If someone in your family dies as a result of an injury, ACC may help cover your financial needs. Payments may include grants to help with funeral or childcare costs, ongoing weekly compensation for wages that would have contributed to the family’s living costs or a one-off payment to surviving partners and children.
What do I need to do?
ACC needs to confirm the death is covered by ACC before we can make any payments. We understand that this can be a very difficult time for you, so ACC staff will do everything possible to help you make a claim and collect information.
Someone outside the immediate family can make the claim on your behalf, such as a friend, family or whanau member, the funeral director, executor of the estate, or your minister or priest; they can help you complete the claim form and make sure it is lodged with ACC. The first step is to call 0800222075 or contact the nearest ACC office.
We recommend you or your advisors and friends make sure a claim is lodged as soon as possible so ACC can move fast to get support into place. When we receive your claim form we will contact you, or your representative, to discuss the financial support ACC can provide.
How does ACC decide if cover is available?
We will check the claim form for mandatory information, such as the deceased’s name, date and description of the accident and the date of death, and follow up with an appropriate person to obtain any missing information or to clarify any areas of conflict or confusion.
Further information requested may include a coroner’s notification, police report, medical notes or death certificate, as appropriate.
Cover is accepted if the death was caused by one of the following:
- an accident
- a work-related gradual process disease or infection
- as a consequence of treatment for a personal injury
- an injury received during medical treatment.
All the available information is considered to determine if the cause of death meets one of these criteria.
If death resulted from suicide or murder, it can still be covered.
We will write to you or your representative to let you know whether a claim for accidental death has been approved and what assistance is available. If the claim is declined, we will tell you why. If you disagree with our decision, you can ask for a review. See What if I have problems with a claim?
How long might ACC take to decide?
In most cases cover for an accidental death claim should be decided within 21 days of the claim being lodged. Sometimes a decision on a claim cannot be made within 21 days because additional information is required. If that happens in your case, ACC will extend the timeframe for making a decision, up to a maximum of four months from the date the claim was lodged. You will be told about the extension as soon as possible.
Cover for a work-related gradual process, disease or infection claim or an injury received during medical treatment may require ACC to extend the timeframe for making a decision up to a maximum of nine months from the date the claim was lodged. You will be told about the extension as soon as possible.
What happens next?
You will be assigned a claim manager in ACC’s Accidental Death Unit who you can talk to about your needs and the types of help available. Your claim manager can give you more information about our services and what assistance you may be eligible for.
Important:
Your actual entitlement depends on your individual circumstances. Please contact us to confirm if you are eligible, or to identify other ways in which we can help. See Contact ACC Claims for our contact information.
For more detailed information about how ACC can help when a claim for accidental death is accepted, see What support can I get?
Last updated: 9November2009