(1) CONTRIBUTIONS.

(a) Contribution Card.

He must provide himself with a Contribution Card, so that contributions can be paid by means of Health Insurance stamps. He must present the card to his employer when the latter asks for it. As soon as the period covered by the card has elapsed, he must, after signing^- it in the proper place, hand it over to his Society. If he is not a member of an Approved Society, he must hand it in at any Post Office.

(b) Insurance Book.

After handing in his first contribution card, he should receive an Insurance Book bearing the name of the Approved Society and the member’s number, and his name, address, nationality, and occupation. In the space provided in the second page of the cover, the insured person must sign his name immediately on receiving the book. The book will show the number of contributions paid by means of stamps on the contribution card which he has surrendered. He should see that the number is correctly entered and the entry initialled on behalf of the Society.

If his card for any period is not fully stamped, he may complete the stamping himself. There may be blanks because he has been out of work. If he has been out of work because of illness, his Society will not count arrears against him for that period. If, however, he has not been ill but has been merely unemployed, arrears will be counted unless he stamps his card himself. He need only stamp the card with a stamp of the value of his own contribution, i.e., in most cases Id.

The employer is bound to return to the insured person any card in his possession (a) when the man leaves his employment; (b) when the period covered by the card is up, or within six days thereafter; and (c) within forty-eight hours after the insured person requests it.

When an insured person leaves an employment, he must ask his employer for the return of his card.

(2) JOINING A SOCIETY.

Every insured person should join an Approved Society. If he does not join a Society, he cannot get more in benefits than the value of his contributions, plus the contribution of the State.

A list of Approved Societies can be consulted at any Post Office. To join a Society he must fill up an Application Form which will be supplied by the Agent or Secretary of the Society or Branch he proposes to join.

He must be careful to state on this form only what is strictly accurate, as the Application forms the basis of the contract between him and the Society. A few days after filling up the Form and handing it in, he should, if he has received no intimation on the subject, ascertain whether the Society has accepted or rejected his application. If rejected, he should try another Society.

He should take a note of the name of his Society, the name and address of the Secretary, and, if he has joined through a Branch, the name and address of the Branch and its Secretary. If he has joined through an Agent, he should note the name and address of the Agent, and also the address of the local office of the Society. He should keep a note of his number in the Society. This is given in the Insurance Book, which should, of course, be always carefully preserved. In communicating with his Society on any question he should always quote his number. He should get a copy of the rules of the Society, and make himself acquainted with his rights and duties under them.

(3) BENEFITS.

Medical Benefit.

To eet medical attendance and treatment he should choose a doctor. A list of doctors on the panel may be consulted at any Post Office. He must fill up a form applying for the doctor of his choice. This form may be obtained from almost every chemist, or from the doctor himself. Officers of Customs and Excise and in some cases also the Approved Society can supply the forms. If the doctor accepts him, he will be on his list until the end of the current medical year. Towards the end of that time he will have an opportunity of changing to another doctor if he desires.

Change of residence from one Insurance Committee area to another.

If an insured person goes from one Insurance Committee area to another, i.e., from one large town to another, or from one county to another, he must take steps to provide himself with medical benefit in the district to -v\hich he goes. He must write a letter or a postcard to the Clerk to the Insurance Committee of the area where he goes to reside, and ask that arrangements be made to provide him with medical benefit.

Address of Clerk to Insurance Committee.

He can ascertain the address of the Clerk to the Insurance Committee by inquiry at any Post Office. In writing to the Clerk he must state his full name and address, the full name and address of his Society, the address at which he formerly resided, and he must forward his medical ticket.

Change of residence within an Insurance Committee Area.

If he removes from one part of a town to another, or if he removes from one part of a county to another, remaining in the same Insurance Committee area, he can obtain a transfer from the list of his present doctor to the list of another doctor more conveniently situated to his new address. To do this, he must write, as before, to the Clerk to the Insurance Committee, giving full particulars and forwarding his medical ticket.

Complaints about medical attendance and treatment.

If an insured person has any complaint to make with reference to his treatment by his doctor, he should write to the Clerk to the Insurance Committee, who will enquire into the matter. As before, he must be particular to give full information in regard to himself and his complaint.

(4) SANATORIUM BENEFIT.

If the insured person is suffering from consumption, he can apply for sanatorium benefit. This application must be made to the Clerk to the Insurance Committee of the area where he resides, and a form for the purpose may be obtained at the Insurance Committee office.

(5) SICKNESS BENEFIT.

(a) Qualification.

To be qualified for sickness benefit an insured person must have been insured for twenty-six weeks, and have at least twenty-six weekly contributions paid. Before he can get sickness benefit he must be totally incapacitated from work, and he must be able to prove to his Society that he is totally incapacitated.

(b) Procedure for claiming sickness benefit.

He must make a formal claim in writing on a Declaring-on-Form, which the Secretary or Agent of his Society will give him. This form must be carefully filled up and handed in together with a medical certificate obtained from his doctor. The form of Declaring--on Note will usually be something- like the following :—

DECLARING=OFF NOTE.

Name of Society (Branch)............................................

