Unprecedented demand from sex abuse victims for ACC support: 'It makes you want to cry'

A news report from RNZ by Hamish Cardwell

There has been an almost 400 percent increase in unsuccessful attempts by sex abuse victims to get mental health support through ACC over the past 15 months.
In that time survivors have tried more than 10,000 times to get help but were rejected.
Those who manage to secure a booking face waitlist times that have more than doubled.
ACC says it comes down to a lack of capacity among its sensitive claims mental health service suppliers.

Services at capacity - 'It's so disheartening'
Earlier this year Wellington woman Cassandra Saunders made the tough decision to seek mental health treatment for historical sexual abuse.
She contacted every mental health supplier and multiple individual therapists on ACC's accredited list for the capital - dozens and dozens in all - and got rejection after rejection.
"[They said] 'no we don't have space, no we don't have anything'. It makes you want to cry because it's just so disheartening knowing that even if you want help there's no one out there that can because their load's already too big."
Saunders said it looked like her best option was on a waitlist for an appointment up to a year away, or sooner at a different provider if she was willing to have a trainee psychologist sit in.
She did finally manage to wrangle an appointment - though lockdown put paid to it.
Wellington Rape Crisis general manager Kyla Rayner said demand was unprecedented.
"It's at the highest that we've ever seen in the history of our organisation. I've been in this role five years and the agency itself has been around over 40." 

Grim stats show system 'failing' survivors
ACC's national waitlist figures indicate that failed attempts by sex abuse survivors to get mental health help increased by 387 percent and reaching 4131 in the most recent quarter from 847, 15 months ago.
Sexual assault survivors' calls to suppliers to try and get mental health support were rejected more than 10,000 times in the past 12 months due to lack of capacity.
Many sensitive claim mental health support suppliers simply do not have room on their books to take more people on.
In fact, referrals were declined 2.8 times more often than clients were actually placed onto waitlists.
Weighted average national wait times have more than doubled in a year to more than 9 weeks, from 4.3 weeks.
Waitlist times are far longer in some places. In the three months to May average waitlist times stretched up to 25 weeks in Lower Hutt, 22 in Nelson, and 20 in Masterton.
The size of waitlists have also grown. The number of spots claimed by people has more than doubled, up 124 percent in the past 15 months - from 656 to 1473.
Green Party ACC spokesperson Jan Logie said delays compound the harm to survivors.
"Flashbacks, nightmares, terrors, really struggling to keep functioning.
"And to get to that point and then [survivors having] to make call after call after call to [suppliers and they say] 'sorry ... can't help'.
"It's an absolute failure of our system." 

ACC has doubled therapist numbers, but demand skyrocketing
ACC said the figures are a snapshot provided by services as part of a quarterly survey, and do not include people who get immediate treatment and avoid waitlists altogether.
Only a third of suppliers offer a waitlist.
The numbers also represent attempts to get access to services, not individual cases, and people likely make many attempts for support from multiple providers.
ACC said annual sensitive claims have more than doubled in five years to nearly 13,000, jumping 20 percent each year since 2014.
It has more than doubled the number of sensitive claims therapists in that time to 1990, with nearly 500 coming onboard in the past three years. It has also made it easier and faster for suppliers to bring on new therapists.
Despite all this, ACC said it has not been able to close the gap between supply and demand.
"Media coverage, the #metoo movement, the Royal Commission of Inquiry in Abuse in Care investigation, societal trends, and awareness-raising prevention campaigns are changing attitudes towards sexual violence, which we believe is resulting in more survivors of sexual violence feeling they can seek help."
Rayner from Rape Crisis said while New Zealand has high rates of sexual and domestic abuse, attitudes have also changed.
"In some ways it's kind of positive to see that so many people are coming forward because that's the reality of the prevalence of this harm in our society. The problem is now we're trying to catch up."
But Logie said ACC has known about the problems for years and has simply failed to take responsibility.
College of Clinical Psychologists executive advisor Paul Skirrow said the increase in therapists touted by ACC might not tell the whole story.
The mental toll on clinicians from working with sexual assault survivors meant many only worked part time, he said.
"There's actually ACC guidance that says that you shouldn't spend more than 50 percent of your time doing this kind of work. So we're talking about a number there but that might be a very small number of appointments available that it might translate to."
ACC said all survivors were entitled to 14 hours of one-on-one therapy, and 40 hours of other support after an initial assessment while they were having their claim analysed for possible full, long-term cover.
Those in crisis could get support from the wider mental health system, it said.

Where to get help:
NZ Police
Victim Support 0800 842 846
Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00
Rape Prevention Education
Empowerment Trust
HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): be 04 801 6655 - 0
Safe to talk: a 24/7 confidential helpline for survivors, support people and those with harmful sexual behaviour: 0800044334.
Mosaic - Tiaki Tangata Peer support for males who have experienced trauma and sexual abuse: 0800 94 22 94
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

© 2021 Radio New Zealand

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/452523/unprecedented-demand-from-sex-abuse-victims-for-acc-support-it-makes-you-want-to-cry

Government considers ACC for sexual harassment victims

A news report from RNZ

The government is looking into whether it can extend ACC cover to victims of sexual harassment. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Justice, Jan Logie, is having informal discussions with Minister for ACC Iain Lees Galloway about widening the provisions.
Under current law, only people who have been sexually violated have access to fully funded ACC support. Mental stress from sexual harassment and bullying such as inappropriate comments is not included.
But Jan Logie's office said she was looking into how victims of sexual harassment can have access to the same support as those of sexual abuse.
A spokesperson said it was an issue that had been raised on a number of occasions with Ms Logie by members of the public.
Co-leader of the Green Party, Marama Davidson, supports the idea, saying the country needed to take sexual harassment seriously.
"It's come from a background, that actually in the workplace ordinary sexual harassment has probably been seen as just normal and just the way things are and may be even celebrated but Jan Logie's work is important to get an understanding that it causes harm," said Marama Davidson.

© 2018 Radio New Zealand

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/358817/government-considers-acc-for-sexual-harassment-victims

$1.4m funding boost for campus sexual violence prevention

An article from The Wireless by Susan Strongman

ACC will spend $1.4 million over the next four years to help prevent campus sexual violence, in a move that aims to help change the culture around sexual violence and consent in New Zealand.
The money will go towards implementing a three-year action plan for preventing and responding to sexual violence within tertiary communities.
The action plan was announced today by New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA) director Alistair Shaw.
It includes reviews of tertiary education institutions’ policies on sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention; enhancing reporting systems and support for students; and training and education programmes for residential assistants, staff, and students.
ACC’s violence injury prevention portfolio manager Mike McCarthy said 22 percent of ACC’s sensitive claims in the 2016/17 financial year were from those aged 18-24. A sensitive claim is for mental or physical injuries such as those caused by sexually violent acts. Last year ACC paid out $103 million on treatment and entitlements on sensitive claims, McCarthy said.
“Our goal is to support young adults so they can experience safe, healthy and respectful relationships.
“We see this partnership as a great opportunity for ACC to work with NZUSA and tertiary institutions. Sexual violence and consent is a wider issue for New Zealand. Changing the culture around it is challenging for all of us.”
The announcement was made at today’s launch of the In Our Own Words report, which looks at at the experiences of tertiary students with sexual violence, education, harassment, institutional support services and reporting pathways, ableism, racism and LGBTQIA+ discrimination.
The report was penned by Thursdays in Black National Coordinator Izzy O’Neill and findings were based on responses received by more than 1400 students.
According to the report, more than 80 per cent of those who answered the question said that they thought sexual violence in student communities was a problem. 53 percent of respondents said they had experienced some form of sexual assault themselves and 49 percent of respondents suspected that a friend had been sexually assaulted.
These numbers are strikingly similar to the results of a survey of psychology students at the University of Auckland in 1991 by Nicola Gavey, which found 52 percent of women had experienced some form of sexual victimisation.
“In Our Own Words confirms that sexual violence does occur in tertiary and student communities. Now, something must be done about it,” O’Neill said.
Read the full report here.

