ACC Sensitive Claims — Support for Survivors

What is a Sensitive Claim?

A sensitive claim is an ACC claim for mental injury caused by sexual abuse or assault. ACC recognises that sexual violence can cause significant emotional and psychological harm, and provides cover for treatment and support. These claims are handled by a specialised team at ACC with training in trauma-informed practice.

Who Can Make a Sensitive Claim?

Anyone who has experienced sexual abuse or assault can make a sensitive claim with ACC, including:

• Survivors of rape or sexual violation
• Survivors of childhood sexual abuse
• Survivors of sexual assault (including historical abuse)
• Survivors of sexual harassment that involved assault or physical contact

There is no time limit for making a sensitive claim — you can apply many years after the abuse occurred.

What Treatment Does ACC Cover?

Once a sensitive claim is accepted, ACC covers treatment from registered professionals:

• Counselling: Trauma-focused counselling with a registered counsellor, psychologist, or psychotherapist
• Therapy: Longer-term therapy (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR, psychodynamic therapy)
• Psychiatric care: If needed, ACC can fund a psychiatrist (including medication management)
• GP visits: Related to the mental injury
• Other support: In some cases, cultural support or community-based services

ACC funds up to approximately $5,000–$6,000 per year (updated regularly) for therapy sessions. If you need more, you can apply for additional funding.

How to Apply

The sensitive claims process is designed to be less formal and more supportive than other ACC claims:

1. Speak to a health professional — a GP or counsellor who can support you.
2. Screening: The health professional completes a "Cover Assessment" form with you, describing the sexual abuse and the mental injury.
3. ACC assesses the claim — the sensitive claims team reviews it. They may ask for more information from the health professional.
4. Decision: If accepted, ACC approves ongoing treatment and assigns a case manager.
5. Find a therapist: You can choose a registered therapist who works with ACC. ACC covers the sessions.

Confidentiality and Privacy

ACC takes confidentiality extremely seriously with sensitive claims. Your claim information is handled by specially trained staff, and ACC will not contact you without your consent regarding how best to communicate. You can choose to use a pseudonym with ACC if that makes you more comfortable.

Support Organisations

Beyond ACC, the following New Zealand organisations can help:

• Help Auckland 24/7 Crisis Line: 0800 623 1700
• Rape Crisis: 0800 88 33 00
• Safe to Talk (24/7): 0800 044 334 — a free sexual harm helpline
• Victim Support: 0800 842 846
• Shine (domestic abuse): 0508 744 633

What to Expect During the Process

The sensitive claims pathway is deliberately gentler than standard claims. You start by speaking with a health professional — a GP, counsellor, or therapist — who completes a Cover Assessment form with you; you do not have to give a detailed statement to ACC directly, and you can choose how ACC communicates with you (including using a pseudonym). ACC's sensitive claims team then assesses whether the mental injury is a result of sexual abuse; there is no time limit, so historical abuse can be claimed decades later. If accepted, you choose a registered therapist and ACC funds the sessions (typically around $5,000-$6,000 per year of therapy, with top-ups available for higher needs). Throughout, the information is held by a specialised team with strict confidentiality — ACC will not contact you in ways that reveal the nature of your claim.

Support Beyond Therapy

ACC cover for sensitive claims is only one part of the support system. Alongside funded counselling, you may be eligible for help with the practical impacts of the injury, and you can also access free community services: Safe to Talk (0800 044 334, 24/7), Rape Crisis (0800 88 33 00), Help Auckland (0800 623 1700), Victim Support (0800 842 846) and Shine for domestic abuse (0508 744 633). If ACC declines a sensitive claim, the standard review rights apply — and specialist sexual-violence advocates (available through organisations like the Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation and regional equivalents) can support you through both ACC and the review process. You do not have to navigate any of this alone.

Recent Improvements to Sensitive Claims

Sensitive claims have been a focus of ACC reform in recent years. Key changes include: expanded cover so that survivors of sexual abuse can claim for the mental injury even when the abuse happened decades ago; the removal of any requirement to report the abuse to police before ACC will consider a claim (your word, supported by the health professional's assessment, is the basis); improved training for ACC staff in trauma-informed practice; and a dedicated pathway where you can use a pseudonym and choose how ACC contacts you. ACC also funds the Integrated Services for Sensitive Claims (ISSC) model in many regions, which coordinates counselling, social work support, and cultural support around the survivor rather than requiring them to navigate the system alone. If you are considering a claim, a specialist sexual-violence support service can talk you through the process and accompany you at every step — including the Cover Assessment with your health professional.

The Sensitive Claims Service in 2026

ACC's Sensitive Claims Service — previously called Integrated Services for Sensitive Claims (ISSC) — funds assessment, therapy, and support for survivors of sexual abuse or assault, and for mental injury caused by that abuse. It works differently from any other part of the scheme in two ways that matter:

• You do not have to disclose what happened to your GP. A claim can be started by saying only that you have a "sensitive issue". The clinical detail belongs with your ACC-registered therapist, not the person writing the referral.
• You do not have to wait for ACC to decide the claim before therapy starts. Registered providers can begin sessions immediately under the service arrangements, so the paperwork does not hold up the care.

Wellbeing Packages: What the Support Actually Looks Like

After an initial needs assessment, support is typically organised into packages that run over an extended period — commonly described as Wellbeing Package A and Package B, structured across up to 24 months and combining talking therapy with cultural support and practical assistance. The intent is that support is clinician-led and flexible rather than capped at a rigid number of sessions: how long you continue is decided with your therapist.

Getting Started Without Going Through a GP

• Safe to talk is a free, confidential 24/7 service that can match you with an available therapist who is registered with ACC, and can explain the process before you commit to anything.
• ACC-registered providers are listed publicly; you can approach one directly and they will handle the claim paperwork with ACC.

Practical Support Alongside Therapy

Sensitive claims can also unlock practical support where the effects of the abuse limit daily functioning — counselling for family members in some circumstances, travel costs to appointments, and help with education or work where impacts are documented. These are needs-assessed, so raise them with your therapist early and describe the actual barrier.