Veterans' Independence Programme
The Veterans' Independence Programme (VIP) aims to help you to remain independent and safe in your own home by providing home assistance services.
This is a non-urgent, needs-based programme for veterans with Qualifying Service who are having some difficulty managing in their own home.
It offers services like:
- gardening
- lawn mowing
- clearing gutters
- home cleaning.
Check to see if you have Qualifying Service
If you have Qualifying Service but not a service-related condition, you may still eligible for VIP services.
VIP services are based on your needs
You will only meet the criteria for services from the VIP programme if no one else in your household can provide the support.
To understand more about the needs of a client, we undertake a needs assessment.
This will help us to understand:
- what is important to you
- your medical treatment and health care needs
- your rehabilitation needs, such as:
- medical management assistance to manage treatment and medical goals
- social assistance to overcome any barriers to rehabilitation, or to being part of your community
- vocational assistance to return to work
- your ability to safely manage daily independent living
- your situation and whether you have any support already in place
- the requirement for impairment and income compensation
- who is helping you at home, and whether we should assess their needs too.
Following this assessment, it may be 3–4 months before the services are put in place.
What a needs assessment involves
Your needs assessment will be done over the phone by your case manager or a Support Centre Officer. It will take around 15 to 30 minutes.
-
Step 1 We'll prepare
Your case manager will prepare for the assessment by reviewing your files and medical reports.
-
Step 2 We'll call you
Your case manager or a Support Centre Officer will contact you by phone. They'll:
- explain the needs assessment process
- explain your rights and responsibilities
- ask if you're free to do the needs assessment now
- ask if you have whānau members or another non-professional support person helping you — we'll talk to them to see if they have needs that relate to the support they give you.
-
Step 3 We'll complete the assessment
Your case manager or Support Centre Officer will leave the call and take some time to complete the assessment. They will call you back at an agreed time. In some cases, they may also need additional information from a health professional.
After the assessment, your case manager will work with you to figure out what will best meet your needs.
Processing times
It may take 3 to 4 months before the services begin.
This is because VIP services are not critical to the health of clients and don't include any treatment or medical services. These services are designed to support the day-to-day lives of clients in their own homes.
We work with third-party providers of these services to put them in place soon as they are able. However, some are having capacity problems, which may cause a delay.
Spouse and partner
Your spouse or partner can keep getting Veterans' Independence Programme services even if you:
- are getting treatment in a hospital, but have not permanently moved into the hospital
- have entered long-term residential care for up to 12 months
- pass away — for up to 12 months after your death.
In this section
A-Z of services
- Annual Medical Assessment
- Battery Allowance
- Burial in a Services Cemetery
- Child Care Payments
- Children's Bursary
- Children's Pension
- Commemorative Project Contribution
- Commemorative Travel Contribution
- Dependant's Pension
- Disablement Pension
- Financial Advice
- Funeral Expenses
- Hearing Aids and Appliances
- Independence Allowance
- Lump Sum for Permanent Impairment
- Medals
- Mental health treatment
- Official Information Act requests
- Plaque and Headstone Funding
- Post-release veteran health check
- Privacy Act requests
- Retirement Lump Sum
- Service records
- Social Rehabilitation
- Support for families of those with service on Operation Grapple
- Support for families of those with service in Viet Nam
- Support if you served in Viet Nam
- Surviving Spouse or Partner Pension
- Survivor's grant
- Travel for Treatment and Rehabilitation
- Travel for Visitors of Veterans in Long Term Hospital Care
- Treatment
- Veterans' Independence Programme
- Veteran's Pension
- Veteran's Pin and Certificate of Appreciation
- Veteran SuperGold Card
- Viet Nam registration
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Weekly Compensation
- Weekly Compensation for Families
- Weekly Income Compensation
- War Disablement Pension
- Counselling for Family Members or Support People