1. The Minister for Accident Insurance has agreed with
the draft Code of ACC Claimants' Rights ("the draft ACC Code").
Pursuant to section 43 (1) (a) of the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Act 2001 ("the IPRC Act"), the board of ACC now gives notice of the publication of the draft ACC Code.
A period of public consultation on this draft ACC Code is also notified and details are given below.
2. Copies of the draft ACC Code are available by:
? Downloading from the ACC web site: www.acc.co.nz/claimscare/
? Writing to Draft ACC Code, Policy and Assurance, ACC, P.O. Box 242, Wellington.
? Facsimile: (04) 918 7677 (Attention: Draft ACC Code).
? Freephone: 0508 489 489.
3. The purpose of the ACC Code is specified in section 40 (1) of the IPRC Act as:
"The purpose of the Code of ACC Claimants' Rights is to meet the reasonable expectations of claimants (including the highest practicable standard of service and fairness) about how the Corporation should deal with them, by-
(a) conferring rights on claimants and imposing obligations on the Corporation in relation to how the Corporation should deal with claimants; and
(b) providing for the procedure for lodging and dealing with complaints about breaches of the Code by the Corporation; and
(c) providing:
(i) for the consequences of, and remedies for,
a breach of the Code by the Corporation; and
(ii) without limiting subparagraph (i), how and to what extent the Corporation must address situations where its conduct is not consistent with or does not uphold the rights of claimants under the Code; and
(d) explaining a claimant's right to a review, under Part 5, of a decision made under the Code about
a claimant's complaint."
4. Written submissions on the draft ACC Code are invited from members of the public and interested organisations.
5. The closing date for submissions is Wednesday,
15 May 2002.
Submissions are to be forwarded to:
Draft ACC Code, Policy and Assurance, ACC, P.O. Box 242, Wellington. Facsimile: (04) 918 7677 (Attention: Draft ACC Code).
Dated at Wellington this 28th day of March 2002.