Health benefits
If you are on a low income and receive certain benefits you may be entitled to the following help:
- Healthy Start vouchers for free milk, fruit and vegetables
- Free vitamins
- Help with NHS health costs
Healthy Start vouchers
What are Healthy Start vouchers?
Some people on low incomes can get healthy start vouchers which can be exchanged for free milk, fruit and vegetables. Healthy Start replaces the Welfare Food Scheme. If you already get milk tokens through the Welfare Food Scheme you should automatically get Healthy Start Vouchers instead.
Where can I use the vouchers?
You can use your vouchers in any shop that's taking part in the scheme. Look out for the Healthy Start sticker in shop windows, or ask inside.
How do I qualify?
You can qualify if you:
- are at least ten week's pregnant and you are getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- get Child Tax Credit but are not getting Working Tax Credit and your income is low enough
- are a member of the family of someone who is on these benefits, and you are pregnant you can also get healthy start vouchers. A member of the family in this case is an opposite sex partner, same-sex partner or dependent child of the person who is getting one of these benefits.
If you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, any of your children who are under four are entitled to healthy start vouchers. If you get Child Tax Credit, your income is low enough, and you are not able to get Working Tax Credit, your children under four are also entitled to healthy start vouchers. If your child is under one, you can get additional vouchers.
If you are an asylum seeker being supported by the National Asylum Support Service, you cannot get healthy start vouchers, but if you are pregnant or have a child under three, you will get an extra payment for milk or infant formula.
How can I get Healthy Start vouchers?
You should fill in a claim form and have it approved by a health professional - for example, a midwife. The form is in the leaflet Healthy Start, which you can get from your midwife or doctor or from the Healthy Start website at www.healthystart.nhs.uk.
If you think you are entitled to healthy start vouchers and don't receive them, or you have any other problems with healthy start vouchers, you should contact us.
Free vitamins
Some people on low incomes are entitled to free vitamins. You can get free vitamins if you are at least ten weeks pregnant or have a child under four, and you are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or you are on Child Tax Credit (and not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and your income is low enough. You can get free vitamins from child health and maternity clinics.
Help with health costs
Other kinds of help with NHS health costs which you may be able to get if you are on a low income include:-
- free prescriptions
- free dental treatment and check-ups
- free eyesight tests
- vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (optical vouchers)
- travel costs to hospital.
You are exempt from all the above charges if you receive any of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit only including a disability or severe disability element, and your award is calculated on gross annual income of £15,050 or less
You may also be exempt from a number of charges because of your age or other circumstances.
Low Income Scheme
If you do not receive a qualifying benefit and are on a low income you may be able to get help under the low income scheme. This can entitle you to some help with:
- Prescription costs (if your income is very low you can get free prescriptions; otherwise you must pay the full charge even of you qualify for partial help with other charges)
- Dental Charges
- Sight tests
- Glasses or lenses
- Hospital fares
Pre-payment certificates
If you need a lot of prescriptions but are not exempt from charges you can buy pre-payment certificates for four months or for a year. This will save you money if you buy more that 5 prescriptions in four months or more than 14 in a year.
How to claim
- Low Income Scheme: You need to complete form HC1, which is available from Post Offices or any DWP office.
- Pre-payment certificates: These can be obtained from chemists, surgeries and other health centres.
For an easy way to find out which benefits might apply to you and your circumstances go to What can I claim?
The Benefits Maximisation Service can provide personal advice on what you may be entitled to and help you make a claim. For more information go to Benefits Maximisation Service.
Disclaimer
Although every effort is made to ensure the information on these pages is accurate and up to date, it should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.