NHS Dental Scam?

r_i_c

Thanks GFM,

Have ordered the NHS dental costs support forms and will update. In all my 50 odd years of going to the dentist I have never been met with such a raft of rules, regulations, forms, bands & wot-not thanks to all the consistently right-wing administrations we have had since 1979 I feel.

GirlFromMars_2

r_i_c wrote: »

Thanks GFM,

Have ordered the NHS dental costs support forms and will update. In all my 50 odd years of going to the dentist I have never been met with such a raft of rules, regulations, forms, bands & wot-not thanks to all the consistently right-wing administrations we have had since 1979 I feel.

Good luck! And just remember you're better off than the people who don't understand the difference between Conts & IR JSA/ESA and ticked the wrong box thinking they were entitled to free dental care who end up with a £90 fine on top of the cost of the care!

Mersey_2

GirlFromMars wrote: »

Yes, I understand you're entitled to Conts-JSA, but if you're also entitled to Income Related-JSA which gives you access to additional Income Related benefits, like Free Prescriptions, Council Tax Relief, and Free Dental care, you should be on IR-JSA.

Conts JSA doesn't automatically entitle you to Council Tax Relief, you will have to fill out income forms for them if you wish to continue to receive it along with Conts JSA. It would be easier to just apply for IR-JSA which will passport you to the other benefits.

As far as I understand it, if a claimant is entitled to both, they are put on contribution-based JSA for 6 months, then they go on to income-based JSA. The amounts are the same, of course, so no difference may be noticed by the claimant until any letters arrive.

r_i_c

Thanks, it just seems insane to me that JSA(C) is definitely discriminated against regarding dental care whilst JSA(I) isn't. But now I must wait for

a) DWP to write to me and tell me officially what benefit I am on, and

b) the NHS claim forms; and make sure there's no trick questions slotted in which will land me £100 fine just for asking :eek: I will have to make it abundantly clear to the administration team behind these forms that I am indeed on JSA(C).

Oh, I almost forgot - I can't tell the council I am claiming JSA yet because the DWP haven't written to me, thus I have nothing to confirm my claim. When the DWP do decide to write to me I will forward that directly to the council - they will then tell me where I stand with regard to Council Tax relief. So for now it seems to be a case of hurry up & wait :-|

Mersey_2

You best inform the council that you wish to claim, as most count the date of your email / call as the first date you wish to claim.


Really it should be the date you claimed JSA online, but a lot of claimants are finding this info isn't passed to the council by the DWP and they then have to apply for backdating.


The council should give you a month to provide the evidence.

r_i_c

Thanks, they have given me about that time - was going to wait for the DWP letter but I better get something into the post to the council for Monday. What a joke, half the civil service is privatised now, and privatisation is supposed to be the way forward, and if they work any slower they will find themselves in the Guinness Book of Records :-o

t0rt0ise

r_i_c wrote: »

Thanks, it just seems insane to me that JSA(C) is definitely discriminated against regarding dental care whilst JSA(I) isn't.

It isn't as daft as it sounds. Those in receipt of JSA(C) may have thousands in the bank and can afford dental treatment and after the six months will therefore not be entitled to JSA(I) so not entitled to free dentistry at all.


I also had the same problem with an NHS dentist saying that he no longer does cleaning and I had to see their private hygeinist at a cost of £50. I did so the once but will find another dentist and be more assertive next time.

r_i_c

It still seems crackers to me. JSA(C) is non-means tested yet you are denied dental care if you can't afford it, despite these claim forms which I have sent off for. As you say, JSA(I) is means tested.

This hygienist lark is nothing but a ploy to introduce private practice into the NHS. Dentists who acquiesce I think should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves :-|