Anyone in New Zealand who requires urgent treatment for a personal injury is eligible for emergency transport to an emergency treatment facility within 24 hours of the injury occurring.
What help can I get?
Emergency transport within New Zealand
Ambulance services provide 24-hour national coverage, via the 111 communications system, for road, air and water emergency transport services within the first 24 hours of the accident occurring.
ACC has agreements with emergency service providers to pay the cost of that emergency transport within New Zealand.
Secondary transfer to specialised care
If you require more specialised care than the initial health professional can provide, we may also cover your transfer to another treatment provider if the transfer is within 24 hours of emergency admittance. Your need for transfer to more specialised care will be determined by your initial health professional.
Example:
A fireman receives severe burn injuries as a result of a fire. Emergency services transport him by road ambulance to the local hospital. Because of the seriousness of the burns, the medical staff arrange for the fireman to be airlifted within 24 hours to the Middlemore Burns Unit to receive specialised care.
Emergency transport outside New Zealand
ACC may pay the emergency transport costs for an injury outside NZ if all the following apply:
- You are ordinarily resident in NZ, and suffered a work-related personal injury outside NZ, eg you would have had cover if the injury had occurred inside NZ.
- Because of the injury, you incur emergency transport costs from a provider outside NZ.
- The income you received for the employment in which you suffered the injury is considered, for tax purposes, to be income derived in NZ.
- The emergency transport was needed within 24 hours of suffering the injury, and requested by the equivalent of a NZ Police Officer or an NZ Ambulance Operator.
If your claim is accepted, ACC pays the overseas transport provider:
- the actual invoiced cost of the transport services, or
- $NZ300, whichever is the lower amount.
What do I need to do to get help?
For injuries:
- within New Zealand – see Injury in New Zealand.
- outside New Zealand – see Injury while travelling overseas.
How am I eligible?
What happens next?
Most ambulance or emergency service providers (eg St John’s ambulance) have an agreement with ACC, and will claim the cost of your emergency transport back from ACC directly. If this is the case, you will not need to pay anything more.
- due to health reasons rather than a personal injury (eg from GP to hospital), or
- more than 24 hours after the injury occurred.
Related legislation
Accident Compensation (AC) Act 2001:
- Schedule 1, Clause 3(1): When corporation is liable to pay or contribute to cost of ancillary services related to treatment (external website)
Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation (Ancillary Services) Regulations 2002
- Regulation 6: Emergency transport costs (external website)
Last updated: 1 April 2010