UNIVERSAL CREDIT

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Stephen137

This morning in the post I received a penalty charge for £159 for visiting the Dentist I rang the NHS and asked why I was being charged as I had declared what I was getting. I was told they can't access Universal Credit they can only check ESA .I would advise all Disabled people complain to their local MP. Tell them that Universal Credit is not fit for purpose.
Stephen

Sam_Alumni

The NHS website says:

Who's entitled to free dental care?
If one or more of the criteria listed below applies to you when your treatment starts, you'll be entitled to free NHS dental care.
You're entitled if you are:

• aged under 18, or under 19 and in qualifying full-time education

• pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months

• staying in an NHS hospital and your treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist

• an NHS hospital dental service outpatient – but you may have to pay for your dentures or bridges

You're also entitled if you or your partner – including civil partner – receive, or you're under the age of 20 and the dependant of someone receiving:

• Income Support

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit

• Universal Credit and meet the criteria

If you're entitled to or named on:

• a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate – if you don't have a certificate, you can show your award notice; you qualify if you get Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits with a disability element (or both), and have an income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less

• a valid HC2 certificate

People named on an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (HC3) may also get help.
You won't be exempt from paying because you receive Incapacity Benefit, contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit Savings Credit, when paid on their own.
Medical conditions don't exempt patients from payment for dental treatment. You'll be asked to show your dentist written proof that you don't have to pay for all or part of your NHS treatment. You will also be asked to sign a form to confirm that you don't have to pay.

I also found this re Universal Credit and dental care:

Before 1 November 2015, if you were receiving a payment of Universal Credit, you were automatically entitled to free NHS dental treatment.
To be entitled to free NHS dental treatment from 1 November 2015 in England or Scotland, you must be either:

• receiving Universal Credit as a single person or as a member of a couple and had no earnings or combined net earnings of £435 or less during the most recent assessment period, or

• receiving Universal Credit as a single person or as a member of a couple which includes one or more of an element for a child, the limited capability for work (LCW) or the limited capability for work or work related activity (LCWRA), and had no earnings or combined net earnings of £935 or less during the most recent assessment period.

Your assessment period will run for a calendar month from the date of your claim for Universal Credit (which will be shown on your award notice), and between the same dates each month after that.