ACC Performance Success Disputed

PRESS RELEASE
Acclaim Otago and Acclaim Canterbury

Earlier this week the Accident Compensation Corporation's Chief Executive Officer, Garry Wilson, said the ACC scheme had "performed well" with improved processes benefiting both claimants and providers to ACC alike.

However claimants tell a different story. To start with there was David Caygill's speech, complete with graph in 2002, in which he fairly crowed about the success being made in reducing "the tail" from 30,000 to 15,000 mostly by virtue of the work capacity testing procedure. Then there were the documents obtained last year by the Sunday Star Times which listed every ACC Branch's KPIs - (Key Performance Indicators) and the nationwide ACC branch "EXIT Targets" from 2000 to 2003. These add weight to the evidence of a scheme that is denying claimants their legal entitlements whilst continuing to increase its investments.

All claimants are entitled to rehabilitation, the current act says so. It also says claimants with cover are entitled to treatment, must be rehabilitated to the maximum practicable extent and must be assessed to identify the needs and levels of social and vocational rehabilitation entitlements. It also says, that only those funds not immediately required for rehabilitation, may be invested.

What Mr Wilson failed to mention in the press release was the huge push that has been going on for the last several years to "EXIT" claimants (otherwise known as stock), thereby reducing the on-going costs and liabilities of the scheme. "This is clearly evident with information coming through from Acclaim support groups around the country" said an Acclaim spokesperson. Claimants are not receiving their rights under the current policy and it could be said that people's rehabilitation and well being is taking a back seat to the almighty dollar and profits.

The big question now is: To what purpose will ACC and Gary Wilson now put the surplus $273,000,000?

ENDS

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