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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

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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.

While the Minister considers all correspondence to be important and all
messages are carefully read and considered, it is not possible to provide
a personal response to every email received.

Invitations and meeting requests will be processed as soon as possible and
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Where the Minister has portfolio responsibility for the issues that you
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may be transferred to another office for consideration.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

   

(Please note that this acknowledgement is an automatically generated
email.)

 

Nāku noa, nā

Office of Hon Peeni Henare

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From: Hon Peeni Henare


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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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Email disclaimer:

Please note information about meetings related to the Minister’s
portfolios will be proactively released (this does not include personal or
constituency matters). For each meeting in scope, the summary would list:
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
private residence. The proactive release will be consistent with the
provisions in the Official Information Act, including privacy
considerations. Under the Privacy Act 1993 you have the right to ask for a
copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to
be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of
your information, or to have it corrected, or are concerned about the
release of your information in the meeting disclosure, please contact the
sender. You can read more about the proactive release policy at
[2]https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: AS Van Wey <[FOI #24373 email]>
Sent: Monday, 9 October 2023 5:08 PM
To: P Henare (MIN) <[Peeni Henare request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - ACC funded advocates

 

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

 

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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

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[3][FOI #24373 email]

 

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From: Government Services


Attachment GOV 028323 RESPONSE.pdf
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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.

If you are having trouble viewing the PDF, please ensure you have the
latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download this freeware please
click [3]here. 

 

Ngâ mihi

Sara Freitag (she/her)
Acting Manager | OIA Services

' 027 973 7330
* PO Box 242, Wellington 6011

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