ACC returns $243.3 million surplus – 6 September 2002
ACC has recorded a before-tax surplus of $243.3 million for the 2001/02 annual year, turning around the previous year’s $313.1 million deficit before tax.
ACC’s income for the year ended June 30 was $2,455.1 million with net levy income totalling $2,323.7 million, reserves income returning $128.8 million and other income of $2.6 million.
Over the same period ACC paid out $1,579.3 million to accident victims, with $865 million spent on rehabilitation and $714.3 million in compensation benefits.
Higher-than-expected rehabilitation and compensation costs, and a lower returns in the global investment market following September 11, saw ACC’s before tax surplus come in $47.5 million under budget.
ACC’s reserves pay for the future costs of long-term injuries, as many victims are dependent on ACC assistance for decades.
ACC’s investment portfolio, currently $3.6 billion, returned 3.85% for the year, well ahead of market benchmarks and significantly better than the negative returns reported by many fund managers.
Over the past 10 years ACC’s investment of reserves has returned 10.68% p.a., well ahead of the 8.81% p.a. benchmark. New Zealand investments account for 72% of ACC’s reserves portfolio.
ACC’s assets increased by $502 million to $4.282 billion, while claims liability (the estimated cost of existing claims requiring future expenditure) dropped to $7.5 billion, down from $8.3 billion five years ago. Unfunded liability is now $3.6 billion, compared with $6.8 billion five years ago, consistent with the move to a fully funded-position.
This year, for the first time, ACC was independently appraised by an external rating agency, AM Best. It was rated A+ (superior), one rating below AM Best’s top rating and generally the best rating a non-multinational organisation can achieve.
In ACC’s Annual Report, tabled in Parliament today, Chairman David Caygill said ACC’s major challenge for the year had been ensuring a smooth implementation of the expanded benefits and scope of ACC, as set out in the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2001.
“The new Act is a significant piece of work affecting every staff member and every facet of the way ACC conducts its business,” he said. “Almost half of ACC’s staff had been involved in analysis and implementation of the changes, which were planned and managed in considerable detail.”
Mr Caygill noted that levy rates for employers had remained at $0.90c per $100 of payroll for two years running. Under the private market employers paid an average of $1.20 to $1.25.
Some levies had increased in line with costs rising due to increases in the seriousness and duration of injuries, especially farmers among the self-employed, and motorcyclists.
Mr Caygill said ACC had also been able to lower some levy rates as a direct result of its drive to improve rehabilitation and to shorten the time claimants required ACC services and compensation.
At the end of 2001/02, 14,518 claimants had been receiving weekly compensation for more than 12 months, down from 16,373 the previous year and half of the 28,926 five years ago. At the same time, claimant satisfaction improved to 78%, up from 71% five years ago.
Chief executive Garry Wilson said creating a safety culture had been top of ACC’s priority list for the year, with a major initiative being the nationwide launch of 23 ThinkSafe community plans.
“We have over 70 injury prevention consultants working intensively in local communities to promote workplace safety, Down With Speed, SportSmart, RugbySmart, vehicle safety belt projects and slips, trips and falls prevention,” Mr Wilson said.
“The Corporation has also developed stronger injury prevention partnerships with agencies like Police, Water Safety New Zealand, the Land Transport Safety Authority and the New Zealand Rugby Football Union,” Mr Wilson said.
“While it is too soon to tell the impact of these initiatives, ACC’s work with employers and sports bodies suggests very positive outcomes.
“The introduction of ACC’s WorkSafe management system in companies with previously high injury rates has seen reductions of over 20% in some cases and new entitlement claims for rugby and league have dropped by about 15% over the last five years.
“Our overall injury and death rates are still high but in many areas we are not achieving good results by international standards.”
Mr Wilson said most accounts had performed up to expectations although the Motor Vehicle Account’s deficit of $166.4 million was an area of concern that would need to be addressed.
He said ACC was easily outperforming the Australian accident insurance and motor vehicle personal injury markets in terms of lower levies and better return-to-work rates.
“New Zealand businesses are now $200 million a year better off than when the private sector provided workers’ compensation, and $876 million better off than they would be across the Tasman, where the average rate is NZ$2.42,” he said.
