injuries (such as paraplegia or quadriplegia)
- Whole limb or multiple amputations
- Severe burns
- Permanent blindness
As with similar schemes interstate, participants are typically accepted as an interim participant first (with support funded for up to two years), before being assessed for lifetime participation if ongoing needs continue.
What does the LSS fund?
Once accepted, the LSA funds necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support related to your motor vehicle injury. This spans medical and dental treatment, ambulance transportation, respite care, attendant care and domestic support, assistive technology, prosthetic and orthotic devices, and education and vocational training.
Speech therapy under the LSS
Rehabilitation, specifically including speech therapy, alongside physiotherapy and occupational therapy, is named as a category of support the LSA funds where it's necessary and reasonable and tied to your goals for function and participation in daily life. Communication devices are also recognised under the Scheme's Assistive Technologies category, relevant for anyone using augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) following a brain injury.
How ClearConvo can help
ClearConvo delivers speech pathology assessment and therapy via telehealth across Australia, with experience supporting the communication and swallowing challenges that often follow a brain injury.
For LSS participants, this can mean:
- Consistent access to a speech pathologist without the need to travel, which matters for participants outside metropolitan Adelaide
- Speech pathologists certified with Speech Pathology Australia, matching the professional standard the LSA expects of allied health providers
- Working alongside your LSA Service Planner to make sure speech pathology goals are reflected in your MyPlan
Speech Therapy, Brain Injury Support in South Australia
Tell us about yourself.
Getting started
- If you're not yet a participant: contact the LSA on 1300 880 849 or via lifetimesupport.sa.gov.au to check eligibility and start an application. Applications can be made by the injured person, a family member, or the relevant CTP insurer.
- If you're already an LSS participant: speech pathology needs to be identified as part of your treatment, care and support needs before it's funded.
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Eligibility and funded supports are set out in the Motor Vehicle Accidents (Lifetime Support Scheme) Act 2013 and the LSS Rules, and can change — always confirm current details directly with the Lifetime Support Authority.
