A warning - tax credits and claiming free nhs dental treatments
Comments
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I was misled by my dental practice - I needed a filling & other work (total cost £130) when I said I had a NHS TC Exemption Certificate. The receptionist told me that card only covered prescriptions & not the additional treatment, so I paid up assuming she knew the rules better than me (as she'd been there for years).
Next appointment was 5 weeks later, so I gave in my card as they'd asked to see it. Then I was told that I had indeed been exempt from paying for the treatment I'd had (& paid for) but that it was now too late to do anything about it :mad:
At least the receptionist had the grace to look flustered....
I wrote to NHSBSA explaining my situation & amazingly they sent me a cheque for a refund. Maybe they'd had a few queries from that surgery! I was so glad, as thet bill had left me very short as the surgery wouldn't let me pay over a few weeks. Thank goodness for credit cards...And I find that looking back at you gives a better view, a better view...0 -
gardenia101 wrote: »I was misled by my dental practice - I needed a filling & other work (total cost £130) when I said I had a NHS TC Exemption Certificate. The receptionist told me that card only covered prescriptions & not the additional treatment, so I paid up assuming she knew the rules better than me (as she'd been there for years).
Next appointment was 5 weeks later, so I gave in my card as they'd asked to see it. Then I was told that I had indeed been exempt from paying for the treatment I'd had (& paid for) but that it was now too late to do anything about it :mad:
At least the receptionist had the grace to look flustered....
I wrote to NHSBSA explaining my situation & amazingly they sent me a cheque for a refund. Maybe they'd had a few queries from that surgery! I was so glad, as thet bill had left me very short as the surgery wouldn't let me pay over a few weeks. Thank goodness for credit cards...
Good for you and you got the result in the end. Once again it highlights that mant staff don;t have a clue and from an official perpsective there is no incentive for them to be bothered. As irritating as it is the surgery followed correct procedure in not directly refunding you and thats why you had to forward your NHS receipt with the HC5 form.
Your scenario is fairly common due a simple and yet easily rectifiable issue. Both the NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate and (TCEC) the Medical Exemption Certificate are very similar white credit card sized cards with the blue NHS branding. On closer examination each card to be fair does say what type of card it is but when it comes to a casual glance in th surgery as part of the flawed "evidence showing" process they look very similar.
And this is the same benefits system that thought for OAP's it would be a good idea to have two types of Pension Credit, one called Pension Credit Savings Credit and one called Pension Credit Guarantee Credit with only the latter entitling you to claim free NHS dental treatment. Why not give them significantly different names? Compound this problem with many OAP's holding the Medex Certificate (which looks like the TCEC) and thereby falsely assuming that they are entitled because of free prescriptions and the sight tests they legitimately claim. The end result being many OAP's getting a rather scarey letter from Eastbourne asking for NHS charges plus a penalty charge. Fortunately, they don't chase anyone over 70.0 -
I agree with Tallulah - you are entitled to free NHS dental care as IS is a passport benefit.
You don't need the tax credit card as its irrelevant.
1p of IS means automatic exemption, full HB etc
Apologies if i have read this wrong but just to clarify. The poster who's son is in receipt of DLA is NOT entitled to claim free treatment on the basis of his receipt of the benefit. He can legitimately claim free treatment providing that he is 100% sure that within the DLA there is an element paid as income support. That often confusing factor should be directly clarified with DWP. If not confirmed anyone on DLA/IB or on the relatively new Conts Related ESA should apply for an HC2 Low Income Scheme certificate by completing an HC1 form.0 -
METAL_MICKEY wrote: »Apologies if i have read this wrong but just to clarify. The poster who's son is in receipt of DLA is NOT entitled to claim free treatment on the basis of his receipt of the benefit. He can legitimately claim free treatment providing that he is 100% sure that within the DLA there is an element paid as income support. That often confusing factor should be directly clarified with DWP. If not confirmed anyone on DLA/IB or on the relatively new Conts Related ESA should apply for an HC2 Low Income Scheme certificate by completing an HC1 form.
The poster receivers carers allowance which is topped up with income support.
As far as I am aware, IS is paid separately from DLA as DLA is not means tested whereas IS is...? An IS claimant should have related paperwork.
Anyone who receives IS is entitled to free NHS dental care and prescriptions. It is means tested and as such is a passport benefit.
