23 June 2023
Hazel Frangipani
[FYI request #22908 email]
(FYI website)
Tēnā koe Hazel Frangipani
On 25 May 2023
, you emailed the Ministry of Social Development (the
Ministry) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the
following information:
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%2
Fwww.workandincome.govt.nz%2Fmap%2Fincome-support%2Fextra-
help%2Fdisability-allowance%2Frental-equipment-
01.html&data=05%7C01%7CEden.Brown016%40msd.govt.nz%7C8cf
41bafea6f4cefb07308db5fb840fc%7Ce40c4f5299bd4d4fbf7ed001a2ca
6556%7C0%7C0%7C638209017185485942%7CUnknown%7CTWFpb
GZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLC
JXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yATtVy0VpTxeQxR3eF
%2F6i%2FYxxp8tOsKlTfptVgYvBEY%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%2
Fwww.health.govt.nz%2Four-work%2Flife-
stages%2Fbreastfeeding%2Fhealth-practitioners%2Fwork-and-
income-assistance-available-buying-or-hiring-breast-
pumps&data=05%7C01%7CEden.Brown016%40msd.govt.nz%7C8cf4
1bafea6f4cefb07308db5fb840fc%7Ce40c4f5299bd4d4fbf7ed001a2ca6
556%7C0%7C0%7C638209017185485942%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbG
Zsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJ
XVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ho%2BgbBt7A%2Bp15
lCkuAbdvgJizaeBTXu8SCy4CGnycuI%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.
You will hear further from the Ministry’s Correspondence team regarding
questions 1 and 2 of your request, if you haven’t already.
Page 2 of 4
The Ministry will now respond to parts 3-5 of your request.
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.
The Ministry is unable to provide you with this information as it is held in
notes on individual case files. In order to provide you with this information,
Ministry staff would have to manually review thousands of files. As such, The
Ministry refuses your request under section 18(f) of the Act. The greater
public interest is in the effective and efficient administration of the public
service.
The Ministry has considered whether we would be able to respond to the
request given extra time or the ability to charge for the information
requested. The Ministry has concluded that in either case, the Ministry's
ability to undertake its work would still be prejudiced.
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.
Requests for the support of ongoing hireage of a breast-pump would be
assessed on a case-by-case basis, and a decision determined on the request
meeting benefit criteria. Where clinical guidance is required, this is sought
from and provided by the Regional Health and Disability team. The
assessment can also be referred to National Office for further clinical and
operational policy advice as needed. Please refer to the publicly available
information which outlines guidance when assessing these costs, here:
www.workandincome.govt.nz/map/income-support/extra-help/disability-
allowance/rental-equipment-01.html The principles and purposes of the Official Information Act 1982 under which
you made your request are:
• to create greater openness and transparency about the plans, work
and activities of the Government,
• to increase the ability of the public to participate in the making and
administration of our laws and policies and
Page 3 of 4
• to lead to greater accountability in the conduct of public affairs.
This Ministry fully supports those principles and purposes. The Ministry
therefore intends to make the information contained in this letter and any
attached documents available to the wider public. The Ministry will do this by
publishing this letter on the Ministry’s website. Your personal details will be
deleted, and the Ministry will not publish any information that would identify
you as the person who requested the information.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email].
If you are not satisfied with this response regarding hireage of breast-pumps
through disability allowance, you have the right to seek an investigation and
review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is
available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui
Bridget Saunders
Manager
Issues Resolution
Service Delivery
Page 4 of 4
