The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) is proud to announce a new range of medical benefits that are now available to past players through the RLPA’s Past Player & Transition Program – another major step forward in the RLPA’s commitment to supporting players well beyond their time on the field.
All members within the current scope of the Past Player & Transition Program (up to 10 years post NRL/NRLW contact) are eligible for at least one of the medical benefits support options available.
The new medical benefits bolster the Medical pillar in the Program, alongside the other four pillars of Transition, Financial, Connection and Mental Fitness.
The four key benefits and partnerships within the new medical benefits are designed to provide meaningful and practical support for a wide range of past players:
- Past Player Medical Support Fund
- Medical treatment
- Annual health grants
- Medical Referral Network
- Lumus Imaging Partnership
- Westfund Health Insurance Partnership
Matt Gillett Praises Medical Pillar Benefits
“I medically retired because of my shoulder, and the costs don’t stop once you hang up the boots,” says Matt Gillett, a veteran of 200 NRL games and 32 representative games for Queensland and Australia.
“The medical bills stack up pretty quick — especially with old injuries that need fixing. Having the RLPA back us with this fund is unreal. It really takes the pressure off.”
“Footy takes a toll on the body — and a lot of those injuries stick with you long after you stop playing. So, to have the RLPA and their partners helping out with cheaper medical expenses, it honestly means a lot.
“It’s good knowing someone’s still looking out for us.”
The New Medical Benefits for Past Players
Past Player Medical Support Fund (PPMSF)
Beyond 12 months, the Past Player Medical Support Fund will provide the following support to past players in two ways:
- Medical Treatment – financial assistance for costs relating to medical treatment for injuries suffered during a player’s NRL/NRLW career, including ‘gap’ payments and/or insurance excess costs. To be eligible, the injury must have occurred in 2018 or later and noted on a player’s Exit Medical, and a player must hold private health insurance at the time of receiving treatment.
- Annual Health Grants – financial contribution to the proactive management and improvement of physical health and wellbeing, and every single retired player within the Past Player & Transition Program can claim $500 of reimbursements every single year.
To be eligible for Annual Health Grants, a past player must have held an NRL or NRLW Playing Contract within the last 10 years, have retired from professional sport, and no longer have a current professional sporting contract.
Medical Referral Network
The RLPA has established a network of endorsed medical professionals that past players can access to seek medical support, advice and treatment, for:
- common issues and injuries arising from playing professional rugby league (e.g. sports clinicians)
- brain health related issues, concerns, assessments and clinical management
- general health issues and preventative health services
The professionals on the Medical Referral Network have experience working with professional rugby league players and most offer prioritised access to consultations and/or reduced fees for members of the Past Player & Transition Program.
Lumus Imaging Partnership
The RLPA understands the immense physical toll that professional rugby league players endure and the impact this can leave long into retirement. Getting support for an old injury, or even a new issue, can sometimes be overwhelming and costly.
This is why we have commenced a new partnership with Lumus Imaging who offer a full range of imaging services, such as X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound, across 150 centres Australia-wide. Lumus have committed to predominantly bulk billed services.
Westfund Health Insurance Partnership
We are excited to announce we have formed a partnership with Westfund Health Insurance to bring Feel Good Cover to RLPA members of the Past Player & Transition Program.
The partnership gives past players a 5% discount on all premiums (which is equal to the discount provided to NRL clubs and their current players), as well as a sign-up bonus for new policies (currently 1 month free).
As a not-for-profit, Westfund offer low and competitive premiums, which means they are more affordable than many other providers (before any discount is taken into consideration).
