Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018

General provisions

3: Purpose of this Act

You could also call this:

"This law helps older people know when they must pay for their own care and how much it will cost."

Illustration for Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018

The purpose of this Act is to help you understand when older people must pay for their own long-term residential care. You can find out if you need to pay and how much by applying for a means assessment. This Act also makes sure you do not pay more than a certain amount for your care if it is provided by a contracted provider.

This Act explains when a funder must help pay for your long-term residential care. It also explains how to work out how much you must pay for home-based disability support services. The Act wants to make sure people use their own resources before asking for financial help.

The Act is designed to provide financial support to people who need it, taking into account their own resources. You can find more information about this by looking at the related legislation.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

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=LMS41462.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Healthcare servicesMoney and consumer rights > Savings and retirementFamily and relationships > Children and parenting
Previous

2: Commencement, or

"When the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018 comes into effect on 26 November 2018."

Next

4: Overview of this Act, or

"What this law is about: rules for paying for care and disability support at home or in residences."

Part 1General provisions

3Purpose of this Act

  1. The purpose of this Act is to—

  2. specify the circumstances in which certain older persons are required to pay for their own long-term residential care; and
    1. specify the circumstances in which a funder must contribute towards the cost of those persons’ long-term residential care; and
      1. provide for those persons to apply for a means assessment to determine if, and how much, a funder must contribute towards the cost of their long-term residential care; and
        1. provide that those persons are not required to pay more than the maximum contribution (which amount is specified by written notice published on an Internet site and notified in the Gazette) for their long-term residential care, if that care is provided by a provider who has a contract with a funder to provide long-term residential care to older persons; and
          1. provide for the assessment of the amount a person is required to pay towards the cost of home-based disability support services supplied to that person; and
            1. ensure that financial support (that is, a funder’s contribution to the cost of long-term residential care, or towards the cost of home-based disability support services) provided under this Act is provided to persons taking into account that, where appropriate, they should use the resources available to them before seeking financial support under this Act.

              Compare