Claimants Dissatisfied With ACC Case Management

2 May 2005

Claimants Dissatisfied With ACC Case Management

Dishonesty Following on from the written response of ACC Minister Ruth Dyson to questioning by Katherine Rich in Parliament, claimant support groups have been complaining about case managers falsifying records and covering up their deceptions for many years.

When staff falsify records it is surmised that this is done to deny claimants their just entitlements. Whether this is done to meet targets set by management, or to assist in the exiting of long term claimants is conjecture, but these actions place an often intolerable stress and burden on claimants and their families.

"Whether it be financial stress or just the feelings of total disempowerment by an uncaring system, the resulting stress causes deterioration on the fabric of the family and its social functioning." states Denise Powell, President of Acclaim Otago (Inc), a support group for injured people and their families.

To try and rectify this situation and attempt to correct false information normally takes expensive legal involvement, clogging the court system and making the retention or regaining of entitlements a lottery which is often dependent on the expertise of the legal representation.

Claimants echo the cry for no tolerance and prosecution for any ACC employee or agent caught acting dishonestly. Once again we call for the petition that is currently before the house asking for an inquiry into ACC case management to be actioned. Once again we believe that the taxpayer needs to know what happens inside this huge money gathering organisation. Once again we call for an inquiry.

ENDS

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