Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Social Security Act 2018

Assistance - Supported living payment - Supported living payment on ground of restricted work capacity or total blindness

39: Supported living payment: on ground of restricted work capacity: encouraging open employment

You could also call this:

“Helping people with health problems try working while keeping their support payment”

This law is about helping people who get a supported living payment to try working in a regular job. You might get this payment if you have a long-lasting and serious health problem that makes it hard for you to work.

If you’re getting this payment, you can agree with the government to try working for a while. This is to see if you can keep working and stop needing the payment. You can try working for up to 26 weeks, even if the job might last longer than that.

The good news is that during this time, you won’t lose your supported living payment just because you’re working 15 or more hours a week. This gives you a chance to try working without worrying about losing your support right away.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783185.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Worker rights
Health and wellbeing > Healthcare services
Money and consumer rights > Savings and retirement
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38: Supported living payment: on ground of restricted work capacity or total blindness: payment not apportioned in specified cases, or

“Special payment rules for couples when one person is in long-term care”

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40: Supported living payment: on ground of caring for another person: requirements, or

“Rules for getting money to care for someone at home full-time”

Part 2 Assistance
Supported living payment: Supported living payment on ground of restricted work capacity or total blindness

39Supported living payment: on ground of restricted work capacity: encouraging open employment

  1. The purpose of this section is to encourage specified recipients of a supported living payment to undertake open employment in order to establish whether they can sustain that employment and cease receiving that benefit.

  2. This section applies to a person (P) who—

  3. is receiving a supported living payment granted on the ground of permanent and severe restriction of capacity for work; but
    1. is with MSD’s agreement undertaking open employment for a period agreed with MSD in order to establish whether P can sustain open employment.

      1. The period of open employment agreed with MSD must not exceed 26 weeks (even if that employment is, or is expected to be, for a period that is longer than the agreed period).

      2. P does not lose P’s entitlement to a supported living payment by reason only of working 15 or more hours a week in open employment during the agreed period.

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