You are talking about benefits with a contributions element but people could be claiming IB (I dont know about ESA) and IS. However, this should be clear from the paperwork and you are right, they should check.0 -
The poster receivers carers allowance which is topped up with income support.
As far as I am aware, IS is paid separately from DLA as DLA is not means tested whereas IS is...? An IS claimant should have related paperwork.
Anyone who receives IS is entitled to free NHS dental care and prescriptions. It is means tested and as such is a passport benefit.
You are talking about benefits with a contributions element but people could be claiming IB (I dont know about ESA) and IS. However, this should be clear from the paperwork and you are right, they should check.
OK i am with you. However, its this bandying of the phrases such as "topped up" and "having an element of IS". This is what people need to be absolutely sure of. As you rightly say IS is totally able to claim free treatment. However, if at any point you transition to DLA/IB that is when you need to check that according to the DWP database there exists the IS element. And crucially it is not always clear from the paperwork.
A current good example of crap paperwork issued by the DWP is that relating to ESA. The confirmation letter does not clearly indicate whether you are on Conts or Income based. Instead it has a wonderfully poor sentence that uses both terms in the same sentence. This is a known issue for the NHSBSA doing the benefit checks but DWP do not want to know and cynically it would mean a reduction in recovered NHS dental charges and the revenue from the punitive penalty charge.0 -
METAL_MICKEY wrote: »OK i am with you. However, its this bandying of the phrases such as "topped up" and "having an element of IS". This is what people need to be absolutely sure of. As you rightly say IS is totally able to claim free treatment. However, if at any point you transition to DLA/IB that is when you need to check that according to the DWP database there exists the IS element. And crucially it is not always clear from the paperwork.
A current good example of crap paperwork issued by the DWP is that relating to ESA. The confirmation letter does not clearly indicate whether you are on Conts or Income based. Instead it has a wonderfully poor sentence that uses both terms in the same sentence. This is a known issue for the NHSBSA doing the benefit checks but DWP do not want to know and cynically it would mean a reduction in recovered NHS dental charges and the revenue from the punitive penalty charge.
I guess it would be easier if they were all issued with a card but I suspect NHS fraud would be higher and it would cost to issue them.
Maybe that's one thing that will be easier with universal credit.0 -
Last time I was at my dentist's there was a sign in reception advising all NHS patients that they had been booted off his list. He only does private now.0
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PasturesNew wrote: »Last time I was at my dentist's there was a sign in reception advising all NHS patients that they had been booted off his list. He only does private now.
Ours went private years ago - most of them did in these parts.
I now realise you get what you pay for in dentistry and I wouldn't go back to NHS.
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I guess it would be easier if they were all issued with a card but I suspect NHS fraud would be higher and it would cost to issue them.
Maybe that's one thing that will be easier with universal credit.
Absolutely. We all knew the introduction of a national ID card was was never going to get off the ground for many good reasons including cost to implement and maintain plus the "big brother" civil liberty issues. However, one very good application of it would be whereby the details of your specific benefit would be loaded on to it and then when you attended the dentist you swiped it through a reader and green light would signify that you were legitimately claiming free treatment.
I totally agree that it will be very interesting to see how the Universal Credit effects things. Theoretically i would hope it would reduce the number of of confusing benefits whereby people cannot differentiate between those that are qualifying and those that are not. Of course this all great theory but requires correct implementation from DWP and the the other concerned parties like the dentists and PCT's.0 -
Same goes for the opticians, you only get the voucher if you have an exemption card.
I'm in Scotland so we use the GOS 3 form to issue an optical voucher and it has a "evidence not produced box". The reason we sometimes don't get evidence is the person is aggressive if you ask to see proof and it's easier to get a signature and cross the box rather to put yourself at risk. The guidelines for the form state that this is acceptable.
I'm glad that there's a clamp down on NHS fraud, sometimes there are days where every other customer is on income support with no evidence and they are using their £37.10 voucher towards designer glasses with thinned down drivewear or transition lenses at £300+. I know that some people on benefits save for nicer glasses than the voucher covers but really, drivewear have a permanent tint on them and you need a decent pair of clear glasses to go with them so it's an expensive, non-clinical, purchase for someone who is supposed to be on the bread line.0
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