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Accident Compensation Act 2001

Entitlements and related matters - Disentitlements

119: Disentitlement for wilfully self-inflicted personal injuries and suicide

You could also call this:

"No ACC help if you hurt yourself on purpose, except for medical care"

If you hurt yourself on purpose, or if you die because you hurt yourself on purpose or take your own life, you won't get most of the help that the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) usually gives. But ACC will still pay for your medical treatment and any services directly related to that treatment.

There are some exceptions to this rule. If you have a mental injury because of a physical injury that ACC covers, or if you have a mental injury from certain situations described in the law, you can still get help even if you hurt yourself on purpose.

Also, if someone chooses to end their life through assisted dying, which is allowed by a special law, their family can still get help from ACC.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM101487.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Victim supportHealth and wellbeing > Healthcare servicesHealth and wellbeing > Mental health
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118: Disentitlement because proceedings brought: personal injury caused by work-related gradual process, disease, or infection, or

"No ACC help for some work injuries that happened slowly before 1974 if you got money another way"

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Part 4Entitlements and related matters
Disentitlements

119Disentitlement for wilfully self-inflicted personal injuries and suicide

  1. The Corporation must not provide any entitlements under Schedule 1 for any of the following:

  2. a personal injury that a claimant wilfully inflicts on himself or herself, or, with intent to injure himself or herself, causes to be inflicted upon himself or herself:
    1. the death of a claimant due to an injury inflicted in the circumstances described in paragraph (a):
      1. the death of a claimant due to suicide.

        1. However, subsection (1) does not excuse the Corporation from liability to provide the claimant with entitlements for—

        2. treatment; and
          1. any ancillary service related to treatment referred to in clause 3(1) of Schedule 1.

            1. Subsection (1) does not apply if the personal injury or death was the result of—

            2. mental injury suffered because of physical injuries suffered by the claimant for which he or she had cover; or
              1. mental injury suffered by the claimant in the circumstances described in section 21 or 21B.

                1. Subsection (1) does not apply if the death was the result of assisted dying in accordance with the End of Life Choice Act 2019.

                Notes
                • Section 119: substituted, on , by section 12 of the Accident Compensation Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 1).
                • Section 119(4): inserted, on , by section 11 of the Accident Compensation (Maternal Birth Injury and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2022 (2022 No 51).