Veteran's Pension clients moving to Korea

Under the agreement with Korea clients can be paid the New Zealand Veteran's Pension when they are living in Korea. Applications can be made from New Zealand or Korea.

Clients can apply for Veteran's Pension to be paid in Korea before their departure from New Zealand or from Korea. Payment cannot be backdated so clients should be encouraged to apply before they leave New Zealand.

To get Veteran's Pension paid in Korea, a client must:

• be entitled to or getting Veteran's Pension at the time they apply
• be aged 65 or older
• be ordinarily resident and present in New Zealand or in Korea at the time they apply for payment from overseas
• have the intention of remaining ordinarily resident in Korea for at least 26 weeks and
• have a continuous period of at least 12 months working age residence in New Zealand

The client can use their periods of contributions in Korea to meet the residence qualification for Veteran's Pension.

If a client leaves New Zealand intending to live in Korea for 26 weeks or more, they have up to 26 weeks to take up residence in Korea. Clients may go to other countries before they get to Korea, but they must arrive in Korea within 26 weeks from the date they left New Zealand to be considered as ordinarily resident in Korea on the date they left New Zealand.

Example

A client may want to have a three-month holiday in the United Kingdom before taking up residence in Korea. In this example, the client would be considered ordinarily resident in Korea for the purposes of deciding their application for payment of New Zealand Veteran's Pension in into Korea.

Clients getting Veteran's Pension in Korea will need to complete a Mandatory Review 52 weeks from when the payment in Korea commenced, and 52 weeks from when the client's last Mandatory Review was completed.

For more information contact International services.

When MSD matches a client's information with information from Korea, MSD must send a written notice of adverse action to the client.

A notice of adverse action is only required upon receipt of the first information match.