Absence from New Zealand

Clients getting Veteran's Pension in their own right can be absent from New Zealand and continue getting their payments for up to 26 weeks.

If the client is overseas for more than 30 weeks they do not qualify for Veteran's Pension from when they left New Zealand.

However, they may qualify for their payments if the client's return to New Zealand is delayed due to circumstances beyond the client's control that they could not have expected before departure.

For grandparented couples getting the non-qualified rate of Veteran's Pension, the grandparenting ends if the qualified partner is absent from New Zealand and they do not qualify for payment during the period of absence or any part of the absence.

The client must remain ordinarily resident during any absence.

Clients may continue getting payments for a longer period if the reason they are absent overseas is for:

• Overseas medical treatment
• Humanitarian work

Clients absent from New Zealand can keep getting their ongoing Extra help payments for 28 days.

Extra help cannot continue for more than 28 days when the client is absent from New Zealand. See 'Absence from New Zealand' in the relevant Extra help.