Transport - personal health

MSD must check if the client qualifies for Disability Allowance for the costs of regular travel to a health practitioner for treatment of their disability.

If the client qualifies for Disability Allowance, this must be granted before MSD assess if the client qualifies for Temporary Additional Support.

The client may have allowable health and disability costs for Temporary Additional Support if they do not qualify for Disability Allowance when:

• they do not meet the Disability Allowance income limit or
• their disability will last less than 6 months or
• they are certain refugees, protected persons or residence applicants.

A registered medical practitioner or nurse practitioner must complete a Disability Allowance medical certificate confirming the client's disability, the need for treatment and that transport costs are necessary. The certificate must also confirm the transport is beneficial and of therapeutic value and that the costs are:

• additional and
• ongoing and
• directly related to the client's disability

This includes costs for ambulance fees, subscriptions and getting to medical appointments.

Note if the travel is for a particular course of treatment (e.g. chemotherapy) payment of costs may be met by Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora.

• Allowable costs for Temporary Additional Support do not include attending treatment at a hospital when the costs are fully funded by Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora or Special Needs Grant Health travel costs
• the cost of travel to attend counselling sessions - this can only be included in a Disability Allowance.

Public transport should be used in preference to a taxi if it is available and if the client's disability does not prevent them from using it.

If a client is using public transport and has a Community Services Card, they can get a 50% discount on public transport fares through Community Connect and should take reasonable steps to reduce their costs by applying for the discount.

When a client has not used their Community Services Card to apply for the discount, MSD must discuss their reasons for this, if their actual public transport costs are higher than they would be if the 50% discount was applied.

The client may have good reason for not applying for the 50% discount (e.g. there are accessibility issues with applying for the Community Connect discount through a public transport provider's website, and this is the only way to apply).

Note MSD may already hold this information if the client is getting a Disability Allowance with public transport costs included. MSD should consider this information when making a decision about the client's allowable costs.

When there is a good reason, the client's allowable costs for travel should be the client's actual costs.

If there is no good reason, their allowable costs for travel should not be more than the cost of the subsidised public transport fare.

When a client chooses to travel some distance to see a registered health practitioner, this should generally not be included as an allowable cost for Temporary Additional Support.

For example a client moves to a new location and chooses to visit their registered health practitioner in their previous location rather than transfer to a suitable local health practitioner, only the costs of travelling to the local health practitioner should generally be included.

Note when there is closer suitable registered health practitioner, any additional travel costs not met by Disability Allowance cannot be considered an allowable cost for Temporary Additional Support.