ACC staff were paid bonuses for cutting long-term claimants' entitlements, Green Party MP Kevin Hague says.

Documents released under the Official Information Act show staff were set targets of ending payments to long-term claimants within certain time periods.

Hague said the documents confirmed ACC was targeting long-term claimants in a bid to reduce costs.

"This sort of scheme is symptomatic of a sick culture within ACC."

The "exit targets" identified in the documents formed part of the key performance indicators that managers and staff must meet in order to qualify for remuneration bonuses.

As well as specific targets for reducing the number of days claimants were paid, staff were expected to achieve a "net change in long-term pool" claimants and keep the social rehabilitation spend within budget.

Hague said is was completely unacceptable that one of the performance measures for ACC staff was cutting claimants off from their entitlements.

"Incentivising the withdrawal of financial support for claimants will inevitably lead to this occurring before it is clinically appropriate in some cases."

ACC must return to being an organisation focused on prioritising claimants' needs, he said.

Hague was expected to ask ACC Minister Judith Collins about the matter in Parliament this afternoon.

- © Fairfax NZ News