Date: Fri, 26 May 2023 06:09:06 +0000 Subject: FW: Official Information request - Disability Allowance costs - rental equipment From: "OIA_Requests (MSD)" <[MSD request email]> To: "Correspondence (MSD)" <[email address]> Cc: "OIA_Requests (MSD)" <[MSD request email]> Hi James, Requestor is asking for a statements for questions one and two is Corre happy to respond to those parts of this request? 1 Please provide a statement or any other information to confirm, clarify or otherwise contradict the accuracy of what is stated on the below website under the heading “Rental equipment”. 2 Please provide a statement or any other information to confirm, clarify or otherwise contradict the accuracy of what is stated on the below website under the heading “Assistance available from Work and Income”, in particular regarding “Ongoing hireage of a breast pump”. We can look at OIA for questions Three, four and Five. Thanks Cee Celia Clarke | Senior Advisor | Official Information Ministerial & Executive Services | Ministry of Social Development The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, Wellington | PO Box 546, Wellington 6011 Email: [email address] Telephone: 0-4-9315003 (Internal Ext: 48003) -----Original Message----- From: Hazel Frangipani <[FYI request #22908 email]> Sent: Thursday, 25 May 2023 1:19 pm To: OIA_Requests (MSD) <[MSD request email]> Subject: Official Information request - Disability Allowance costs - rental equipment Dear Ministry of Social Development, Request for Official Information 1. Please provide a statement or any other information to confirm, clarify or otherwise contradict the accuracy of what is stated on the below website under the heading “Rental equipment”. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workandincome.govt.nz%2Fmap%2Fincome-support%2Fextra-help%2Fdisability-allowance%2Frental-equipment-01.html&data=05%7C01%7COIA_Requests%40msd.govt.nz%7C061b554e68b1480ed8ee08db5dafb64f%7Ce40c4f5299bd4d4fbf7ed001a2ca6556%7C0%7C0%7C638206781480607359%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=YcY3l95mvw3%2FqfFozw4NVwKFnt4kbgh02Tht%2BJ2m3hc%3D&reserved=0 ---quote begins--- Rental equipment Disability Allowance can be paid for necessary rental equipment when the client: • has a need for the item or service but cannot receive funding through the District Health Board or another state funded agency and • their life or health would be put at risk, or their disability aggravated if they could not hire the equipment because the expense was not included in their Disability Allowance ---quote ends--- 2. Please provide a statement or any other information to confirm, clarify or otherwise contradict the accuracy of what is stated on the below website under the heading “Assistance available from Work and Income”, in particular regarding “Ongoing hireage of a breast pump”. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.health.govt.nz%2Four-work%2Flife-stages%2Fbreastfeeding%2Fhealth-practitioners%2Fwork-and-income-assistance-available-buying-or-hiring-breast-pumps&data=05%7C01%7COIA_Requests%40msd.govt.nz%7C061b554e68b1480ed8ee08db5dafb64f%7Ce40c4f5299bd4d4fbf7ed001a2ca6556%7C0%7C0%7C638206781480607359%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RBhfUfs0dCj6I%2BuKNmQvH4jvYPVxqdG7s4rI88rmBWM%3D&reserved=0 ---quote begins--- Ongoing hireage of a breast pump If the mother or child has an ongoing disability and requires a breast pump in order to provide breast milk for the child the cost of the ongoing hire of a breast pump may be included in the calculation for: • Disability Allowance • Temporary Additional Support, if the applicant is already receiving Disability Allowance and if the applicants ongoing disability costs exceed the maximum rate of Disability Allowance. ---quote ends--- If the information referred to above (1 and 2) is ostensibly correct: 3. Please confirm if any Work and Income client has ever had the ongoing hireage of a breast pump included in the calculation for their Disability Allowance, where their personal circumstances fulfilled the necessary criteria. 4. Please provide data (for the most recent period available) across 10 years showing the total number of clients who have had “ongoing hireage of a breast pump” included in the calculation for their Disability Allowance; or failing that, had “rental equipment” included in the calculation for their Disability Allowance. Finally… 5. Please provide any other relevant information, policies, advice, and internal guidelines and communications, regarding accepting or declining “ongoing hireage of a breast pump” as an allowable cost for Disability Allowance, particularly any considerations by internal specialist Health and Disability Advisors. Yours faithfully, Hazel Frangipani ------------------------------------------------------------------- This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website. Please use this email address for all replies to this request: [FYI request #22908 email] Is [MSD request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry of Social Development? If so, please contact us using this form: https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffyi.org.nz%2Fchange_request%2Fnew%3Fbody%3Dmsd&data=05%7C01%7COIA_Requests%40msd.govt.nz%7C061b554e68b1480ed8ee08db5dafb64f%7Ce40c4f5299bd4d4fbf7ed001a2ca6556%7C0%7C0%7C638206781480607359%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WvuZVctUfBRMCOq8Mt41d96su4oAn0LHXd6skjbpVic%3D&reserved=0 Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. 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