Equipment and Modification Services

Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People’s Equipment and Modification Services (EMS) provide free or subsidised equipment and modifications to disabled people.

On 18 March the purchasing rules governing what disability funding can be used for changed and a new prioritisation process was implemented. For more information download the letter to assessors regarding the new prioritisation process (DOCX 391KB).

What EMS covers

Equipment and Modification Services (EMS) cover:

  • equipment
  • housing modifications
  • vehicle purchase and modifications.

EMS principles

Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People funds equipment and modifications to support disabled people to live as independently and safely as possible.

Whaikaha is not always able to provide funding to meet all the needs identified by disabled people.

To ensure that provision of services is affordable within defined budgets, service allocation can be evaluated against the following principles:

  1. They make an effective contribution towards helping disabled people to live, as far as possible, as others do in their own home and communities.
  2. They represent value for money both now and in the future.
  3. They are allocated fairly through a consistent, principled and equitable approach.
  4. They reflect a lifetime perspective by recognising that the services that are most appropriate for a person may change over time.