Benefits the burning questions...

Hello

I can’t believe it is a month, since my last update, how time flies!

You may remember, sometime ago, I told you about contacting my MP, as I had been to the opticians, and had to pay for both sight test and having my glasses changed, which I thought as a long term sick person, was out of order!

So I contacted him, regarding this, he promptly responded, and stated, the following:

Certain groups of people are entitled to full or partial help with health costs, free NHS sight tests are available for people who are:

Aged under 16 or aged 16, 17 and 18 and in full time education
Aged 60 and over
Diagnosed with glaucoma
Aged 40, or over, who are a parent, brother, sister, or child of a person who has glaucoma
Considered to be at risk from glaucoma
Diagnosed with diabetes
Receive certain means tested benefits or tax credits or
In need of complex lenses.

The following people are also entitled to an optical voucher that can be used towards the cost of prescription glasses or contact lenses:

Aged under 16 or aged 16, 17 and 18 and in full time education
Receive certain means tested benefits or tax credits
In need of complex lenses.

The value of the voucher issued is based on the strength and complexity of the patients’ prescription ranging from £36.20 to £200.10. The patient can use the voucher against the cost of any pair of spectacles or contact lenses. If the cost is greater than the value of the voucher, that patient must pay the difference.

Do you think this is fair? Please leave a comment below.

Say you are still living at home (with parents), and just receive incapacity benefit, as far as I am aware, this is not means tested, (although the new system maybe!) this is often the case these days, and people can’t afford to move out of home, who pays for the goods then?

To receive tax credits, you need to be working, obviously most people who have ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome aren’t.

There is an ‘other’ box you can tick, in the form, of a special form, that you can ask for at the opticians it is called HC 1, but you have to prove that you have less than £16,000 in your bank account, that means showing strangers your private bank statements, is this on?

Now I am going to sound old! When I was a lass, it was free, so should it still be free, or should those that can afford to pay, pay?

Miriam