Kent Findlay knows cancer all too well.

He's beaten Hodgkin's lymphoma once, but now it's come back for a second round.

The 29-year-old teacher applied for a benefit with Work and Income, but the agency said because he doesn't meet the criteria for a health and disability allowance, he's a 'job seeker'.

Under the Ministry of Social Development's (MSD) guidelines, a 'job seeker' beneficiary must "actively take steps to look for work".

There are ways around that, but the MSD requires the patient to provide regular medical certificates from their doctor to prove they're still sick.

That comes out Mr Findlay's back pocket, and he says proving he has cancer is the last thing on his mind.

"Through the medical certificate you can still circumvent those things, but that is the extra hassle, the extra time, the extra cost of going to see the doctor - at a time in your life when you want to focus on getting better."