Statement of financial performance
2002 2001
REVENUE ...$000
...$000
Levy and other income
2,326,308
1,975,206
Investment income
128,841
222,953
Total income 2,455,149 2,198,159
EXPENDITURE
Rehabilitation benefits
864,961
784,139
Compensation benefits
714,375
710,070
Adjustment to claims liability
359,474
765,642
Other operating costs
273,000
251,458
Total expenditure 2,211,810 2,511,309
Surplus/(deficit) before tax 243,339 (313,150)
ENDS
Further information or copies of the Annual Report:
James Funnell
ACC media unit
Phone: (04) 918 4291 or 025 281 6982
http://www.acc.org.nz/about-acc/press-rele...---6-september/
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Longer term Catalyst claimants to be returned to ACC Management - 1 September 2003
The Accident Compensation Corporation has confirmed today that all Catalyst claimants—numbering about 3,000—are to be returned to ACC for case management over the next few months.
ACC has decided to phase out the contract with its subsidiary, Catalyst, for the management of longer-term claimants. Catalyst Case Managers are all ACC staff, and will continue managing their longer-term claimants within the Corporation's network.
Catalyst will continue its stand-alone commercial activities, which include working with businesses to reduce workplace accident rates and develop safer workplaces, case management of claimants and reducing workplace absentees. This is developing work that ACC expects would increase over time.
ACC processes about 1.4 million claims a year, of which, at any time, there are about 14,000 longer-term claimants—people who have received ACC entitlements for moderate to serious injuries, for longer than 12 months.
Since Catalyst's restructuring into its present form after the change of Government in 1999, the subsidiary company has specialised in managing longer-term claimants identified by independent assessments as being likely to respond to intensive rehabilitation, and be able to return to work or independence within 12 to 18 months.
Currently there are about 14,000 claimants in the long term group. ACC retained case management of 11,000 longer-term claimants. The other 3,000, who were with Catalyst, will be transferred back in the least disruptive manner possible, to ensure well-established relationships between Case Managers and claimants are not destabilised.
After a review, the Corporation decided that the more-than-halving of the number longer-term claimants in recent years showed that need for Catalyst's specialised function had diminished to the point that its retention was no longer appropriate.
ACC stressed that all Catalyst claimants would continue to receive their appropriate entitlements, and that no redundancies were planned for Catalyst staff.
Fraser Folster
ACC Media Advisor
DDI 04 918 4119
MOB 0274 947 795
http://www.acc.org.nz/about-acc/press-rele...acc-management/
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Investment income boosts ACC surplus - 20 January 2004
Strong equity markets, careful investment and solid scheme performance lifted the Accident Compensation Corporation to a better-than-expected surplus of $279 million in the six months ended 31 December 2003.
The first-half surplus compares with $23 million in the same period of 2002.
Chief Executive Garry Wilson said the scheme had performed well with improved processes benefiting claimants and providers to ACC alike.
"We have extended our injury prevention programmes and we have greatly increased the quality of the rehabilitation for many claimants by shortening the waiting time for assessment and treatment," Mr Wilson said.
"We also continue to re-evaluate and improve our claims and provider payment systems and it could soon be possible to initiate rehabilitation processes the day an injury occurs."
Mr Wilson said ACC's strong investment performance had been a factor in the 2004/05 levies that come into force in April remaining steady or reducing.
The investment portfolio now tops $5 billion as the scheme builds reserves to fully-fund the life-time cost of injuries.
Investment income of $271 million exceeded benchmarks and was up from $84 million in the previous period, with strong domestic and international equity returns partially offset by weakness in the domestic bond market.
Non-investment income jumped $121 million to $1321 million, despite little change in levies, because New Zealanders had earned more.
The surplus also took account of a $247 million rise in the claims liability which was based on a forecast at the end of the 2003 financial year.
However, Mr Wilson said ACC's surplus is sensitive to interest rate movements which in turn affect the cost of its liability to long-term claimants.
If rates continue at 6.1 percent for the remainder of the year,
ACC's long-term liability will fall by $500 million with a corresponding impact on the year-end surplus.
Richard Braddell
Media Advisor
DDI 04 918 4291
Mob 021 474 240
http://www.acc.org.nz/about-acc/press-rele...0-january-2004/