Medical Treatment and Advance Care Directives

If you are concerned about an advance care directive or a medical treatment decision made by either the medical treatment decision maker or the person who made the appointment, apply to VCAT.

What we can do

  • Decide the validity of an advance care directive.
  • Review a medical treatment decision, including the appointment of a medical treatment decision maker or support person.
  • Provide advice or direction to a medical treatment decision maker or health practitioner about an advance care directive or someone's medical treatment.
  • Review a decision about a medical research procedure.

Cases we can't help with

We can’t accept:

  • some cases where one party lives in another state or is a Commonwealth government organisation
  • cases heard under federal law instead of Victorian law.

Choose the type of application that applies to you

Seek advice about medical treatment for someone

As a person’s medical treatment decision maker or health practitioner, get advice from VCAT about whether medical treatment is appropriate for a person.

Challenge a medical treatment decision

We can make a decision about the authority of a medical treatment decision maker or support person.

Review of an advance care directive

We can review the validity, cancellation, amendment or meaning of an advance care directive.

Challenge a decision about a medical research procedure

Apply to have VCAT decide on whether a medical research procedure is appropriate for someone.