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ACC at 50: A uniquely Kiwi scheme
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I never thought about it like that. Sickness v accidents...
Yeah it's really stark too. If you're seriously hurt in an accident you get all these specialists helping you, treatment, equipment, even compensation for lost wages.
If you're seriously hurt by an illness you don't get any of it. I've had both and it was hard to believe it was the same health system.
I've got friends who son is 'deaf' but it's neurological rather than an actual hearing issue (or something equally quirky), so they've got nothing from ACC without a massive fight. (There's a lawyer in the family, so not sure how it worked out in the end...)
Deaf people don't qualify for ACC anyway unless it was caused by an accident, so were they having to prove an accident caused him neurological damage? That does sound like the kind of thing ACC like to try to squirm out of.
Te Whatu Ora have this rule where disabled people don't qualify for disability funding if the disability is due to a long term illness. It's really bizarre.
I'm not sure, unfortunately...
I got the impression if there was something 'mechanical' wrong with the ear (or similar) that there was support, but not for what's essentially a neurological issue (in their situation)...
It's probably more that it's difficult to prove something damaged his hearing if it's not mechanical. ACC cover hearing damage, but not congenital hearing loss or Meniere's disease, etc.
ACC draw a very hard line. For example if you dislocate your shoulder in an accident they pay for it to be fixed but if they think it dislocated due to, say, rheumatoid arthritis or EDS then you are not covered.