UC and dentist

[dentistdilemma75443]

I've been working alongside claiming UC for several years. I started at a school two years ago.
Whenever I go to the dentist I fill in the form correctly and tick the UC part.
I've just seen online that if you earn over a certain amount working then you do pay for some after all and I had no idea
Apparently people are getting fined, I'm shocked, I've never lied or knowingly deceived anyone, I'm not sure what's gone on or what to do.

🦷🪥

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 (LCW) 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

If you're part of a couple, the take-home pay threshold applies to your combined take-home pay.

Are you definitely over the threshold? It really ought to be flagged more clearly - I’m on [legacy] disability benefits, but I wouldn’t have thought of people on UC having to work out if they’d earned too much to see the dentist 🤦🏻‍♀️

Its the same for prescriptions too

I've got three children and earn about 1170.
I feel sick, I've honestly never been told any different

It does say on the bit you tick that your earnings have to be below a certain amount on universal credit (at least on mine it does).

What you sign is Uc and meets criteria ..it is also the same for sight tests

It literally just asks you to tick which benefit you receive.

Do I just go and tell them? I'm assuming so

They only ever say 'universal credit?' to me and ask for a signature on an electronic pad

There's a checker online I think. Have a look for it.

www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check-if-youre-eligible-help

I did have a look I'll have another, Thankyou

Thankyou

It says I am eligible for help and to apply.
I'm mystified that I've never been asked or told a thing about this but I'm very straightforward so I'll get it sorted

I have to fill in a paper hc1 form, at least that's a start to sorting this out. Thanks all

I’m so sorry OP, MN took the link to the “are you eligible for help” page out of my post & I didn’t realise 🤦🏻‍♀️

I hope you can get it all sorted without further stress. If they do contact you saying you’ve claimed when you shouldn’t have, explain things as you have here, & ask if your HC1 can be backdated. It does seem like they need to offer more guidance about how assistance with NHS costs works though - you’d think it’s something that could be done through the portal thing, wouldn’t you?

I just would've thought that after two years someone somewhere might check and let me know!
Yes, the portal for one.
Thankyou

The UC criteria is bonkers on this. Sooooo confusing for everyone involved. I think it’s almost deliberately misleading. It used to be based on the current month rather than previous, but no one then knew whether they were eligible until the month had ended….rang DWP about this once and they were unable to tell us whether a patient was eligible or not 🙄

I just want to say thanks again to all. I appreciate all of the replies and I'm relieved nobody has accused me of doing
G it on purpose or called me a liar or told me it's all my fault!
Genuinely helpful, Thankyou

Am glad we helped - & you were sensible not venture onto one of the higher traffic boards, I think, where unfortunately those attitudes probably would have been encountered.

The rules around benefits in the UK(well, Scotland now runs on a less draconian but resultingly overwhelmed system) aren’t well-understood by those not in receipt of them & there’s a lot of “I’m giving you a free house how dare you go on holiday” type-nonsense coupled with a lack of awareness that you’re not allowed to save up; people in receipt of disability benefits will receive only DLA/PIP if they cohabit with a partner, no ESA/UC; carers’ allowance is not just a pittance but it’s taxed; the last government justified not increasing legacy benefits during the pandemic because disabled people are used to living in poverty & the courts found that was reasonable…

I hope you get it all sorted with minimal stress 💐

It says at the bottom of your Uc statement each month the criteria for free dental care.