ACC paid for surgery, then pulled the plug: Woman faces up to $40k bill or years of pain

Monday, 26 January 2026

Shenandoah Robinson says she is in constant pain and unable to work after ACC reversed its decision to cover her hip injury and declined to fund a hip replacement.

A Wairarapa woman says she has been left in constant pain and unable to work after ACC reversed its decision to cover her hip injury and declined to fund a hip replacement she can’t afford on her own.

But ACC says medical information reviewed after a request to fund the replacement showed the ongoing pain and damage was not accident-related.

Shenandoah Robinson, 39, suffered an epileptic seizure at work in 2022 and later developed severe hip pain.

ACC initially accepted her claim and funded surgery in 2024, but had since changed its position, saying new medical evidence does not support the seizure as the cause of the injury and the claim should never have been approved.

Speaking to Stuff, Robinson said the decision had left her shocked, particularly given doctors’ notes she provided to ACC linked her hip injury directly to the seizure, saying her worsening condition was not wear and tear.

“[ACC is] basically claiming because I was assisted to the ground during an epileptic episode, they don't believe there could have been any way I could have torn or twisted my body in a way that would justify an injury like that,” Robinson said.

“But two top surgeons in Wellington have all stipulated this could very well happen during these episodes.”

In letters seen by Stuff, one orthopaedic surgeon said Robinson had “significant pain” in her hip, initially injured in 2022, and that her current condition was “a continuation of this pathological process”.

“This is not degeneration.”

Robinson relies on crutches and says her hip regularly locks, making it difficult to sit, walk or live independently.

It continued: “She is now significantly limited by this.

“Unfortunately, the next step is going to be a total hip replacement.”

Robinson says she has been unable to work for more than two years and has been receiving weekly compensation from ACC, which she has been told will also stop.

Another letter, written by a different orthopaedic surgeon, described Robinson as having “left-sided hip pain following a seizure activity”. It said there was a “direct link between the proposed treatment and the injury covered”.

Robinson said she had relied on crutches since the seizure and her hip regularly locks, making it difficult to sit, walk or live independently.

“It’s been a very trying past few years. I've always walked everywhere and now I can't even do that. I can't really move around or do too much without a lot of discomfort.”

Robinson says she can’t afford to have the hip replacement done privately, with cost estimates ranging from $22,000 to $40,000.

Unable to work for more than two years now, Robinson had been receiving weekly compensation from ACC. Since the decision reversal, she said she had been told those payments would also stop.

Robinson said she could not afford to have the hip replacement done privately, with cost estimates ranging from $22,000 to $40,000. Without ACC’s help, her only option was the public health system. She had been told the wait could be three years or longer because she lived in Masterton.

“My life has come to a complete halt. I’m not one to fight for myself … but it’s got to a point where, if I don’t say something, the next person could suffer just as bad.”

In a statement to Stuff, Matthew Goodger, ACC head of client recovery, said it accepted Robinson’s original claim for a sprain following her seizure in 2022 and later funded surgery in 2024 after her surgeon requested additional cover for a labral tear.

However, Goodger said the surgeon’s post-operative report described “degenerative changes to the hip and labrum”.

After a further request to fund a hip replacement, Goodger said ACC’s internal specialist orthopaedic panel reviewed the medical information, including the surgery report, imaging and clinical notes, and concluded the ongoing pain and hip damage were not accident-related.

“This also prompted us to re-look at our previous cover decision for the labral tear, and cover was revoked as the medical information didn’t support the injury being a result of the accident.”

Goodger said, while an accident can sometimes exacerbate an underlying condition, ACC can provide cover only if the accident caused the injury.

“This can be complicated when there is conflicting medical information. In this case, the weight of medical information doesn’t support a clear accident-related cause for the current hip damage.”

Goodger said clients can ask for any cover or entitlement decisions made by ACC to be independently reviewed.