Medical alert bracelets

You can apply for a Disability Allowance for you, your partner or a child.

The person who needs a MedicAlert bracelet must:

• have a health condition or disability that's likely to last at least 6 months from when they were diagnosed
• need a MedicAlert bracelet because of the health condition or disability
• have regular, ongoing costs for the MedicAlert bracelet that are not fully covered by another agency.

To apply, you need to be:

• 16 and older
• a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.

It also depends on how much you and your partner earn.

The income limits for Disability Allowance are:

Your situation	Weekly income limits before tax
Single 16-17 years	$631.50
Single 18+ years	786.69
Couple (with or without children)	$1,171.42
Sole parent 1 child	$880.73
Sole parent 2+ children	$927.94

We pay up to a maximum of $75.10 a week for Disability Allowance. How much you get for MedicAlert bracelet membership fees depends on your situation.

What isn't included in Disability Allowance:

• one-off costs, eg the initial enrolment fee and a bracelet/pendant
• member donations.

If you can't pay for the initial enrolment fee or a bracelet/pendant, we may still be able to help if this is an immediate and essential need. Call us to talk about your situation.

Already getting payments from us (eg, a benefit or Accommodation Supplement) but not Disability Allowance

• You need to complete this form and a health practitioner, eg your doctor needs to complete the Disability Certificate inside.
• You need to get confirmation of the MedicAlert costs to show:
  • you're paying for the MedicAlert cost that your health practitioner has advised you need
  • the total amount of the membership fee.

Talk to us about the how to get these documents to us and if you need to do anything else.

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Already getting Disability Allowance

• A health practitioner, eg, your doctor, needs to complete a Disability Certificate form.
• You need to get confirmation of the MedicAlert costs to show:
  • that you're paying for the MedicAlert cost that your health practitioner has advised you need
  • the total amount of the membership fee.

Call us to talk about how to get these documents to us and if you need to do anything else.

We'll include the cost of the MedicAlert bracelet in your Disability Allowance from the date the cost started.

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Not getting any payments from us

You can apply for a Disability Allowance online.

Apply online.

You'll also need to:

• get a health practitioner, eg your doctor to complete a Disability Certificate form.
• get confirmation of the MedicAlert costs to show:
  • you're paying for the MedicAlert cost that your health practitioner has advised you need
  • the total amount of the membership fee.

Call us to talk about how to get these documents to us and if you need to do anything else.

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Applying on behalf of someone else

You can apply for Disability Allowance on someone else's behalf, but only if they've filled out a form to appoint you as their agent.