© 2017 Radio New Zealand

http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/1-4m-funding-boost-for-campus-sexual-violence-prevention

Months-long delays for rape victims' ACC support

A news report from Radio New Zealand by Sarah Robson

People who have been raped or sexually assaulted are sometimes having to wait months to access ACC-funded specialist support services.
Some counsellors and therapists in Auckland have lengthy waiting lists for appointments and others are not taking any new patients.
One woman, Jennifer*, was trying to find a new counsellor. She had gone through the process of reporting a historical rape and needed support. She started contacting people on ACC's list in the Auckland area.
"I found that there was roughly a two-month wait list, minimum, to see most counsellors. I mass-emailed many on the ACC list and many said that they were not taking on any new clients," she said.
"I found this quite distressing."
Through sheer luck and persistence, Jennifer has been able to find a new counsellor.
She said she was not impressed that she had been repeatedly told she would have to wait to get the help she needed.
"People who have been sexually assaulted often become suicidal or have other mental health issues. I found that a 60-day wait or longer to get funded counselling was very poor and not all survivors have the means to pay for a private counsellor."
HELP is an organisation that provides specialist support services to victims of sexual abuse and assault in Auckland. Executive director Kathryn McPhillips said, like other providers, it was facing delays for people trying to access its counselling or therapy services.
"That delay can be anywhere from a few weeks, up to six months, maybe even eight months at times," she said.
"Our crisis service provides support during that time, so people can ring in or they can have acute sessions with us if they need to, but yes, it can be months that people are waiting."
Ms McPhillips said victims were often reluctant to seek help until their situation became desperate.
"It's something people do usually when they've hit the wall, so when they feel like they're in crisis or they can't hold on anymore, or they really need this thing solved in their life, or the offender is coming out of prison. There's all sorts of things that trigger people to that point of needing help."
Part of the problem was changes made by ACC in November 2014, which reduced and removed barriers for people to access support after experiencing sexual violence, Ms McPhillips said. That led to an influx of people seeking help - without the necessary workforce there to cope.
"I think that people who were not able to access counselling before because it required some additional payment, once it was free then a whole lot of people were like, 'yes, I need some help, please help me now'.
"To be honest, services haven't been able to keep up with that demand."
Ms McPhillips said they needed more qualified staff, but they lacked the funding to do any specialist training themselves. However, the government had committed more resources to the sector which should help longer-term, she said.
Andrea Black from Rape Crisis said it was important that specialist support services for survivors of sexual assault and violence were adequately resourced.
"If you don't have enough people on the ground to provide that service, or enough resources to do that, it's really distressing.
"It's really upsetting for workers, for volunteers, for our skilled workers, but even more so for families who may have to wait for days or weeks to access a specialist support person," she said.
In a statement, ACC said it was aware of delays for counselling services in areas like Auckland, Dunedin and Rotorua, and was looking into why demand for services was greater than the number of providers. It said it was encouraging providers to employ more staff, and was working with professional organisations and tertiary institutions to boost the workforce.
ACC said its goal was to have no significant waiting period to accessing counselling and therapy services.
* Name has been changed

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/337261/months-long-delays-for-rape-victims-acc-support

© Radio New Zealand 2017

Counselling boost tipped for sex abuse victims

An article from Radio New Zealand News

Sexual abuse victims may get more government-funded counselling, ACC Minister Nikki Kaye says.
Victims of sexual abuse are currently offered up to 44 hours of therapy and support, but must be diagnosed with what's called a mental injury to qualify for more.
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye said there was a possibility that could change.
"If they want to go through a process, potentially around weekly compensation, everybody's been, you know, working to find the best possible process around that assessment," she said.
"This is a complicated area, you know we owe it to those victims to continue to work on it and see if we can improve it."
Ms Kaye said she would meet with people in the sector to see if any adjustments were needed.

