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If you have experienced sexual violence, ACC can fund up to 14 hours of therapy and up to 30 hours of other support services (for example, services for your family and whānau so they can learn how to support you).
This support for survivors is free. open_in_new
Once your therapist has lodged an ACC claim for you, you can start whenever you are ready. You do not have to wait until ACC accepts your claim.
Get tips on finding a therapy provider that is right for youopen_in_new
Find a therapy provider near youopen_in_new
We have learned from survivors that therapy can be difficult for people in prison to access, as therapists needs to visit the prison in person.
After a few sessions, your therapy provider will decide whether a longer- or shorter-term therapy plan will best meet your needs.
For example:
For the Cover and Wellbeing Plan, you will not need to do an assessment, but you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire.
Unfortunately, your therapy plan can only go ahead if ACC approves it.
Find out more about what to expect after a therapy provider lodges your claimopen_in_new.
If your claim is about a physical injury and ACC approves it, they can contribute towards the cost of up to 10 counselling sessions. You may have to pay for part of your sessions.
Find out more about counselling support from ACCopen_in_new.
Depending on your injury-related needs and eligibility, you might be able to get support services such as:
Learn more about ongoing support optionsopen_in_new that might be available.
If ACC covers your injury, and it is preventing you from working, ACC may be able to provide financial support.
Unfortunately, if you want to receive financial support (such as weekly compensation payments or Loss of Potential Earnings (LOPE) payments), your therapy provider will probably recommend that you have a Specialist Cover Assessment.
The Specialist Cover Assessment might be done by your therapy provider, or someone else contracted to ACC.
They will ask you to talk about the abuse events so the assessor can confirm that the events caused or contributed to your injuries, symptoms or other impacts.
Anyone who is unable to work because of a mental injury resulting from childhood sexual abuse, can apply for weekly LOPE payments. LOPE payments are worked out as 80% of the minimum wage.
Before December 2023, many survivors of childhood sexual abuse could not receive LOPE payments, because they did not try to get treatment and report the abuse until they were adults (18 years or older).
This changed in December 2023 because of a Court of Appeal ruling, on a case called TN vs ACC.
You can read the report of the TN vs ACC rulingopen_in_new (it contains details that might be upsetting).
Before the Court of Appeal ruling, many survivors were not eligible for LOPE payments because they did not get treatment before they turned 18.
If you made a claim to ACC before December 2023 and were not eligible for LOPE payments because of this, you can contact ACC to make another claim. If you have not already made a claim before that time, you may be eligible for LOPE if you apply now. LOPE payments can be backdated to when you turned 18.
Find out more about changes to eligibility for weekly LOPE paymentsopen_in_new.
You might also be eligible for weekly compensation payments if you were in paid work when you became injured, and unable to work because of the injury. The payments are worked out at 80% of what you earned before the injury.
Find out more about financial support that ACC can provide for sensitive claimsopen_in_new.
Learn more about financial support ACC can provide generallyopen_in_new.
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