Special Disability Allowance

A Special Disability Allowance can be paid to a client who is not in hospital or residential care when:

• they are getting a main benefit or pension and
• their partner is a patient in hospital or residential care and
• their partner is getting a reduced rate of benefit or pension due to hospitalisation.

It is paid to the partner in the community to help with extra costs because of their partner's hospitalisation.

Special Disability Allowance should be granted from the date the partner starts getting a hospital rate of benefit, or becomes financially eligible for Residential Care Subsidy.

Note if a Veteran's Pension client is in hospital for more than 13 weeks their payments are not reduced to the hospital rate and their partner cannot get Special Disability Allowance. This is because Veteran's Pension is not affected by hospitalisation.

Following the death of the client in hospital or residential care Special Disability Allowance should be stopped from:

• the day after the death of the client (if in the current pay-period) or
• the first available date if advice of the death is received within 14 days or
• the day after the date of death of the client if the advice is received more than 14 days after the date of death

Following the death of the partner in the community, Special Disability Allowance is part of the terminal benefit and can continue for 4 weeks.

This applies to the partner in the community getting New Zealand Superannuation in their own right, Emergency Benefit paid at the Supported Living Payment rate, or as a partner getting a joint (apportioned) benefit.