© 2016 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/305132/counselling-boost-tipped-for-sex-abuse-victims

ACC overhauls sexual abuse care service

A news report from Radio New Zealand News by Michael Cropp

The Accident Compensation Corporation has overhauled its sensitive claims service, with its minister saying it made big mistakes in the way it dealt with victims of sexual assaults.
Before 2009, ACC accepted thousands of sensitive claims, but after changes to the system that number plummeted, and in 2011 just 135 claims were accepted.
Survivors' advocate Louise Nicholas said the impact when ACC clamped down on the numbers of claims it accepted was devastating and in some cases victims committed suicide. Support workers no longer wanted to be part of the system, she said.
"We lost hundreds upon hundreds of counsellors who refused to work in such an inhumane system," she said.
"We lost survivors, and I mean literally, lost survivors. So people just backed right off and said 'we don't want a part of this'."
Ms Nicholas had been a member of a panel that worked to overhaul what she said was a highly bureaucratic process which re-traumatised sexual assault survivors and denied them the help they needed. Many struggled with ACC forms asking them what kind of accident they had had - while constant assessments to qualify for assistance wore people down.

More support
Under the new service, that is set to change. There will be a support package for people who have suffered sexual abuse or assault, access to therapy is free and people are covered for longer. People are also able to enter and exit the system for support at any time. As well as the person who was sexually assaulted or abused, family and whānau are also able to seek help free of charge. The form, too, has changed to reflect the sensitivities of the situation.
ACC strategy manager for sexual violence, Emma Powell, said the changes required a big re-think of how ACC dealt with clients.
"It's a tailored response and a tailored approach, trying to put as much control back into the hands of our clients."
The client is able to choose who they see and if things were not working out the Sensitive Claims team would arrange an alternative.
"We talk about the fact that the counsellor-and-client relationship is critical to success, so if it's not working we need to offer ways that people can seek other supports," she said.
The public issues Chair for the NZ Association of Psychotherapists, Kyle MacDonald, worked with sensitive claims clients and helped advise ACC on the changes. He said the new system was much more sympathetic to a survivor's needs.
"I think that ACC have engaged really willingly in the process of recognising that actually the system wasn't working and that they needed to fix it," he said. "they have essentially redesigned a services which looks to address a lot of the concerns raised [in 2012]."
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye, said the old system was not working, and she wanted people to know it had changed.
"There's a lot of work to do, both around how do we prevent these things from happening, but then how do we make sure people are cared for right throughout government," she said.
The Minister said the changes were just the start of a much bigger process, which she hoped would provide better care for survivors and help prevent the violence from happening.

* If you, or someone you know, is affected by sexual violence you can find out more about these services at ACC Find Support site or call the ACC sensitive claims team on 0800 735 566.

© 2015 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/267591/acc-overhauls-sexual-abuse-care-service

Sexual violence counselling boost

A report from Radio New Zealand News

The Government has announced a $10 million funding boost in next month's budget for specialist sexual violence services.
Social development minister Paula Bennett says the increase will provide immediate stability for specialist services to help address current funding shortfalls. Ms Bennett says the sector requires extra resourcing, especially for making 24 hour, seven-days-a-week crisis call-out and emergency counselling services available. She says the money will be used to support frontline crisis-response and community-based treatment services, as well as male victims and those accessing medical and forensic services.
A Parliamentary inquiry is currently looking into the funding of specialist sexual violence services.
Ms Bennett says she couldn't wait for the outcome of the inquiry.
"The need is so great now, to be honest I'd done a lot of work on my cabinet and to get them to this point, there was no way I was going to delay them for another six months!
"I knew I had a shot of getting a bit of money in this year's budget so I was going to grab it with everything I had."
The Parliamentary inquiry has been told the sector is severely under-resourced and has lost about $6 million a year since changes to ACC in 2011 when it cut funding for sex abuse counselling.

Funding welcome
A rape prevention trust says the Government's funding boost will help stop the loss of trained staff from the sector.
Executive director of Rape Prevention Education, Kim McGregor says the sector has been underfunded for many decades. She says there's been a high level of burnout and it's been difficult to hold on to specialist trained staff.
Ms McGregor says the extra funding will help stabilise the sector in the short-term.

