Transport and getting around after an injury

Types of transport costs we can help with

Depending on the type of transport you need, we can contribute to the costs of:

• mileage
• public transport, eg bus or train
• taxis and car rentals
• changes to your vehicle, eg car modifications
• retraining for your driver's license
• emergency transport.

Using a private car

If you’re using a private car or someone is driving you, we’ll pay 29 cents per km, GST inclusive, towards petrol. You need to:

• travel more than 80km within a one-month period, eg 15 May to 14 June
• travel more than usual in the first 14 days after your injury. It has to be more than 20km one way.

You’ll need to keep track of how many kilometres you’ve driven so we can refund you. If you share a private car with your support person, we’ll only pay the transport rate for one person.

Taking public transport

We can pay for your bus, train or ferry if you spend at least $46 on this in a calendar month.

You'll need to keep your tickets and receipts so we can refund you.

Organising a taxi or rental car

We can organise and pay for a taxi or rental car if we decide it's the best solution for you. If you need more taxi chits, we also may be able to help you.

We can provide you with a voucher to pay for your taxi when we approve your travel.

Changes to your vehicle

If you can't use your vehicle because of your injury, we can help with modifications or contribute towards buying a more suitable vehicle.

Re-training for your driver licence

If your doctor tells you that you need to re-sit or change your driver licence because of your injury, we can pay for this.

Emergency transport

If you receive an invoice from your local District Health Board (DHB) for emergency service transport, talk to us. We may be able to help if it was for an injury we cover.

How to apply for transport costs

1. Talk to us first

   Before you apply talk to your ACC recovery team member, or contact us:
   
   Phone 0800 101 996
   Email claims@acc.co.nz

2. Download an application form

   We'll tell you which form you need to complete:
   
   ACC001 Request for assistance
   ACC250 Request for travel costs
   ACC250 Request for travel costs
   
   If you're a Mac user, use the PDF version.

3. Use our online service – MyACC

   If you’re already using MyACC, you can apply for transport costs there.
   Log into MyACC

4. Include your tickets, receipts and bank details

   Include any public transport tickets and payment receipts when you apply. We also need your bank account number so we can pay you. This could be a letter or a deposit slip from your bank.

5. Send us your application

   Send it to us by email or post, or drop it at your local ACC branch.

   Email claimsdocs@acc.co.nz

   If you live in Northland, Auckland, Waikato or Bay of Plenty:

   ACC Hamilton Hub 
   PO Box 952
   Hamilton 3240

   If you live in Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, Wellington or the South Island:

   ACC Dunedin Hub
   PO Box 408
   Dunedin 9054

6. We'll call you to let you know our decision

   We usually take up to 21 days to make a decision about your application. If we accept your application, we’ll pay this into your bank account.
   
   If we decline your application, we’ll let you know why.

We may need to do an assessment

Sometimes we need more information due to the nature of your injury. We’ll organise an assessment for you with an independent assessor. We'll talk to you about all the details.

When we get your application and assessment report, we look at:

• advice from the assessor who looked at your transport needs
• what you were able to do before your injury
• tasks you can no longer do for yourself because of the injury
• costs and benefits of public transport compared to private transportation options.

Applying on someone else’s behalf

If you want to apply for transport costs on behalf of someone, you’ll need to get their permission:

Giving someone authority to act on your behalf