Returning to work after an ACC injury

Staying in touch with your employer while you recover

The earlier you and your employer talk, the easier the return. ACC encourages people to recover at work where they safely can, and most people with injuries such as sprains and strains can, with some short-term changes.

The first question is usually money. ACC does not usually pay for the first week off work. If you were hurt at work, your employer must pay you 80% of your usual pay for that week; if you were hurt outside work, you can ask to use sick or annual leave. Weekly compensation usually starts from day eight.

Give your employer your medical certificate. If it says you are fit for selected work, you can do some work safely, and the next step is to talk with your employer about what that could be. ACC has a conversation guide for injured employees to help. Your employer is told automatically if the injury happened at work, and when your certificate changes to fit for selected work. They can see the dates you are likely to be off and any restrictions.

A graduated return: hours, duties and your pay

A recovery at work plan can change any of four things while you recover: your duties, your hours, your workload and your working environment. It could mean your usual job for fewer hours, different tasks, or the same work with changes. As you recover, the plan can gradually add hours or tasks.

Your employer pays you for the hours you work, and ACC tops that up with weekly compensation. ACC may also help with the cost of getting to and from work, by bus, train, taxi or your own car, and with modified equipment such as a special chair or keyboard if a medical professional recommends it.

Keep the plan in writing, with a date to review it. Our guide to returning to work after a break covers the conversations that make a return stick.

Weekly compensation while you work part hours

ACC pays up to 80% of what you earned before your injury. When you earn again, it reduces your weekly compensation so that your pay and your compensation together are not more than 100% of your usual pay. This is called abatement. ACC's own example:

So a graduated return can take you from 80% of your usual pay back to 100%. Three things to do:

• Tell ACC what you earn, through MyACC or by phone. If you are overpaid, ACC will ask for the difference back.
• Check your tax codes. Wages and weekly compensation are two sources of income, and one needs a secondary tax code.
• Keep your medical certificates current. Payments usually stop when you can return to your pre-injury job, or your health provider says you can.

When you cannot go back: vocational rehabilitation

If your injury means you cannot return to your old job, ACC helps you prepare for a new one. This is vocational rehabilitation. It starts with two assessments: an occupational assessor looks at work that suits your skills, experience and earnings, and a doctor looks at which of those options you could do for 30 hours a week or more. Your recovery plan is then updated with the work options, the support ACC will arrange and the goal.

When the rehabilitation is complete, you may be assessed again, sometimes called a vocational independence assessment. If you are found ready to work 30 hours or more and ACC agrees, it writes to tell you weekly compensation will stop in three months. In that time ACC can arrange a job search programme, may top up your earnings if a new job pays less than your compensation, and can help you enrol with Work and Income. If you disagree with a decision, you can apply for a review within three months of it.

Job hunting after an injury

You do not have to lead with your injury. The Human Rights Commission says an employer cannot ask about your medical or ACC history, because that could be discrimination. They can explain what the job involves and ask whether any condition would stop you doing it properly, and that question deserves an honest answer.

If ACC payments stop and you have not found work, Jobseeker Support is for people looking for work, or who need to reduce their hours because of an injury or health condition. If you qualify, and you are single, aged 25 or over, with no children, you get up to $372.55 a week after tax. ACC and Work and Income are separate: any ACC payments you still get must be declared, and in most cases reduce a benefit dollar for dollar. Our guide to job hunting on Jobseeker Support explains the obligations.

Pace the search to your recovery. jobtracker.co.nz keeps each application with its stage and dates, and builds a record of your search you can show Work and Income. The demo opens a full job hunt with no account, so you can see how it fits before you start.

Keep your return to work in one place