© Radio New Zealand 2014

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/242981/sexual-violence-counselling-boost

Govt questioned over ACC policy

A news report from Radio New Zealand News

Opposition parties are questioning how long the ACC Minister has known about a privacy waiver used by the corporation that has now been ruled by a court as too broad.
ACC Minister Judith Collins, questioned in Parliament, said she was told about the court decision on Friday and was not aware of the significance of the issue.
But Labour and the Greens say Ms Collins has known about the issue for years, as it was raised in a report about a privacy breach 18 months ago.
Green MP Kevin Hague said after serious privacy breaches by ACC in the past, Ms Collins made public confidence in the corporation a ministerial concern.
Labour's ACC spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway said it was implausible Ms Collins heard of the issue only last week.
"It was in the review of the Bronwyn Pullar case that issues with this form were first identified. In fact, there were media articles about this late last year as well. It's implausible the minister only heard of this issue last week."
In August 2011, details of more than 6000 ACC clients were mistakenly sent to Auckland claimant Bronwyn Pullar, resulting in the resignations of ACC minister Nick Smith, ACC chair John Judge, two directors and chief executive Ralph Stewart.
Outside the House on Wednesday, Judith Collins said ACC should not be handing over people's sensitive claim information to prospective employers and she hadn't heard about the sensitive claims complaint until Wednesday.
"I am actually very concerned about that and I want to find out what are the facts behind it. Is this correct? I understand that there has been some complaints filed with the Human Rights Commission. If that is true, I look forward to seeing what has occurred and when it has occurred."
Ms Collins says she wants to make sure that people's privacy is protected.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/241780/claims-acc-sent-sensitive-files

© Radio New Zealand 2014

Claims ACC sent sensitive files

A news report from Radio New Zealand

The Human Rights Commission has received five complaints in the past two years about Accident Compensation Corporation files sent to prospective employers.
The commission on Wednesday said in at least one case, the file included sensitive claim information such as sexual abuse.
ACC's policy of forcing clients to sign a wide-ranging privacy waiver has been found in breach of the law.
The Dunedin District Court ruled on Monday that the controversial ACC 167 form was beyond the law and the corporation had no right to decline entitlements because a client would not sign it. The corporation had cut compensation to an unknown number of claimants for refusing to sign the waiver.
Christchurch Justice of the Peace and community board member Karolin Potter said she had been approached by two people at legal forums who told her they had had sensitive claim information sent to their employer by ACC.
"In response to employer's request for their ACC information, the ACC had sent out the entire file including sensitive claim material for sexual abuse in their past."
Ms Potter told Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme on Wednesday both complainants said ACC told them it had no discretion to filter the information they provided to prospective employers.
ACC has issued a statement saying it does not send information about claims older than 10 years, mental injuries, declined claims, treatment injury claims or sensitive issue claims, without the client's express permission.
The corporation said it will disclose information only if it is required to help get a client into work, which is the purpose for which it was collected.
Council of Trade Unions' president Helen Kelly says people signing employment privacy waivers are in no position to negotiate its conditions.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/241780/claims-acc-sent-sensitive-files

© Radio New Zealand 2014

ACC to consider individual privacy complaints

A news report from Radio New Zealand

The head of the Accident Compensation Corporation says it will consider each case of sensitive claimants whose private details were released to see whether further compensation is required.
The corporation offered in June to pay $250 to each of 200 claimants in compensation for mistakenly emailing their information to another claimant, Bronwyn Pullar.
A lawyer specialising in ACC matters, John Miller, says the offer is insulting and he intends to take action on behalf of about 100 of the claimants.
Another lawyer, Hazel Armstrong, has warned that those who seek greater damages may face a costly battle.
Ms Armstrong says they will have to prove they've suffered emotional harm because of the privacy breach.
"Possibly depending on how far ACC pushes it, they might have to show a level of significance that would have to be measured by a psychiatrist, and a psychiatrist's report can cost anything between $2000 and $7000."
ACC chief executive Ralph Stewart told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme the $250 offered is to recognise that the corporation had made a mistake.
"If the individual concerned is not happy we want to talk to them here about that and consider their own individual position."
Claimants not satisfied with this process have the option of going to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner or the Human Rights Tribunal.
Mr Miller is confident the case is strong and says his firm will take action on a pro bono basis.
He says he will go to the Human Rights Tribunal only if negotiations with ACC and the Privacy Commissioner fail.

