Am I on The Right Benifit, Please Help

Hi Mike,

Could it be that your situation is judged on past savings and that you need to update them with your current situation? I would suggest a visit to your local Citizens Advice Bureau or other welfare benefits adviser where they can check all your current entitlements. Have you put in a claim for Income Support at all? Another thing you might want them to consider for you is the question of your level of DLA. If the condition that entitles you to it has got worse, perhaps you can claim a higher level. They will look at all this for you.

I am on DLA and Incapacity benifit, and have been for a number of years.

As a consiquence I have to pay for ALL my Prescriptions, Dentists, Optitians and Council Tax.

Two of my friends are in EXACTLY the same position but instead of the Incapacity benifit they get Income Support, and therefore they do not have to pay for any of the above.

Why am I being treated differently, I even have less savings that them (Which is well below the threshhold)

Ah. The reason you're being treated differently is because you don't have the form to prove entitlement.

Everyone who has low savings and low income, and permanent right to stay in the UK, is entitled to free prescriptions - not just those who are on income support or pension credit.

Income support is a means-tested benefit. A person who doesn't have low income or savings therefore cannot get income support. As a result, anyone who qualifies for income support also automatically qualifies for free prescriptions, and can prove their entitlement just by showing their IS award notice.

But Incapacity Benefit and DLA are not means tested benefits. The fact that you're getting IB or DLA does not prove that you're not a millionaire - so it therefore doesn't prove that you're entitled to free NHS prescriptions either. So you need a separate form. You can get that form by applying directly to the Department of Health.

Who should I contact? What can I do?

Go to any GP surgery, dentist, optician, pharmacist or hospital, and ask for an "HC1" form. If they ask you what an HC1 form is, tell them it's the form you need to get exemption from prescription charges if you're on a low income. If they don't have any, try somewhere else. Fill in the form, and return it to the DH address on the form - not your surgery or pharmacist.

If you need a prescription before you receive the exemption certificate, then pay for it, and ask the pharmacist for an "FP57" receipt form. You must do this while you're still on the premises - you can't leave and come back later to get the form. When you receive the exemption certificate, you will be able to use it with the FP57 form to claim a cash refund for all your prescriptions from a post-office.

Don't buy a prepayment certificate while you're waiting - you cannot reclaim the cost of prepayment certificates.

Hope that helps.

All you need is the HC1 form to complete and send to the PPA at Newcastle...they will tell you whether you are entitled to full help in which case they give you an HC2 certificate or partial help (depending on your financial circumstances) when they give you an HC3 certificate which shows the NHS part of the costs you will have to contribute...

Incapacity Benefit is not means tested and means that you can get this benefit regardless of your financial circumstances if you are entitled to it on ill health. Therefore you could have lots of savings or not, which is why the HC1 application form is available, in order that you can claim should your savings be less than the allowed amount.

My OH is on Incapacity Benefit however because I am working full time he cannot get help with NHS costs ie. prescriptions...but because he needs more than 3 or 4 items per month I purchase a pre-payment certificate from the PPA at Newcastle which is around £26 for three months and saves a lot of money if you need lots of prescription items a month.

PPA stands for Prescription Pricing Authority and they have a website if you want to know more.

Hope this helps. Misty

I think you will find that both will have already been considered for IS with the disability premium as they have DLA in payment this gives the disability premium immediatly no need to wait one year.

The problem is they will have long term IB at £98.45 weekly with IS due at £88.40 weekly so they will bioth be well over their IS amount, an HC1 is the answer.

If they had middle or hgh care of DLA that would be different.