23 MARCH 2006

NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 27

| 18 mths | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| 24 mths | 6.40 | 6.40 |
| 30 mths | 6.35 | 6.40 |
| 36 mths | 6.35 | 6.40 |
| 4 yrs | 6.30 | 6.35 |
| 5 yrs | 6.25 | 6.30 |

Dated at Wellington this 16th day of March 2006.

PAT WAITE, Chief Executive, Public Trust.

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Social Development

Social Security Act 1964

Community Costs Programme

Pursuant to section 124 (1) (d) of the Social Security Act 1964, the Minister for Social Development and Employment establishes and approves the following welfare programme for special assistance.

Dated at Wellington this 15th day of March 2006.

DAVID BENSON-POPE, Minister for Social Development and Employment.

Programme

1. Title—This programme is called the Community Costs Programme.

2. Commencement—This programme comes into effect on 1 April 2006.

3. Purpose—The purpose of this programme is to help people receiving treatment in certain short-term residential programmes to reintegrate into the community at the conclusion of their residence in the programme by providing financial assistance to meet essential costs in the community they are not able to meet from their personal allowances or other resources.

4. Interpretation—(1) In this programme, unless the context otherwise requires:

   Act means the Social Security Act 1964

   applicant means a person who applies for community costs payments under this programme, and includes a person to whom CC payments under this programme are granted

   cash assets has the same meaning as in the Social Security (Temporary Additional Support) Regulations 2005

   community cost, in relation to a resident, has the meaning set out in the Schedule

   community costs payments or CC payments means the special assistance under this programme

   eligible person means a person who is eligible for CC payments under clause 6 and is not ineligible for CC payments under clause 7

   personal allowance, in relation to a resident, is the amount he or she is not required to contribute towards the cost of his or her care or treatment in a treatment programme from his or her benefit

   premises, in relation to a resident, means the place that he or she would otherwise occupy as a home; and includes any room or other accommodation he or she would otherwise occupy as a home as a boarder or lodger

   resident means a person who, for the purposes of assessment or treatment (or both), is for the time being resident in a short-term residential treatment programme; and residence has a corresponding meaning

   short-term residential treatment programme or treatment programme means a programme of residential care for alcohol or other drug treatment of an intended duration of not more than 39 weeks that is funded under the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 or, if not so funded, is certified to provide that care and treatment under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001.

   (2) Terms otherwise defined in section 3 (1) of the Act have the same meanings in this programme.

5. Application of the Social Security Act—(1) Sections 12, 62, 63, 64, 71A, 74, 74A, 76, 77, 80BD (1), 81, 82 (except 82 (6)), 84 and 86J of the Act apply to this programme and to every applicant as if the CC payments under this programme were a benefit under the Act.

   (2) Nothing in subsection (1) limits the application to this programme of any other provision of the Act.

6. Eligibility for community costs payments—(1) A person is eligible for community costs payments under this programme if he or she is a resident (whether continuously or not) in one or more short-term residential treatment programmes for a period or total period of not more than 26 weeks within a 52-week period commencing on the date of the person’s entry into the treatment programme or, as the case requires, the first treatment programme.

   (2) Where a resident has completed a period or total period of 26 weeks residence in one or more treatment programmes within the 52-week period referred to in subclause (1), the chief executive may, during one period of not more than 13 weeks or 13 weeks in total within that 52-week period, continue to treat the resident as an eligible person if the chief executive is satisfied:

   (a) it has been clinically determined the resident needs, and would benefit from, further treatment in the treatment programme; and

   (b) he or she continues to be a resident (whether continuously or not) in that treatment programme or in one or more other treatment programmes.

7. Ineligibility—A person is ineligible for CC payments if he or she:

   (a) is a person receiving residential care services funded wholly or partly under the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000; or

   (b) is a resident assessed as requiring care within the meaning of section 136 of the Act; or

   (c) is a person, or is the spouse or partner of a person, to whom a special benefit continues to be payable under section 23 of the Social Security (Working for Families) Amendment Act 2004; or

   (d) is:

   (i) aged 15 or less; or

   (ii) the dependent child of a person; or

   (iii) a child for whom payments are being made under section 363 of the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989; or

   (e) has cash assets (including the cash assets of his or her spouse or partner (if any)) of more than:

   (i) in the case of a single person, the amount in clause 1 of Schedule 31 of the Act; or

   (ii) in the case of a person who is married or in a civil union or is a sole parent, the amount in clause 2 of that Schedule; or