I hereby declare that 1 am now again capable of work, and declare off the funds of the Society. 1 also declare that I remained incapable of work till..........................................

{date), [and claim benefit in accordance with the Society’s rules for the days that have elapsed since 1 last received benefit].

I have not received any compensation or damages in respect of this illness.

Signature of Member....................................

Date....................................

(c) Points to be remembered.

(1) That he is not entitled to sickness benefit unless his illness exceeds three days.

(2) That the Society will require a certificate to cover the three waiting days for which he does not get payment.

(3) That further certificates of continued incapacity will be required.

(4) That when in receipt of sickness benefit he must observe the rule of his Society relating to conduct during sickness. This rule will provide that he must not be out of doors after certain hours, and, in addition to other matters, that he must obey the instructions of the doctor attending- him.

(5) That if the rules are not observed, the Society may impose penalties in the shape of fines.

(6) There are other conditions laid down in the rules with regard to sickness benefit with which he should make himself acquainted.

(6) MATERNITY BENEFIT.

(a) Husband compulsorily insured but not the wife.

If a man who is compulsorily insured is married, he will get a maternity benefit payment of 30s. on the confinement of his wife, if he has been twenty-six weeks insured and twenty-six weekly contributions have been paid. He must satisfy the Society that the claim is good. He must, if required, prove by the production of a marriage certificate, or otherwise, that the woman is his wife, and that the confinement has taken place. He must fill up the form of claim to be obtained from his Society Secretary or Agent, and he must get the signatures required on the form from the doctor or the nurse who attends the confinement.

The Society need not pay him the whole of the 30s. It may engage the doctor or the nurse and pay the necessary fees. The balance may be handed over to the insured person in cash, or the Society might dispose of it in the provision of food or other necessaries for the mother and child.

(b) Wife compulsorily insured but not the husband.

The wife in this case is entitled to two payments of 30s., if she has been insured for twenty-six weeks, and twenty-six weekly contributions have been paid. She must not, however, go out to work for wages for at least four weeks after confinement.

(c) Both insured.

Here the man must claim maternity benefit from his Society and the woman will also claim maternity benefit from her Society, and must abstain from working for wages for at least four weeks after confinement.

Careful note must be made of the provisions of the Amending Act with regard to maternity benefit.

(7) ARREARS.

Arrears, if allowed to accumulate, will affect benefits. The insured person should therefore do his utmost to keep his contributions as much up-to-date as possible in spite of periods of unemployment. While unemployed he need only pay his own share of the contributions. In order to qualify for sickness and disablement benefit, he should remember that twenty-six contributions are required for the first and a hundred and four contributions for the second. It is very much in his interest, therefore, to get these contributions paid at the earliest possible date.

(8) EXCESSIVE SICKNESS & DEFICITS IN SOCIETIES.

Every member of a Society should remember that he has a personal interest in saving and safeguarding the funds of the Society. If the claims are too heavy, the Society may not be able, after a valuation, to go on paying full benefits, i.e., it may have a deficit. It should be noted that a man who leaves a Society in deficit carries a proportion of the deficit with him, and will be subject to the same reduction of benefit as would have applied had he remained in his old Society. The State does not make good the deficit of any Society.

(9) INSURED PERSON IN HOSPITAL.

When the insured person is in hospital he does not get a direct payment of benefit. If he has any persons dependent on his earnings his Society must pay or apply the benefit to relieve or maintain them. If he has no dependants and is getting sanatorium benefit, the amount of the benefit will go to the Insurance Committee If he has no dependants and the Society has agreed with the hospital or other institution, the amount may be paid to the hospital towards his maintenance therein. Any balance remaining will go to the insured person, after leaving the institution, in cash.

(10) CHANGES OF RESIDENCE.

If an insured person changes his residence, he must inform" his Society and make the necessary alterations on his Contribution Card and Insurance Book. What he must do in regard to medical benefit is noted above.

If he goes abroad permanently, it is only if he has been a deposit contributor that he will be entitled to any refund of his contributions. He should, however, certainly keep in touch with his Society at home, as arrangements may be made whereby he may benefit by his insurance in this country.

(11) TRANSFERS.

(a) From Deposit Insurance to Approved Society.

All that is required here is to get filled up the necessary form for joining the Society. The Society will take steps to arrange the transfer from the deposit contributors’ class.

(b) From one Society to another.

The Society which lie wants to join will give him an application form. When this has been filled up he will get in exchange a form agreeing to accept him as a member, if the old Society agrees to his withdrawal. The new Society will also give him a form asking the old Society to give its consent. He must fill up and forward this form to his old Society and await a reply. His old Society is entitled, on reasonable grounds, to withhold consent to his withdrawal. If he is told that consent is given, his transfer will be arranged between

the two Societies. If the old Society refuses to consent to his withdrawal, he will remain a member of that Society. He may, however, refuse to accept the decision of the old Society and appeal from it in accordance with the Society’s rules as to disputes. He can bring this appeal in the last instance to the Commissioners. .

(13) BIRTH CERTIFICATES AND MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES.

These can be obtained cheaply, where they are required for the purposes of the National Insurance Act, the former for Gd., and the latter for Is. Application should be made .at the nearest office of the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths.