ACC ain’t what it used to be! It is not operating as the original legislation intended. That managers are encouraging ACC officers to cull people on the scheme, possibly forcing people back to work before they are ready, or transitioning them onto another benefit (that costs us a lot less) is tantamount to abusing the spirit of the scheme.
Yes we all know that ACC became debt heavy, and it still is, but to pay officers ‘incentives’ to duck shove people off the scheme is insensitive and is nothing less than nasty on the part of the politicians who have driven this culture change.
There needs to be a balance and I am not arguing against the rebalancing of some of the issues around overuse of the scheme re the physiotherapists. I think that some of the claims being made were spurious to say the least. However, even in that sphere of operation the Government has forced changes that have gone too far the other way.
Let us review the original purpose of ACC. It is a safety net that allows those injured to be able to return to work, when they are healed and to allow those who cannot, through no fault of their own, to live with dignity. That is not to say that officers should not be diligent in their investigations of those claimants who are making dishonest claims on the scheme. It is all about balance.
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