Free dental treatment.

Kitty_Kat55

I am on ESA (contribution based), DLA and my partner gets carers allowance.

I have had some problems with my teeth for a few months, I believe that I have gum disease and have a few broken and lost teeth. In fact they are in a very bad way.

I have been told that I am not entitled to free dental treatment because I am not getting the right type of ESA, so from that I conclude that I will have to pay for any treatment. The bottom line being that I have read that the maximum payable is around £200, which clearly I do not have.

Any advise on what I can do, I am now in quite a bit of pain, which I am guessing will only get worse. I have checked and there are no dental hospitals in my vicinity so an NHS dentist is my only option.

As I can't afford the treatment some advise on any help would be most welcome.

TIA

Darksparkle

Have a look into nhs low income scheme - https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme

pmlindyloo

Have you been assessed to see if you are eligible for income based ESA?

Kitty_Kat55

No, I was originally on Income support since 2004, I was moved onto ESA (support group when ESA was introduced. I am now getting an Occupational Pension and the difference made up by ESA.

Torry_Quine

Kitty_Kat55 wrote: »

No, I was originally on Income support since 2004, I was moved onto ESA (support group when ESA was introduced. I am now getting an Occupational Pension and the difference made up by ESA.

If you were on income support prior to ESA then you should be on income based ESA which entitles you to free dental care.

BorisThomson

Kitty_Kat55 wrote: »

No, I was originally on Income support since 2004, I was moved onto ESA (support group when ESA was introduced. I am now getting an Occupational Pension and the difference made up by ESA.

Are you sure it wasn't incapacity benefit with an income support top up? Had you worked prior to claiming, or were you under 25 at the beginning of your claim?

stroodes

In Scotland the maximum payment is £400, as last time I went to dentist to get crowns replaced it cost me close to £300. Not sure if that cost is whole of the UK, also we receive no benefits but seeing as you do you may have reduced costs, NHS advice line could possibly help.

epitome

Very possible that you had Income Support before being migrated to ESA.

If so, your ESA is both ESA Conts and ESA IR it is just that -likely due to your Occ Pen- your ESA IR amount is less than your ESA C amount, hence when you ask DWP what you are on, they tell you you are on ESA Conts.

Your only option in such circumstance is to do an HC1 form an see what comes of it, probably very little, as the criteria will be very similar to Income Related benefits.

Make sure when you phone ESA that they are aware of your partner's Carers Allowance claim and that it is recorded on your ESA claim. I can tell you a little trick. If your partner is not working currently and is able to get their own sick note they could claim ESA Conts themselves... If they have any history of full time work in their whole lifetime, they are likely to satisfy ESA Conts FCC. If they have had CA since April 2014 they are likely to satisfy ESA Conts SCC. having satisfied ESA Conts FCC and SCC they will be awarded ESA Conts themselves at £73.10 per week, this will result in the CA being nilled but you will still be entitled to the Carer Premium on your ESA, your overall income (both of you) will go up by about £10 per week.
Not much I guess, but this trick for some people when for example they both claim CA to care for each other, and both get CA underlying entitlement it can lead to a great deal of money on ESA. couple rate CP, couple rate SDP, couple rate EDP, big bucks.

sheramber

NHS dental charges differ depending on where you live

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/dentists/Pages/nhs-dental-charges.aspx

https://www.scottishdental.org/public/treatment-charges/

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/ourservices/findannhsdentist/nhsdentalcharges

[Deleted User]

epitome wrote: »

Very possible that you had Income Support before being migrated to ESA.

If so, your ESA is both ESA Conts and ESA IR it is just that -likely due to your Occ Pen- your ESA IR amount is less than your ESA C amount, hence when you ask DWP what you are on, they tell you you are on ESA Conts.

Your only option in such circumstance is to do an HC1 form an see what comes of it, probably very little, as the criteria will be very similar to Income Related benefits.

Make sure when you phone ESA that they are aware of your partner's Carers Allowance claim and that it is recorded on your ESA claim. I can tell you a little trick. If your partner is not working currently and is able to get their own sick note they could claim ESA Conts themselves... If they have any history of full time work in their whole lifetime, they are likely to satisfy ESA Conts FCC. If they have had CA since April 2014 they are likely to satisfy ESA Conts SCC. having satisfied ESA Conts FCC and SCC they will be awarded ESA Conts themselves at £73.10 per week, this will result in the CA being nilled but you will still be entitled to the Carer Premium on your ESA, your overall income (both of you) will go up by about £10 per week.
Not much I guess, but this trick for some people when for example they both claim CA to care for each other, and both get CA underlying entitlement it can lead to a great deal of money on ESA. couple rate CP, couple rate SDP, couple rate EDP, big bucks.

What on earth are you talking about? Do you even know? What I will say is that there is NO "trick" to a couple claiming carers allowance for each other, but non of what you say makes any sense and will only confuse the OP.