ACC's $250 compo for breaches 'pathetic' - victim

An article from the Dominion Post by Phil Kitchin

ACC has sent letters of apology to rape and incest victims whose privacy was breached – offering them $250 if they agree to stay silent.
The breach exposed by the Bronwyn Pullar scandal in March included names and details of 6500 ACC claimants and 250 sensitive-claims clients who are victims of sexual abuse and violent crimes.
"When I got the letter and offer I just thought it was pathetic," one sensitive claims client said yesterday. "I just wanted to vomit. It's another slap in the face after all the things they've done."
The woman said it was a sick irony that ACC wanted confidentiality agreements when it was its own sloppy breach of confidentiality that caused the scandal in the first place.
The four-page letter from ACC privacy officer Miriama Henderson says: "We deeply regret that on this occasion we failed to provide the level of service you could rightly expect from us and wish to ensure you receive appropriate remedy for what happened."
It asks the clients for their bank account details and says an "integral element" of accepting the $250 is that the clients agree to "maintain the strictest confidentiality about the terms of the agreement and settlement of all aspects of it".
ACC said it was offering the money because the breach involved details of the clients being in the sensitive claims unit and that may have caused distress. It finished by saying ACC "has your best interests at heart" and was committed to moving forward positively "following this regrettable incident".
But the letters have drawn fire from several ACC clients in internet discussions and from the woman who provided a copy of her letter to The Dominion Post. Several have said they will not sign a secrecy agreement with ACC.
The sensitive claims unit client said ACC repeatedly breached name suppression in the privacy breach by sending names and details of sexual-violence victims to at least 50 ACC staff who should not have received them. Her letter from ACC says the corporation now removes the names of clients from spreadsheets before sending them out.
"After all the bullying, revictimising, disentitlement and waiting to go to court [to challenge ACC's decision to cut off her claim], they won't be having my signature," the woman said.
"Strictest confidentiality. They'd need a lawyer to explain the definition of that to them."

© 2012 Fairfax NZ News

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/7175176/ACCs-250-compo-for-breaches-pathetic-victim