Mother has recevied a dentistry charge from the NHS,

Murphybear

According to the DWP a married person can’t claim Pension Credit on their own, it is a joint claim.  

“ 2 Who qualifies for PC?

You claim PC as a single person or jointly as a couple if you have a partner. Your partner is your husband, wife, civil partner, or someone you live with as though you are married/civil partners. If you have a partner, your joint income and capital is taken into account when your PC is calculated.”

So if their Pension Credit is correct she would be entitled to free dental treatment.

i think they need to talk to the DWP in the first instance to clarify their position.

i think a mistake has been made somewhere here but it is not clear where 

brook2jack2

It is only guaranteed pension credit that entitles you to free dental treatment , pension credit savings credit does not. 

Pollycat

Murphybear said:

According to the DWP a married person can’t claim Pension Credit on their own, it is a joint claim.  

“ 2 Who qualifies for PC?

You claim PC as a single person or jointly as a couple if you have a partner. Your partner is your husband, wife, civil partner, or someone you live with as though you are married/civil partners. If you have a partner, your joint income and capital is taken into account when your PC is calculated.”

So if their Pension Credit is correct she would be entitled to free dental treatment.

i think they need to talk to the DWP in the first instance to clarify their position.

i think a mistake has been made somewhere here but it is not clear where 

I mentioned that up-thread (joint claim) but was told it was unlikely that the OP's Mum was getting PC.

sheramber

Pollycat said:

Murphybear said:

According to the DWP a married person can’t claim Pension Credit on their own, it is a joint claim.  

“ 2 Who qualifies for PC?

You claim PC as a single person or jointly as a couple if you have a partner. Your partner is your husband, wife, civil partner, or someone you live with as though you are married/civil partners. If you have a partner, your joint income and capital is taken into account when your PC is calculated.”

So if their Pension Credit is correct she would be entitled to free dental treatment.

i think they need to talk to the DWP in the first instance to clarify their position.

i think a mistake has been made somewhere here but it is not clear where 

I mentioned that up-thread (joint claim) but was told it was unlikely that the OP's Mum was getting PC.

Not receiving it on th basis that DWP would have known if she was..
However, as already said, it is only  Guaranteed Pension Credit that qualifies for free NHS treatment.   

Pollycat

sheramber said:

Pollycat said:

Murphybear said:

According to the DWP a married person can’t claim Pension Credit on their own, it is a joint claim.  

“ 2 Who qualifies for PC?

You claim PC as a single person or jointly as a couple if you have a partner. Your partner is your husband, wife, civil partner, or someone you live with as though you are married/civil partners. If you have a partner, your joint income and capital is taken into account when your PC is calculated.”

So if their Pension Credit is correct she would be entitled to free dental treatment.

i think they need to talk to the DWP in the first instance to clarify their position.

i think a mistake has been made somewhere here but it is not clear where 

I mentioned that up-thread (joint claim) but was told it was unlikely that the OP's Mum was getting PC.

Not receiving it on th basis that DWP would have known if she was..
However, as already said, it is only  Guaranteed Pension Credit that qualifies for free NHS treatment.   

I refer to the points raised by Murphybear.

Is it true that a married couple make a joint claim for pension credit?

If it is true and if one of the couple is in receipt of PC, then surely the other person is in receipt of PC too?

I've had experience of dental receptionists asking if someone is in receipt of Pension Credit without asking if it was guarantee PC or savings PC.

It happened to my Mum.

I'm aware that only guarantee PC provides eligibility for free NHS dental care.

brook2jack2

Unfortunately benefits are very complex and dental receptionists are not experts and are not trained to be experts  , therefore it is the patients responsibility to make sure they have signed for the right exemption and indeed it says on the form it is the patients responsibility not the dental practices to make sure the right boxes are ticked. It clearly and in bold says on the form that guarantee pension credit not savings credit gives you free treatment https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Dental_PR_form_R8_20200401.pdf

Undervalued

brook2jack2 said:

Unfortunately benefits are very complex and dental receptionists are not experts and are not trained to be experts  , therefore it is the patients responsibility to make sure they have signed for the right exemption and indeed it says on the form it is the patients responsibility not the dental practices to make sure the right boxes are ticked. It clearly and in bold says on the form that guarantee pension credit not savings credit gives you free treatment https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Dental_PR_form_R8_20200401.pdf

Isn't that a bit of a cop out?

The dental receptionist must presumably deal with lots of these forms every week. The elderly / vulnerable patient may well be seeing one for the first time in their life. What about somebody who is not literate enough to understand more than very basic written English? I have a friend who finds dental treatment so traumatic she is literally shaking to the point she struggles to enter her PIN when it comes to paying. She fortunately has no need to claim benefits but I bet she has never properly read or fully understood the standard NHS booking in / consent form.

unforeseen

At my dentist they keep it simple by putting the onus totally on the patient. 

The only question they ask is "Do you get free treatment". Nothing is said that might confuse the patient. No or don't know means you pay. If somebody pays when they shouldn't then I assume there is a process to reclaim the cost similar to prescriptions. 

unforeseen

Undervalued said:

brook2jack2 said:

Unfortunately benefits are very complex and dental receptionists are not experts and are not trained to be experts  , therefore it is the patients responsibility to make sure they have signed for the right exemption and indeed it says on the form it is the patients responsibility not the dental practices to make sure the right boxes are ticked. It clearly and in bold says on the form that guarantee pension credit not savings credit gives you free treatment https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Dental_PR_form_R8_20200401.pdf

Isn't that a bit of a cop out

It no cop out because it is clearly documented on the form that it is the patients responsibility. The same as prescription forms. You sign to say that you are entitled to free treatment. It is not the dental receptionists job to be aware of all the nuances of the various benefits that are available. 

brook2jack2

Signing a fp17 dental form is a legal document . Claiming the wrong exemption can lead to a very large fine. Which is precisely why dental receptionists cannot take responsibility for people claiming the right exemption. The NHS and DWP recognise this and specifically say receptionists should not give advice on benefits and exemptions . There are posters and leaflets for people to read which have to be displayed in NHS dental practices , but staff cannot be held liable for fines and fees payable by people who have claimed exemption from treatments mistakenly. 

A dental receptionist has a lot of responsibility and training to be able to do their very difficult job well. You cannot ask them to have the time and training to be a benefits expert and  to have access to all the information you need to assess whether someone is exempt from treatment or not.

if someone is not sure then they should pay , and can claim the money back if it turns out they are exempt.