The Wigs and Hairpieces Service Payment is a payment to people who suffer from serious hair loss because of a medical condition or from certain cancer therapies. The payments are to reduce the cost of purchasing and maintaining a wig or hairpiece or other related products.
The Wigs and Hairpieces Service Payments notice sets out the terms and conditions on which the Ministry will:
- pay any provider for providing wigs, hairpieces or other headwear (‘the Services’) to any eligible person; or
- pay any eligible person for the purchase of the services by that eligible person from a provider.
Who can claim this service payment?
You may claim for this service payment if you:
- are a New Zealand citizen, or are ordinarily resident in New Zealand; and
- have a medical condition that has caused you to lose your hair (like treatment for cancer, alopecia or other scalp conditions that cause hair loss). Your specialist or general practitioner (GP) needs to give you a current medical certificate with your NHI number, details of the hair loss condition and whether it is permanent or temporary.
What can I use the service payment for?
The service payment is available to cover the cost of the following items only:
- wig or hairpiece
- headwear (eg, hats, turbans)
- eyebrow wigs and associated products.
Your entitlement
If you are an adult (18 years or over), the amount you are entitled to depends on whether your hair loss is permanent or temporary. If you are under 18, your entitlement is the same whether the hair loss is temporary or permanent.
For adults (with temporary hair loss)
Your entitlement is $408.88 (GST incl) over a 1-year period. You can claim all of or part of your $408.88 entitlement at any time over the 1-year period.
