ACC funded advocates
AS Van Wey (Account suspended) made this Official Information request to Peeni Henare
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From: AS Van Wey (Account suspended)
Dear Hon Peeni Henare,
I am writing to you regarding the ACC and MBIE Briefing Paper: update on the response to the Miriam Dean Review and next phase of work to improve disputes performance 12 December 2018). You were the Associate Minister for ACC named on that briefing.
This briefing paper specifically states the following.
At p 5, para 10(b):
Finish implementing the remaining Miriam Dean work - procuring a Navigation Service that will advocate on behalf of ACC claimants. This will be followed by an evaluation after two years of operation in order to ensure the service is achieving good outcomes for clients.
At p 11:Procurement of the Navigation Service
44. ACC is finalising the model for the Navigation Service, which will be complementary to independent review provider services. A competitive tender process is planned to commence by the end of 2018. We expect the Navigation Service to be up and running in 2018/19 and see about 4,000 claimants per year, approximately four times the current number of claimants accessing ACC-funded advocacy services. The service will have a focus on accessibility to people of diverse cultural backgrounds, particularly Māori claimants, as well as people with different abilities and needs. The tender process will be aligned with the tender process for independent dispute resolution services.
At p 15, last para: Access to representation
ACC is funding a free independent navigation service to support claimants to dispute or review a decision. The service will be capable of advocating for claimants’ interests; assisting them to raise complaints or disputes where appropriate, and supporting them to prepare effectively for a review hearing if required.
These changes were a response to the INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE ACCLAIM OTAGO (INC) JULY 2015 REPORT INTOACCIDENT COMPENSATION DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESSES. The consolidation recommendation (p 5) included:
Access to representation
A CC consider: - increasing funding to existing free advocacy services- funding a free nationwide advocacy service modelled broadly on the Health and Disability Commission Advocacy Service which provided recommendations, such as described below:...
19. Improvements Advocacy services: There is an urgent need for more ACC-funded independent advocacy services to help claimants steer their way through the dispute process. Broadly, consideration could be given to:
providing more funding to existing free advocacy services so they can expand
encouraging organisations with relevant or related expertise to provide advocacy services
giving greater (and correctly placed) prominence on ACC’s website to organisations offering advocacy services, including details about the services they offer and how to contact them.
The review – like many interviewees – considers the Health and Disability Commission Advocacy Service provides a valuable template with a nationwide service. The Act provides – and clearly intended – that ACC support claimants via ACC-funded advocacy
services. An expansion of such services would give claimants the support and assistance they need. An ACC-funded nationwide advocacy service would be a tangible demonstration of ACC’s new vision and values(to be “customer focused” and put people before process”). At the same time, ACC is likely to benefit: good advocates are more likely to give claimants realistic advice and work co-operatively to resolve disputes.
My first question is whether ACC is actually funding free advocacy services for claimants, as described in these reports. That is to say, that ACC is funding free advocacy services, where the advocate will assist a claimant in preparing for a review and advocate for the client prior to a review and during a review.
If so, I request the response from ACC to you or MBIE that ACC funding free advocate services to claimants.
If ACC is funding free advocacy services for claimants, please provide a list of service providers who are contracted to ACC to provide free advocacy for claimants. A reference to publicly available information would suffice.
Who is responsible at the Ministry of ACC ensure that the funds ACC has allocated for "free advocacy services" for claimants are actually going to agencies who provide "free advocacy services"?
Who is responsible at the Ministry of ACC to review the contracts between ACC and the "navigation services" or "free advocacy services" to ensure that the contract includes "advocacy" as one of the services provided by those contractors and a definition of what advocacy means?
If it is the Ministry of ACC's position that ACC has contracted the "navigation services" to provide "free advocacy services", please provide the evidence that your office has received that shows the contracts between ACC and these "navigation services" providers include a clause for advocacy and a definition of advocacy services. Please provide all other information which informs your response, as well as the steps taken to ensure that the information you are relying upon is complete, accurate and not misleading.
Thank you for your assistance.
Yours faithfully,
AS Van Wey
From: P Henare (MIN)
Peeni Henare
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for contacting the office of Hon Peeni Henare - MP for Tāmaki
Makaurau, Minister for ACC, Minister of Forestry, Minister of
Tourism, Minister for Veterans, Minister for Whānau Ora, Associate
Minister for the Environment, and Associate Minister of Health.
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Nāku noa, nā
Office of Hon Peeni Henare
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From: Hon Peeni Henare
Kia ora,
On behalf of Hon Peeni Henare thank you for your request for official
information below.
Your request asks for information which is not held by this Office, but is
believed to be held by ACC. For this reason, my office has decided to
transfer your request to ACC under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can
expect a response from ACC in due course.
Thank you for writing.
Ngā mihi,
Office of Hon Peeni Henare
Minister for ACC
Minister of Forestry
Minister of Tourism
Minister for Veterans
Minister for Whānau Ora
Associate Minister for the Environment
Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health)
Private Bag 18041 | Wellington 6160
P: 64 (4) 817 9323
Authorised by Hon Peeni Henare, Wellington
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date, time (start and finish), brief description, location, who the
meeting was with, and the portfolio. If you attend a meeting with the
Minister on behalf of an organisation, the name of the organisation will
be released. If you are a senior staff member at an organisation, or meet
with the Minister in your personal capacity, your name may also be
released. The location of the meeting will be released, unless it is a
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From: Government Services
Kia ora AS
Please find attached our response to your official information request
dated 11 October 2023. If you have any questions about the response you
can contact us at this [1]address, for all other matters please use our
contact form at: [2]https://www.acc.co.nz/contact/ alternatively give us a
call on 0800 101 996.
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Ngâ mihi
Sara Freitag (she/her)
Acting Manager | OIA Services
' 027 973 7330
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