Date payment should be reduced

The hospital rate of payment is paid when a client has been in hospital for 13 weeks not after receiving a benefit for 13 weeks.

Reduce the client's benefit to the hospital rate or appropriate higher rate from the beginning of the 14th week of hospitalisation.

If the client has been in hospital for 13 weeks or more at the commencement date of the benefit, the rate of payment is the hospital rate or a higher rate (if applicable).

If the client has been in hospital for less than 13 weeks at the commencement date of the benefit, the full rate of payment is paid until the beginning of the 14th week of hospitalisation.

Note the date of admission and the date of discharge are not regarded as days spent in hospital and are not included in the 13-week calculation.

Any periods out of hospital of 28 days or less are to be ignored when deciding the date from which the benefit is to be reduced. Calculate the period in hospital from the original admission date.

If the client has been allowed out of hospital for more than 28 days, the calculation of the period in hospital begins again after the client has been re-admitted.

If the client has been formally discharged from the hospital and then re-admitted, the 13 week calculation starts again from the day after they are re-admitted (even if the client has been re-admitted within 28 days of being discharged).

For more information see:

• Discharged from hospital
• Clients on leave from hospital