The NHS Low Income Scheme

If you have to pay for any of the following:

· NHS prescriptions
· NHS dental treatment
· Sight tests
· Glasses or contact lenses
· Necessary costs of travel to and from hospital for NHS treatment under the care of a hospital consultant
· NHS wigs and fabric supports (spinal or abdominal support or surgical brassiere)

the NHS Low Income Scheme may be able to help you. If you have capital which is over the following capital limits, you cannot claim any help through this scheme.

· £12,000 if you and/or your partner are 60 or over
· £20,000 if you are permanently in a Residential Care or Nursing Home
· £8,000 in all other cases

If you have a partner, any capital they have is counted with yours.

If you do not have capital over these limits and you would like to find out if the scheme can help you, you can obtain an HC1 form (claim for help with health costs) from Rotherham Health Advice Centre (contact us or use the Information Request Form), a Social Security office or NHS hospital.

Fill it in and send it off in the accompanying envelope to see whether you can get help. If you are in any doubt, fill it in and send of the HC1 claim form anyway. The claim form tells you what to do and may ask you to send in evidence of your income.

The Health Benefits Division of the Prescription Pricing Authority will use the information supplied to work out how much help you might get towards your health costs by comparing your income with your requirements. The HC1 tells you more about this and explains what counts as income.

You will normally be sent either a certificate HC2 for full help or HC3 for limited help within 4 weeks of your claim being received. The certificates show how long they last for.

If you are aged 16 and over and are not counted as a dependant of someone getting Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, or Tax Credits (except Contribution-based Job Seekers Allowance or Tax Credits reduced by more than £70) you can use the HC1 form to claim help with health costs - it is your income that counts, even if you are still living with the person getting the benefits/credits.

If a dependent child under 16 has to go to hospital for NHS treatment, you can claim help with their travel costs; it's your income that counts.

Note: If you don't want to delay your NHS treatment or repair/replacement of glasses or need emergency NHS dental treatment, you may need to pay and claim a refund later. You can only claim a refund of prescription charges if you ask for a receipt form FP57 from the pharmacist when you pay - you can't get one later. The form tells you how to claim a refund of prescription charges.

Note: For more information request a copy of Form HC11 "Help With Health Costs" from Rotherham Health Advice Centre, or use the Information Request Form

Click the following links for the NHS in England Scotland  , Wales  and Northern Ireland .