Dear Accident Compensation Corporation,

I have just received notification of an earlier www.fyi.org.nz OIA request to ACC on 13 October 2020 titled "Request for information about RCU" from another David Lawson, not myself, in which Mr Lawson seeks information about the Remote Claims Unit (RCU) that operates within ACC's operating model/structure.

Having read Mr Lawson's referred OIA request, it got me wondering as to whether ACC provide prior notification, or notification upon transferring an ACC client to ACC's Remote Claims Unit to the ACC client who has been transferred to the RCU, and furthermore if ACC provide to such ACC client's the reasons for the ACC client's change in case management structure and also whether ACC provide affected ACC clients the right to have ACC's decision to transfer them to the RCU reviewed prior to transfer, and if so how this is communicated and if not the reasons why this is not the case.

I therefore respectfully request the provision of the following official information from the Accident Compensation Corporation;

Official Information request 1:

(a) Please confirm whether ACC provide prior written notice to an ACC client before ACC transfer the ACC client to ACC's RCU.

(b) If the answer to Official Information Request 1 (a) above is yes, please supply copies of ACC's current policy and process associated with transferring an ACC client to the RCU, and any earlier iterations dating back to 2014.

(c) If the answer to Official Information Request 1 (a) above is yes, please supply copies of the current standard ACC letter that notifies an ACC client that they have been transferred to ACC's RCU, and any earlier iterations dating back to 2014.

(d) If the answer to Official Information Request 1 (a) above is no please confirm why this is not the case.

Official Information request 2:

(a) If no prior notice is given to an ACC client, please confirm whether ACC provide written notice to an ACC client after ACC transfer the ACC client to ACC's RCU.

(b) If the answer to Official Information Request 2 (a) above is yes, please supply copies of ACC's current policy and process associated with transferring an ACC client to the RCU, and any earlier iterations dating back to 2014.

(c) If the answer to Official Information Request 2 (a) above is yes, please supply copies of the current standard ACC letter that notifies an ACC client that they have been transferred to ACC's RCU, and any earlier iterations dating back to 2014.

If the answer to Official Information Request 2 (a) above is no please confirm why this is not the case.

Official Information Request 3:

(a) Please confirm whether an ACC client is informed of the reasons that they have been transferred to the ACC RCU,

(b) if the answer to OIA Request 3 (a) above is yes, within what time frame are ACC's reasons for transferring an ACC client to the ACC RCU required to have been communicated to the ACC client who has been transferred to the ACC RCU

(c) If the answer to Official Information Request 3 (a) above is no please confirm why this is not the case.

Official Information Request 4

(a) Please confirm whether ACC provide an ACC client with a right of review, and or appeal before ACC transfer an ACC client to the ACC RCU.

(b) If the answer to Official Information Request 4 (a) is no, please provide confirmation as to whether prior to or at anytime subsequent to ACC commencing the operation of the ACC RCU, as to whether ACC had sought and received any legal advice and or legal opinion as to whether the practices associated with ACC's use of a RCU do not breach the ACC client's rights under the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990, the NZ Human Rights Act 1993, or any other International Human Rights convention which NZ is a party to.

(c) If the answers to Official Information Requests 4 (a) and or 4(b) are no please confirm why this is not the case.

Official Information Request 5

Please provide for the last 10 ACC business calendar years the following Official Information if possible, separating the data into seperate fields for both the Wellington Central Branch(WCB) and the ACC Remote Claims Unit (RCU);

(a) How many ACC clients have been transferred to either ACC's Wellington Central Branch, or the ACC RCU each calendar year.

(b) of those ACC clients transferred to either ACC's Wellington Central Branch, or the ACC RCU for each calendar year have never lodged a complaint to ACC.

(c) of those ACC clients transferred to either ACC's Wellington Central Branch, or the ACC RCU for each calendar year have never lodged a review challenging an ACC decision.

(d) of those ACC clients transferred to either ACC's Wellington Central Branch, or the ACC RCU for each calendar year have never lodged a appeal of a Reviewers decision to the District Court of of an ACC decision.

Official Information Request 6

(a) In comparison to the standard case management and communication levels offered by ACC to an ACC client, please confirm what communication and case management service restrictions an ACC claimant is subjected to when ACC move the ACC client to the Wellington Central Branch.

In comparison to the standard case management and communication levels offered by ACC to an ACC client, please confirm what communication and case management service restrictions an ACC claimant is subjected to when ACC move the ACC client to the Remote Claims Unit.

In comparison to the case management and communication levels offered by ACC to an ACC client at ACC Wellington Central. Branch, please confirm what further communication and case management service restrictions an ACC client is subjected to when ACC move the ACC client to the Remote Claims Unit from the WCB.

I confirm that under s16(2) of the Official Information Act, my preferred way of receiving a response is by email to the address from which ACC received the original request, not by post.

Kind regards,

Mr David Lawson