© 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/117041/acc-to-consider-individual-privacy-complaints

ACC victims still bruised by privacy breaches

A report from Radio New Zealand National

In the wake of a critical report into ACC's culture and privacy failings, victims of its substandard processes feel let down by the corporation they thought was there to help them.

Copyright 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2529096/acc-victims-still-bruised-by-privacy-breaches

Privacy lawyers astounded by report on ACC privacy breach

A report from Radio New Zealand National

Privacy lawyers are astounded by the report on the Accident Compensation Corporation, saying the internal problems identified should not exist in any well run organisation.

Copyright 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2529088/privacy-lawyers-astounded-by-report-on-acc-privacy-breach

ACC sex-abuse claims down by 36%

A news report from Radio New Zealand

An independent review of ACC, the second in 18 months, has found the number of sex-abuse claims lodged has fallen by 36% since 2008.
The review also found that only 3.6% of sensitive claims were accepted in 2011, down from 60% in 2008, when National took office. The review says ACC needs to be sure the assessment process is not deterring people from seeking help.
Lawyer John Miller, who specialises in ACC cases, says the fall in claims suggests people have lost confidence in the system.
ACC has acknowledged it has more work to do to implement the recommendations of a review into its handling of sensitive claims. Claims management general manager Denise Cosgrove acknowledges significant change is needed at the corporation and it is working hard towards that. She said an 18-month action plan has been agreed on to show what work is needed and what has been implemented.

© 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/110951/acc-sex-abuse-claims-down-by-36-percent

ACC's patchy progress in sensitive claims

A report from Radio New Zealand

An independent report shows ACC has made only patchy progress in implementing the recommendations of a review into its handling of sensitive claims.

Copyright 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2525415/acc%27s-patchy-progress-in-sensitive-claims

Sex abuse victims say ACC still too slow

A report from Radio New Zealand

Victims of sexual abuse and therapists say a new report backs up their claims that the Accident Compensation Corpration is still too slow in dealing with claims and that many people simply give up.

Copyright 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2525406/sex-abuse-victims-say-acc-still-too-slow

Green MP says report reveals ACC anti-claimant culture

A report from Radio New Zealand

The Green MP, Kevin Hague, says a new report on the Accident Compensation Corporation is more proof the corporation's been more focussed on getting claimants off its books than on providing help.

Copyright 2012 Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2525394/green-mp-says-report-reveals-acc-anti-claimant-culture

