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Social Security Act 2018

Obligations - Beneficiaries’ obligations - Specific obligations: work ability assessment

118: Work ability assessment

You could also call this:

“A check-up to see how well you can work and what help you might need”

You might need to have a work ability assessment. This is when the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) asks you to come in and help them understand more about you and your work situation.

The MSD can ask you to do this at any time. They use this assessment to figure out a few things:

If you should get a benefit, and which one you should get.

If you’re getting jobseeker support and have to do work-related things, they’ll decide if you should wait before starting those tasks.

If you’re getting jobseeker support because of a health problem, injury, or disability, they’ll check if you can do part-time work.

They’ll decide if you shouldn’t have to do work preparation or work tests.

They’ll see if you can do work preparation or work tests.

They’ll figure out what kind of job would be good for you.

They’ll decide what activities would be good for you to do.

They’ll work out what help and support you need to get a job.

The MSD will do the assessment in their own way. After you’ve had an assessment, the MSD might ask you to do another one if they think it’s needed.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783348.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Worker rights
Health and wellbeing > Healthcare services
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117: Persons not subject to work ability assessment, or

“Who doesn't need to do a work test for their payment”

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119: Person who fails to comply with requirement to undergo work ability assessment is subject to sanction, or

“You might lose money if you miss a work ability test without a good reason”

Part 3 Obligations
Beneficiaries’ obligations: Specific obligations: work ability assessment

118Work ability assessment

  1. MSD may at any time require a person to whom this section applies to attend and participate in a work ability assessment to determine, or help determine, all or any of the following matters:

  2. whether the person is entitled to a benefit and, if so, what kind of benefit:
    1. if a person granted jobseeker support is subject to a work-test obligation, whether that obligation should be deferred:
      1. if a person is granted jobseeker support on the ground of health condition, injury, or disability, whether that person has the capacity for part-time work:
        1. whether the person should be exempted from a work-preparation or work-test obligation:
          1. whether the person has the capacity to comply with a work-preparation or work-test obligation:
            1. what is suitable employment for the person for the purposes of section 145:
              1. what are suitable activities for the person for the purposes of section 125(d) or 146(1)(d):
                1. what assistance and supports are necessary for the person to obtain employment.

                  1. The assessment must be made in accordance with the procedure determined by MSD.

                  2. A person who has been assessed under subsection (1) may be required by MSD to undergo a reassessment under that subsection as MSD thinks appropriate.

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