Manawatū Work and Income an essential service helping clients

Ministry of Social Development Regional Commissioner Katie Brosnahan says the agency is an essential service and is doing everything it can to help communities in Manawatū.

"Our focus is on ensuring the following essential services continue:
delivery of benefit payments, subsidies, financial support and emergency housing, deployment of workers into essential services and ensuring essential service providers continue to operate."

Brosnahan says all other non-essential services have been stopped during the Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown.

"While our offices are closed, we have staff working every day to help people during this time of uncertainty – including many who are working from home.

"Throughout our communities, we are seeing a growing number of whānau needing assistance and we are working hard to provide people with all available help as quickly as possible.

"We are working hard to get payments made as quickly as possible during this time of unprecedented demand."

As part of Covid-19 assistance, Brosnahan said all main benefits rose $25 a week on April 1.

This was in addition to a 3.09 per cent annual increase.

Winter Energy Payments will also double for those receiving a benefit or superannuation.

"We are continuing to work with our community partners to provide emergency accommodation for those that need it and to reach out to some of our most vulnerable residents and check in with them to make sure they're okay.

" We are also in regular contact with our local economic development agencies, chambers of commerce and councils to provide a co-ordinated response and will continue to do so during the recovery phase within the Manawatū."

Brosnahan said the MSD was in close contact with many employers across the region to provide any available supports to their employees and was also working to re-deploy workers to help fill jobs in essential industries.

"As well as working hard on supporting clients within the region, we have a nationwide team supporting employers with wage subsidies.

"We appreciate the support and patience being shown by employers in the region as we experience this period of high demand and would like to assure them that we are doing everything we can to process their applications as quickly as we can.

"We encourage people to check the MSD website first for information before ringing us.

"Our clients can also access assistance through their MyMSD apps.

"If people are unable to access internet, we ask that they call us.

"We understand that there may be a long wait time and ask for patience."

For businesses accessing the wage subsidy scheme they must undertake their best endeavour to pay employees 80 per cent of their pre-Covid-19 income.

Where this is not possible, they must pass on at least the whole value of the wage subsidy to each affected worker.

Businesses must also undertake to keep employees in employment for the period of the 12-week subsidy.

Work and Income has also adjusted some of its processes to make things easier for people during this period, including temporary removal of stand downs to ensure those who lose their jobs will have faster access to assistance from MSD.

For a six-month period from March 30 MSD removed the need to provide subsequent medical certificates for clients already getting Jobseeker Support or Sole Parent Support, Supported Living Payment and Child Disability Allowance.

The agency is also deferring any Disability Reviews, delaying annual reviews, clearing any 52-week reapplications for clients getting Jobseeker Support of Sole Parent Support, extending the period Temporary Additional Support is granted for and deferring any new obligations failures.

The emergency housing contribution of 25 per cent of client income paid towards accommodation costs that was due to be implemented over the next week has been put on hold for at least 12 weeks.

Brosnahan said this was to ease pressure on people.

For any more information about assistance head to www.workandincome.govt.nz/