What is Carer Support?
The purpose of Carer Support is to give full time carers a break from their caring role.
You are a full-time carer if you provide more than 4 hours per day of unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person
Carer Support is a subsidy that can be used to provide a full-time carer a break from their caring role. It contributes to the costs of care and support for a disabled person.
Carer Support is accessed through your local Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) organisation or an EGL site. The information here is about Carer Support for disabled people who are supported by Disability Support Services.
NASCs are responsible for determining whether a disabled person is eligible for DSS-funded supports. Eligible people will have a needs assessment and may be allocated disability supports, including Carer Support. Disability Support Services (DSS) fund it and set the rules on how it can be used.
The Carer Support team at Health NZ (see below for details) are the ones to contact for anything day-to-day, such as:
- finding out how many Carer Support hours you have left
- how to complete a Carer Support claim form(Opens in a new tab), and
- understanding Carer Support responsibilities (Opens in a new tab)
The amount of Carer Support that is allocated will depend on your needs and those of the person you support.
While Carer Support is allocated, by the NASC, in days, it can be treated as a whole budget for the year.
Carer Support (via Disability Support Services) is part of Flexible Funding and the Purchasing Operation Policy explains what the funding can be used for, what it can’t be used for, and when approval is needed before making a purchase.
In summary you may be able to
- make certain purchases related to disability support or activities for the disabled person, so that the carer can take a break
- contribute to the costs of engaging a support person to care and support a disabled person while a carer takes a break
- contribute to the costs of a break or wellbeing of the carer
Learn more about the Purchasing Operation Policy here.
Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora also provides a Carer Support Subsidy for carers of people with health-related conditions. More information can be found on their website: Carer Support Subsidy – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora external external
How can you use Carer Support?
There will be some types of support that will require prior approval from the carer’s NASC or EGL site. It is the carer’s responsibility to ensure they have obtained prior approval before they submit a claim.
When managing flexible funding, there are some general responsibilities that apply to everyone to ensure it is used for the right purpose to meet support needs and it is managed consistently.
How is Carer Support different to Individualised Funding Respite?
Carer Support is a set amount of $85 per day, or it can be used in half days, e.g. $42.50 per half day.
When it is used as payment to a person who is supporting a disabled person, it is a contribution towards cost of that care only and therefore you do not to have an employment agreement in place or adhere to Employment Law for that arrangement e.g. paying a minimum wage, giving leave allowances. In this way, it is a more informal support, and a popular way for families to pay a relative in a similar way to how you might pay for a babysitter of children or to help a family member pay for the gas to come to your home and care for a child.
Often disability providers will also accept payment via Carer Support, and you can process a claim together. An example of this, is when you purchase an activity from an organisation who may also receive some community funding from MSD or DSS, but additional is needed to top up the cost. The provider may work with you to make a claim.
When you are doing a needs assessment it is a good idea to consider how you want to achieve taking breaks before you decide whether Carer Support or IF Respite suits you and your familiy best.
What you can and cannot claim for
Flexibility and person-led choice are key to Carer Support. When making a claim or thinking of using your Carer Support funding you should first consider “will this provide the full-time carer with a break?”
You can use your Carer Support as a total budget, and not just as the rate per allocated day. What this means is you can take the number of days you are allocated funding, times the daily amount to figure out your total Carer Support budget.
For example, Lisa is allocated 28 days at a rate of $85 per day. Lisa’s total Carer Support budget is therefore 28 x $85 = $2,380 for the year.
You can claim for any purchases for the purposes of giving a full-time carer a break from their responsibilities and is consistent with the Purchasing Operational Policy.
You cannot claim for drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling or illegal activities.
For more details, check out the disability support services frequently asked questions.
Carer Support forms
Download a blank carer support form external to fill out.
Please note that, unless requested, Health NZ is no longer sending claim forms out by post to Carer Support claimants.
You can either:
- Download and print a form from the link above, or
- Download and complete a form on your computer (electronic signatures are accepted if you submit the form electronically).
- Request physical forms from the Carer Support team by phone (0800 855 066) or email:carer_support@health.govt.nz.
How to make a claim
There are a couple of ways you can make your claim to our partner Health New Zealand.
By email
Sending your claim by email will help it be processed more quickly. Completed Carer Support forms can be sent by email to csclaims@health.govt.nz.
If you are using a printed form, you can:
- scan it (if you do not have a scanner at home, your local library can help you do this), or
- take a photo of it.
By post
You can mail your Carer Support claim form to Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora at:
Private Bag 1942
Dunedin 9054
This is a reply paid address, so you don’t need a stamp.
If you have additional paperwork to include with your claim, such as receipts, we suggest using an envelope.
If you have questions about the claiming process, you can contact the Carer Support team on 0800 855 066 or email carer_support@health.govt.nz.
How long does a claim take to process?
Processing times can vary depending on the volume of claims received. A correctly filled-in form should take about 10 working days to process from the time it is received. Claims are processed by the Carer Support Team in Te Whatu Ora. The Carer Support Team can be contacted on 0800 855 066 or at carer_support@health.govt.nz if you have an enquiry regarding your claim.
Tips for filling in your form correctly
When submitting your form, completing it correctly will allow it to be approved the first time it is considered.
This checklist will help you submit your claim form correctly.
Please ensure:
- Your photo or scan is clear and easy to read. If images are blurry, we may not be able to process it.
- You have included the entire form in the photo/scan. If parts of the form are missing, for example the bottom is cut off, we will not be able to process it.
- The claim form is signed and dated.
- The information you have provided is correct.
- You have included identifying information – including the disabled person’s client name, client ID and full time Carer name.
- The disabled person’s client information (carer name and/or ID) is in the subject line of your email, not just on the form. For example, if you are sending in a bank account verification, we need to understand which client this account is relevant for. Please don’t assume just your email address is sufficient.
- You send everything together in one email. This means the claim form and any supporting documentation needs to be sent in one email. Multiple emails add time and means your claim will take longer to process.
- One file format is ideal. Sometimes we receive in one email jpegs, word docs and pdfs. This adds to the time we need to process. Our preference is pdf.
- You send your claim to the correct email address: csclaims@health.govt.nz.
- If you are mailing in your claim form with receipts or other support documentation, it’s a good idea to put it in an envelope so it doesn’t get lost. You just write our postage paid details on it. No stamp required.
Considering all these tips enables easier and quicker processing of your claims.
Tax
Payments to people for caring for your disabled family member using Carer Support may be treated as part of their overall income and will depend on their individual circumstances. Inland Revenue has information about income tax for Carer Support payments on their website: Inland Revenue – Carer Support payments external
You may wish to seek advice about tax issues from:
- Inland Revenue external, or
- Work and Income New Zealand external, if you receive a benefit.