Today, I wanted to talk about benefits a bit, since much of my day is taken up with trying to assist people to apply for or get the documentation needed for benefits. In Alaska, I am familiar with our National benefits, Medicare, SSI, SSDI, and our state benefits, APA_Adult Public Assistance, TANF/ATAP-Temporary Assistance for Needy Family, but not too much more than handful of other benefits for individuals or families, and we have our 60 month limit for the ATAP.
In New Zealand, they have so many benefits and it has been a very interesting journey to navigate them. There are benefits for Accommodation Supplement to help with rent, board or cost of owning a house-Housing NZ subsidy, Advance payment of benefit, to pay for school, uniforms, rent, and “Away from home Allowance” if you have children ages 16-17 years old living away from home to go on a training or tertiary/University course, or a Domestic Purposes Benefit, if you are ove16-17 and legally married, or age 18 and over, and raising children, or caring for someone sick or infirm OR a woman alone aged 50 or over. For someone like Anise, who has had multiple birth, you can have a domestic emergency or need domestic support with things like housework, cooking or childcare. There is the Training Incentive Allowance for people on Domestic Purposes, Widow’s or Invalids benefits, or Emergency or Emergency Maintenance Allowance, who are training to improve their work skills.
I have helped several people change their “Sickness Benefit” to a “Invalids benefit”, which is for people who have a permanent and severe sickness, injury or disability. Although the title is not quite politically correct for our people first language, it still provides an opportunity for people who experience a mental health issue, or a disability to receive some financial assistance to live in the community.
One story from my flatmates: Yesterday, Emma took 9 yr old Jack for a chest X-ray for his bad cough. She went into the doctors office without her wallet, because she knew that there wan not going to be a cost. If she had private insurance, she says that she would have to pay about $60-70. I contrast that with my own visit to Urgent Care in Juneau for my cough the day before I flew over here. I was charged $287 on the spot, which I may get part of back, but since it is counted toward my annual deductable, I will not get any. I still don’t know what to make of all of this or the systems that we work within.
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