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Emergency Benefit : Contents

Caring full-time for a spouse or partner with a health condition, injury or disability (young partners)

A young partner may be caring for a spouse or partner who has a health condition, injury or disability and needs to be cared for on a full-time basis.

This can be a full or partial exemption.

Evidence

The young partner must provide a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner or nurse practitioner:

  • that their spouse or partner needs the young partner's full-time care and
  • without that care their spouse or partner would need hospital care or care of an equivalent kind and
  • the length of time their spouse or partner will need that care

Duration

This exemption can be granted for up to 12 months.

This exemption should then be reviewed. At the review MSD should consider the young partner's circumstances and whether it is appropriate to extend the exemption. MSD can ask the young partner to provide evidence that their exemption should be extended.

For more information see:

Legislation

  • Exemption from work-test obligations: work-tested spouses or partners regulation 102 Social Security Regulations 2018
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Hospital care is the level of care provided by a non-government organisation (NGO) or District Health Board (DHB) as an in-patient or residential hospital care, including geriatric hospital-level care.

Hospital care is more than the level of care provided if a person is solely seeing a hospital specialist or receiving out-patient care.

Legislation

A medical practitioner is commonly referred to as a doctor. Medical practitioners are health practitioners who are registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand as practitioners of the profession of medicine and hold a current practising certificate.

All medical practitioners have a unique identifying number called a Health Practitioners Index number (HPI number).

Medical practitioners don't need to have completed their training in New Zealand but must be registered with the New Zealand ...

Nurse practitioners are health practitioners who are registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand and hold a current annual practising certificate.

Nurse practitioners are expert or specialist nurses with advanced education, clinical training and experience. They have demonstrated clinical competence and have the legal authority to practice as independent healthcare providers.

All nurse practitioners have a unique identifying number called a Health Practitioners Index number (HPI number).

Some nurse practitioners have specialised ...