ACC Changes and their Impact

14 September 2011

ACC Changes and their Impact

Further to the combined press release from National Grey Power and The National Foundation for the Deaf earlier today we now provide a fact sheet with the history behind the law change and outline the full impact:

ACC changes and their impact

• July 1, 2010 - 6% Threshold introduced into the ACC Act with the following outcome:
• Claimant must have a total hearing loss of at least 6% before ACC will consider the claim
• Claimant must have at least 6% injury related hearing loss damage before the claim will be accepted.

January 1, 2011- Part-charges for rehabilitation costs introduced
• Up to 12.5% age threshold now being applied by ACC on top of the 6%
• ACC’s share of the costs is proportional to the percentage of hearing loss that is caused by injury
• Ministry of Health will contribute to non injury related costs
• Claimant pays the rest (many of our elderly cannot afford to do this).

The threshold

• Takes no account of individual need
• Eliminates people who need rehabilitation
• Forces medical assessors to evaluate clients according to a formula rather than merit.

The threshold is discriminatory

• No other injury has to meet a threshold before ACC will consider a claim
• Nowhere else in the world is such a threshold required to be met before disability rehabilitation can be given.

Part-charges

• Affects new claims as well as existing claims
• While ACC pays what it considers its “share” of the rehabilitation bill, the Ministry of Health contribution does not cover the rest
• Claimants are left having to find potentially thousands of dollars to contribute towards their rehabilitation
• Many people on limited incomes cannot afford this.

People who already have hearing aids and need them upgraded also have to find potentially thousands of dollars to make up the difference between what ACC and MoH pay and the upgrade price. If they cannot afford this they will go without.

The real cost to individuals who cannot afford to pay towards their rehabilitation is in:

• Social isolation – people avoid social gatherings because it is too hard to hear
• Stress, frustration and sometimes anger at not being able to hear well
• The impact on their family of the isolation and stress
• Loss of independence
• Depression.

We would truly value any support and assistance you can give to enable the voice of these affected people to be heard because until they are, this travesty will continue.

ENDS

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