Legitimate ACC claims delayed in the courts

John Key’s Government is forcing accident victims to go to the courts to get ACC support where justice is delayed – often for years, said the Green Party yesterday.

“This Government has been deliberately undermining ACC and is making it harder and harder for accident victims to get support. Victims are forced to go to the courts where their cases can languish for years,” said Kevin Hague, Green Party ACC spokesperson.

Figures obtained by the Green Party show a huge backlog of ACC appeal cases awaiting hearing before the District Court.

At the end of last year, there were 829 ACC appeals that had been in the court system for longer than six months without being decided. Over a hundred of these had been before the District Court for more than three years without a decision being issued.

“Some of the claimants with cases under appeal have had all support stopped and are totally reliant on their families for help. It is not acceptable that they are left in legal limbo, in some instances for years, and are therefore unable to get support.

Last year, there were 899 appeals against ACC review decisions filed in the District Court, but the Court managed to decide only 239 cases over that period. Approximately 40% of ACC decisions are overturned at the District Court.

“The high level of successful appeals shows that it is more than likely that there are hundreds of accident victims who are entitled to support who are currently being denied it while their cases languish in the court system.

“John Key’s Government needs to stop cost cutting and denying accident victims surgery. The Government also need to resource the courts so they can ensure accident victims get the support they deserve,” said Mr Hague.

“There is no financial crisis in ACC. It is now abundantly clear that a ‘crisis’ was manufactured by the Government to undermine and privatise ACC. There is no excuse for cutting support to accident victims.”

Questions for written answer

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/f/7/b/QWA_00402_2011-402-2011-Kevin-Hague-to-the-Minister-for-ACC.htm
http://ourhouse.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/8/8/1/QWA_00404_2011-404-2011-Kevin-Hague-to-the-Minister-for-ACC.htm
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/0/b/b/QWA_00406_2011-406-2011-Kevin-Hague-to-the-Minister-for-Courts.htm
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/1/b/6/QWA_00411_2011-411-2011-Kevin-Hague-to-the-Minister-for-Courts.htm
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/9/8/e/QWA_35864_2010-35864-2010-Hon-David-Parker-to-the-Minister-for-ACC.htm
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/d/a/f/QWA_37616_2010-37616-2010-Hon-David-Parker-to-the-Minister-for-ACC.htm