Skip to main content
Home page

Funding for health and disability travel costs

Find out about financial help available for health and disability related travel costs.


ACC, the Disability Support Services (DSS), Work and Income, and Veteran’s Affairs can help some people with travel and accommodation costs to attend medical, specialist or rehabilitation treatments.

Each government agency has guidelines about who can apply for financial help.

ACC helps people with transport needs that are a direct result of an injury. For example:

  • Transport to treatment or rehabilitation.

  • Travel and accommodation for whanau/family to visit you during rehabilitation.

Talk to your support or service coordinator about your transport options and how to get the help you need.

Find out more about transport support available from ACC on their website

Help with travel to specialist medical services

The National Travel Assistance Scheme helps people financially who:

  • Are referred by their specialist to see another specialist, and

  • need to travel long distances or travel frequently.

If you meet the Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) guidelines for travel assistance, you may be able to claim for travel, accommodation and support person costs.

Talk to your specialist, hospital travel coordinator or nominated social worker. They will need to help you register for travel assistance.

Find out more about the National Travel Assistance Scheme on the Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) website

Work and Income may be able to help with health-related travel and accommodation costs.

  • Financial help may depend on how much you or your partner earn.

  • You don’t have to be on a benefit to qualify for some allowances.

Find out how Work and Income can help with travel costs for a one-off appointment

Find out how Work and Income can help with travel costs to visit an artificial limb centre

Find out how Work and Income can help with regular, ongoing travel costs because of a disability

Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand travel assistance includes:

  • Funding for medical travel (assessment, treatmentand rehabilitation).

  • Travel allowance for increased day-to-day travel costs.

  • Travel concessions for funding for personal travel.

  • Transport services or grants,to help restore independence after injury or illness.

Find out more about Veterans' Affairs Travel Allowance

In this section

Is this page helpful?