Overview of our support and services for health and disability providers

Main Benefit Assistance

Jobseeker Support

• Income tested
• Payments for people looking for work or unable to work due to a health condition.
• Work obligations may be to look for full-time or part-time work, or be deferred for a period of time.

Supported Living Payment

• Income tested
• Payments for people who either:
  • have a severe and permanent health condition or disability and can’t work 15 hours or more a week
  • are totally blind
  • are caring for someone who would otherwise be in hospital, a rest home or residential care.

Sole Parent Support

• Income tested
• Payments for sole parents with youngest dependent child under 14 years.
• Work obligations:
  • prepare for work if youngest child is under 3 years
  • look for part-time work if youngest child is 3–13 years.

Unsupported Child’s Benefit and Orphan’s Benefit

• Payments for the caregiver of a child 18 years or younger, whose parents can’t support them.

Young Parent Payment

• Income tested
• Payments for parents:
  • aged 16 to 19, and
  • who have a dependent child or children.
• Must be in, or available for, full-time study or training.

Youth Payment

• Income tested
• Payments for people aged 16 to 17 who:
  • can’t live with their parent/guardian, and
  • aren’t supported by them or anyone else.
• Must be in, or available for, full-time study or training.

NZ Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension

Provides income for people 65 years or older who meet the residency criteria.

Supplementary Assistance

Accommodation Supplement

• Income and asset tested
• Assists with accommodation costs for:
  • board
  • rent
  • home ownership, e.g. mortgage, rates, insurance and other specific costs.

Disability Allowance

• Income tested
• Assists with additional and ongoing costs related to a disability, e.g. primary healthcare fees, counselling fees, prescriptions, transport
• No age limit
• Can be paid for multiple family members.

Child Disability Allowance

• Payments for the parent/caregiver of a dependent
• child under 18 years who needs significantly greater
• care and attention than another child of the same age.
• May be able to get a Disability Allowance for the same child as well.

Childcare Assistance

• Income tested
• Assists with the cost of at least three hours of childcare if:
  • parent/caregiver is working or doing employment-related study or training
  • parent/caregiver or sibling is seriously disabled or ill.

Temporary Additional Support

• Income and asset tested
• Payments for up to 13 weeks when someone can’t pay for essential living costs any other way
• Can help with costs related to accommodation, employment, essential household items, formula-assessed child support, health and disability.

Winter Energy Payment

• Additional payments made automatically with a client’s main benefit, NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension from 1 May to 1 October.

Working for Families Tax Credits

• Income tested
• Income-tested tax credits for parents/caregivers. Administered by Inland Revenue (IR) but MSD can pay on behalf of IR to clients receiving a main benefit.

Medical certificates

Medical certificates are used to determine someone’s work capacity and then the appropriate benefit type and work obligations. There are specific medical certificates for Work Capacity, Disability Allowance, Child Disability Allowance and Supported Living Payment Carers.

One-off Assistance

One-off payments are for an essential or emergency cost people can’t pay for any other way. Some costs may need to be repaid, others don’t.

• Income and asset tested
• May be able to help with glasses, dentures, essential dental treatment, medical treatment or equipment, health travel costs, moving costs like bond/rent in advance, whiteware, food, driver licenses, etc.

Get ready for work

One-on-one support and career advice

• Case managers and work brokers offer employment support.
• Online tools and support about careers.
• Rapid Return to Work offers phone-based one-on-one support.

CVs and cover letters

• Advice about what to write and free templates.

Job interviews

• Help with interview preparation and cost of clothes, travel, childcare.

Feeling anxious about work

• Building confidence and working through worries.

Training, study, qualifications

• Lots of courses and training available.
• Includes support to get a driver licence, Jobs and Skills Hubs for construction training, range of short-term job-focused training, Limited Services Volunteer six-week residential course.

Find jobs

Looking for a job online

• Kimi Mahi Mai – findajob.msd.govt.nz has jobs across regions and industries.
• Links to other websites, e.g. seasonal work, construction, family-friendly jobs.

Job Connect on Facebook

• Information about events where people can get jobs and training opportunities.
• Ways Work and Income can help someone find a job.

Support for people with a disability or health condition

• Help to prepare for work, find a job and get ongoing support while working.
• Work and Income service centres have employment coordinators who support people with a disability or health condition.
• Employment Service providers are contracted by Work and Income to provide one-on-one support.

While you’re working

Help with costs when starting a job

• Includes training, transport, driver licence, gear and clothing.

Help while working

• Income and asset tested. Don’t need to be getting a benefit.
• Help with paying living expenses or a one-off urgent or unexpected cost.
• Support for managing money and debt.

How income affects payments

• Information about payments when starting a job.
• Help people may be able to get while working.

Job and Training Support Funds

• For people with a disability or health condition.
• Job Support helps pay for things people need to get or stay in a job, e.g. equipment, workplace modification, transport.
• Training Support helps pay for extra costs related to training, e.g. using equipment or adaptive software

Work and Income - workandincome.govt.nz

Information about:

• payments and income support
• finding work
• NZ Super
• housing support
• Community Services Card.

Information for health and disability practitioners:

MyMSD - my.msd.govt.nz

MyMSD is an online service people can use to apply and manage their information on their smartphone, tablet or computer.

People can:

• apply for help
• look for jobs
• tell Work and Income about changes
• check payments, debt and letters.