Dear Accident Compensation Corporation,

I am writing to request the Official Information listed within my letter today with respect to the Corporation's Return to Independence Service Units/program/policy and refer you to the following documents;

1. Phil Riley'sExecutive Leadership Team Issues Paper dated 16 February 2019, subject titled "Strategy for the Future Management of Long-term Claims", also referred to as the Riley Report.

2. The Office of the Auditor General's review released October 2014 titled"Accident Compensation Corporation: Using a case management approach to rehabilitation" (OIA Report)

Background

The Riley Report confirmed that the Corporation commenced the implementation of a strategic program that focused Tactical Initiatives through until 30 June 2009 that involved the following practice by the corporation as quoted from Page 5 of the Riley Report;

Tactical initiatives - now to 30 June 2009

6.3 A transitional service is currently being implemented. This service will utilise approximately 30 existing staff to focus on claims at 5 year duration (in consideration of the liability impact). These files are being selected against a set of high cost criteria (e.g. those claims receiving more than $600 weekly compensation per week) to enhance the impact of outcomes achieved.

That meant that initially certain claimants on claim for over 1824 days and had weekly compensation entitlement to over $600 per week were targeted.

The Riley Report went on to then set the new entry threshold for the RIS steam as 3 years being 1095 days on weekly compensation, a reduction of 729.

A further 180 days had been shaved off by ACC between the inception of the Riley Report Tacticial Paper/Strategy, meaning that at the time the Auditor General reviewed the Corporation the entry threshold for the RIS stream had reduced to 915 days which for all intensive purposes equates to 2 1/2 years at which point claimants having received workers compensation for this period and who were not streamed through the NSIS, and possible selected other schemes, were placed in the RIS Unit.

At the time of the OAG's review the Auditor General had been advised that the ACC was looking at reducing the entry level to the RIS stream to 365 days as quoted from the Auditor General's review;

1.16 At the time of our audit, ACC had plans to reduce the entry threshold for the RIS stream to 365 days. This could mean that people in this stream get earlier focused support and that ACC could better manage the long-term cost of some of their claims. 1.17 Serious Injury Service (pg 8)

At the time of the Auditor General's review, the Auditor General noted that not all branches had local access to a RIS Unit in branch and this role was handled by other branches for claimants that become streamed through RIS. Of the seven branches named on page 25 of the Auditor General's review, Porirua, Henderson and Greymouth
did not manage RIS claimants/claims, which were therefore managed by other offices.

Requested information under the Official Information Act 1982;

It would be appreciated if the Corporation /Government Services will supply copies of the following information;

1. The official documentation recommending to the Corporations Management that the Corporation proposed to reduce RIS entry case streaming criteria from 915 days to 365 days for claimants receiving weekly compensation, and the business case model associated with the change similar to the information contained in the Riley Report.

2. The Official documentation that the ACC management signed in approving the reduction from 915 days to 365 receiving weekly compensation for claimants to be streamed into the RIS claims management stream, which includes the date that the 365 days on claim receiving weekly entitlement was signed off together with the date it became ACC internal policy.

3. The weekly compensation level that ACC internal procedure/policy used to target the entry of the RIS claims management service between the period 14 February 2014 and 30 April 2014, and if the monetary limit changed during the period, and is so to what monetary limit applied then.

4. Please confirm what the number of days a claimant receiving weekly entitlements over $600 per week, had to have been on claim for between the 14th February 2014 and 31 April 2014 before they became streamed through ACC's RIS case management streaming.

5. Please provide the internal official information confirming as to when the Henderson Branch of ACC began providing local in house RIS case management and when the ACC Henderson Branch formed a local RIS unit within ACC's physical premise in Lincoln Road Henderson.

6. Please confirm under the Official Information Act whether if an individual who has been case streamed through the RIS stream, who requested their full case notes and acc case file under the Privacy Act 1993, is statutorily eligible under the Health Information Privacy Code 1994, and the Privacy Act 1993 to receive the following personal, health and were relevant official information associated with their claims and complaint management files;

dual management list, spreadsheets, or allocation lists in which the claimant has been named in so that the claimant can be aware of the criteria that have lead to a specific course of action so the claimant can be aware and if needed have the ability to challenge the decision.

emails between ACC staff arranging to meet to discuss claims information about the claimant so that the claimant is fully informed

the transfer emails/communications to and from Recover Information Services Teams providing ACC's reason for the transfer that the claimant can challenge if they feel that they have been prejudiced.

team manager and technical claims support advice that the case manager has requested help with so that the claimant remains fully informed of the decision making process and who was responsibly and thus accountable for the decision and for the claimant to correctly address their communication to if not satisfied.

the lists of claims for panels.

the psychological profiling that has been conducted by an ACC Branch Psychological Advisor on the claimant so that the individual has an informed knowledge and can respond to the profiling and challenge the branch psychological advisors opinions if the claimant does not agree with the psychologists, since quite often the BAP conducts the profiling without having consulted or spoken with the claimant.

requests to and from ACC and treatment providers about claim details, treatment, rehabilitation so that the claimant remains fully informed, especially since ACC often communicates with the treatment provider about what acc require.

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.

I thank you for your time and assistance.

Yours faithfully,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thank you for your correspondence dated 7th and 16th December 2016 responding to my specific and independant OIA requests of 9 November 2016, and follow up annotation of 10 November 2016, correcting my earlier incorrect reference to the date of the "Riley Report" as being dated 16 February 2019, for which I subsequently corrected to the 16 February 2009 which can be found at https://fyi.org.nz/request/4922-request-...

I am looking forward to receiving this specific official information by the end of business close today, being the 6 March 2017, in line with the OIA section 15 (1) (a) and (b) extension ACC Government Services advised on 7th December 2016 to allow for ACC Government Services to the supply to me the official information requested in my specific OIA request of 9 November 2016 through the FYI website at https://fyi.org.nz/request/4922-request-...

As per my original OIA request of 9 November 2016, and subsequent annotation (correction) of the 10 November 2016, 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.

I thank you for your time and assistance.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson