Benefits advice: Help with health costs for the RAF Family
We spoke to RAF Benevolent Fund Welfare Benefits Advisor, Rebecca Relph, about how the RAF Family can access help with health care costs and travel expenses across the UK.
What health care costs help might be available for me?
When accessing health care, you may need to pay towards the cost of prescriptions, dental care, eye care, wigs and fabric supports.
Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, free prescriptions depend on your circumstances. This group includes those over 60, under 16 or pregnant. You can find out if you are entitled to free prescriptions here.
If you have to pay for a lot of NHS prescriptions, it may be cheaper to buy a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). The costs are as follows:
- A 3-month PPC costs £32.05 and will save you money if you need more than 3 prescribed items in three months
- A 12-month PPC costs £114.50 and will save you money if you need more than 11 prescribed items in a year
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) PPC costs £19.80 and will save you money if you need more than two prescribed qualifying HRT items in a year
What help is available to cover NHS prescription costs?
You can buy an NHS prescription prepayment certificate online or via the PPC order line on 0300 330 1341. Some pharmacies may be able to sell you a three-month PPC or the HRT PPC.
If you qualify for full help with NHS charges, you, your partner and your children get:
- Free prescriptions in England (they are free for everyone in Scotland and Wales)
- Free dental treatment and check-ups
- Free sight tests
- Vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (optical vouchers)
- Travel costs to hospital for NHS treatment.
- Travel costs if travelling abroad for treatment
- Wigs and fabric supports, for example, abdominal and spinal supports, and support tights.
Is there support for people with low incomes?
If you have a low income, you may be able to get help with NHS costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS). You can apply for the scheme as long as your savings do not exceed the capital limit.
In England, the limit is:
- £23,250 for people who live permanently in a care home
- £16,000 for everyone else
Any help you're entitled to is also available to your partner and any dependant young people. Depending on your circumstances, you can receive full help (HC2 certificate) or partial help (HC3 certificate). You can apply online, or call 0300 330 1343.
What support is available for those who receive Universal Credit?
You qualify for help with health costs if, on the date you claim, you either:
- Receive Universal Credit and either had no earnings or had take-home pay of £435 or less in your last Universal Credit assessment period
- Receive Universal Credit, which includes an element for a child, or you (or your partner) had limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), and you either had no earnings or take-home pay of £935 or less in your last Universal Credit assessment period
You should present a copy of your Universal Credit award notice to prove your entitlement. The NHS Business Services Authority provides an online eligibility checker.
What support is available to cover healthcare travel?
If you're referred to hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by a doctor, dentist or another primary care health professional, you may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).
To qualify for help with travel costs under the HTCS, you must meet three criteria:
- At the time of your appointment, you must receive one of the qualifying benefits or allowances or meet the eligibility criteria for the NHS Low Income Scheme
- You must have a referral for specialist care from a healthcare professional to a specialist or a hospital for further NHS treatment or tests (often referred to as secondary care)
- Your appointment must be on a separate visit to when the referral was made
You can claim travel costs for an escort if your healthcare professional says it's medically necessary for someone to travel with you.
Who cannot claim help with travel costs?
You cannot claim help with travel costs if you're visiting someone in hospital.
You also cannot claim if you're visiting a GP, dentist or another primary care service provider for routine check-ups or other services, such as vaccinations or cervical cancer screening, as these are excluded from the scheme.
Urgent primary care services during out-of-hours periods (between 6.30pm and 8pm on weekdays, weekends or bank holidays) are also excluded.
What form of transport can I use?
The NHS organisation handling your claim will normally base any refund on what would have been the cheapest suitable mode of transport for your circumstances. This can include your age, medical condition or any other relevant factors, such as the availability of public transport.
This means you should use the cheapest, most appropriate means of transport, which in most cases will be public transport.
If you travelled by car and your claim was approved, you'll be reimbursed for the cost of fuel at the local rate. You may also be able to claim for unavoidable car parking and toll charges. If you need to use a taxi, you should agree this in advance with the hospital before you travel.
How do I claim back money spent on travel?
To claim your travel costs, take your travel receipts, appointment letter or card, plus proof that you're receiving one of the qualifying benefits, to a nominated cashiers' office. Nominated cashiers' offices are located in the hospital or clinic that treated you. They'll assess your claim and make the payment directly to you.
Some hospitals and clinics do not have cashier facilities. In this case, you can complete an HC5(T) travel refund form and post it to the address stated on the form.
You can make a postal claim up to three months after your appointment.
You can check the help for health costs available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.