ACC confirms testing for claimants

An article from the Dominion Post by Vernon Small

ACC's methods are again under the spotlight after it confirmed using "neuropsychological and psychological assessments" to help decide if claimants were being straightforward. That came to light yesterday after claims it uses "lie detector tests" to see if claimants are telling the truth.
Claimant Margaret Read told Radio New Zealand that ACC would not believe her statements of brain and spinal injuries, nor evidence from specialists, and applied a lie detector test.
An ACC spokeswoman declined to comment on an individual case, but said the no-fault insurer did not use lie detector tests.
Asked if any of its processes could be interpreted as a lie detector test, she said that was subjective. "What seems to be being referred to is the use of measures in neuropsychological and psychological assessments to provide some indication as to whether the client is presenting in a straightforward manner; that is, not under- or over-reporting their symptoms," she said.
"Neuropsychological assessments administer tests which look at the client's cognitive functioning (thinking functions such as language, attention, speed of thinking, memory, flexibility in thinking and problem solving skills)."
They were used to help indicate whether "clients are either minimising or exaggerating their emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depressive symptoms". This was also to determine whether the assessment results truly reflected a client's current emotional functioning.
When a client displayed evidence of a lack of effort, under-reporting or exaggeration of symptoms, ACC would try to determine why "and then provide the appropriate help the client needs to progress in their rehabilitation".
Labour ACC spokesman Andrew Little said he was "gob-smacked" by the practice, which was evidence of the distrust ACC had for claimants. "It sounds like lie-detecting to me."
Claimants' medical state was what mattered, not their personality. "They seem to be using criteria other than `is this person injured as a result of an accident?'."
Ms Read said she was asked to take a lie detector test to prove she did have spinal and brain injuries, which she passed. ACC still did not believe her and she took her battle to the courts.
"You feel absolutely shattered into tiny pieces, you keep saying `but I'm the person who's injured – why do I feel I'm being punished, why am I being bullied'."
ACC later backed down, and awarded Ms Read compensation. Taking the lie detector test had made her feel like a criminal, she said.
Lawyer John Miller, who specialises in ACC cases, said he was not aware of anyone undergoing lie detector tests at ACC. But part of the problem was that it was like an insurance company, asking so many questions people felt they were suspected of making things up, he said.
The attitude from ACC was that it was trying to minimise people's entitlements, rather than help them. "It's terrible if you're injured being at the mercy of some claims officer's views of you," he said.
ACC dealt quickly and efficiently with most people, but his clients were those at the hard end of the spectrum. "The more difficult claimants find they are treated badly by ACC and are perceived as exaggerating."
People viewed health problems they could not see with suspicion, and ACC claims officers were no different, he said.
An independent report into ACC privacy and security practices, sparked by the leak of confidential information to whistleblower Bronwyn Pullar, has been put back by two months. The inquiry, commissioned by the Privacy Commissioner and the ACC board, now has a deadline of August 23, instead of the end of this month, ACC interim chairwoman Paula Rebstock said yesterday.
The delay was caused by the volume of information that needed to be gathered and assessed.

© 2012 Fairfax New Zealand Ltd

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7189884/ACC-confirms-testing-for-claimants

ACC sensitive claimant left 'broken' after four reviews

An interview from Radio New Zealand

As we said earlier on Morning Report, more people are coming forward alleging unfair treatment by the ACC.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2523289/acc-sensitive-claimant-left-%27broken%27-after-four-reviews

'They might as well not bother'

An article from the New Zealand Herald by Paul Harper

A rape victim whose privacy was breached by ACC says she will not be taking a $250 compensation offer from the corporation which requires her to keep silent on the issue.
ACC emailed the details of 6748 clients - including nearly 250 claimants who were the victims of sexual or violent assault - to another ACC client, Bronwyn Pullar, who exposed the breach.
The corporation has now sent a four page letter of apology to the sensitive claims clients, Fairfax Media reported, offering them $250 compensation for the breach.
The letter from ACC privacy officer Miriama Henderson says the payment is based on the level of harm or potential harm brought about by the breach.
It asks for their bank account details so the compensation could be deposited.
However in order to receive the money clients must agree to "maintain the strictest confidentiality about the terms of the agreement and settlement of all aspects of it".
One woman, who has been battling ACC for several years as she seeks more support for trauma counselling following a rape, told Radio New Zealand she was "very scared" after learning of the privacy breach.
"I didn't know if my information had gone anywhere else. I didn't know if what they told me was true and it took me ages to get them to actually send me a letter after the breach."
She said the whole experience, on top of her ongoing struggle with ACC, has led to her feel suicidal.
"I didn't think it was fair on my family to put them through all this because I want to be a mum but I can't be because going through this process makes you traumatised the whole time and I can't function."
"To be offered $250 [for the breach] doesn't cover any of my husband's extra time he's taken to look after me.
"So now I have to write to ACC to say I won't be accepting the $250. They might as well not bother."
The woman said seeking support from ACC is a "harsh process to go through for someone in a sensitive claim", and feels she was treated as "just a number".
"I just want other people to know that ... we're not trying to take money from the taxpayer.
"I just want to be able to function in the community and get help, because I didn't ask for what happened to me."

© 2012 APN Holdings NZ Ltd

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10815772

ACC leak victim feels 'suicidal' after privacy breach

An interview from Radio New Zealand

A woman with a sensitive ACC claim who's had her privacy breached says the 250 dollars compensation she's been offered makes her feel sick to the stomach, setting back her progress and forcing her to re-live painful memories.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2523151/acc-leak-victim-feels-%27suicidal%27-after-privacy-breach