Children's Handbook Scotland | 2024/25Chapter 1: Benefits and tax credits 13. Health benefits
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13. Health benefits
You may be able to get some help with the cost of:
    •glasses and contact lenses;
    •dental treatment;
    •travel to hospital.
You may be exempt from these charges or be able to claim a reduction on low income grounds.1NHS(TERC)(S) Regs Pregnant women or parents or carers of young children may also be able to get Best Start food payment cards.
There is no charge for NHS eye and dental checks, prescriptions, wigs or fabric supports in Scotland.
 
1     NHS(TERC)(S) Regs »
Who is exempt from charges
You can be exempt either because you are getting a ‘qualifying benefit’ or because you are in one of the exempt groups.
Qualifying benefits
You get NHS dental treatment, vouchers for glasses, and certain fares to hospital if you get:
    •universal credit (UC) and have no earnings, or you earn £435 or less a month (if your UC does not include a child, limited capability for work or limited capability for work-related activity element) or £935 or less a month (if your UC includes one or more of these elements or you are assessed as having limited capability for work); or
    •income support (IS); or
    •income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA); or
    •income-related employment and support allowance (ESA); or
    •child tax credit (CTC), with or without working tax credit (WTC), and your income for tax credit purposes is £15,276 or less; or
    •WTC with a disability or severe disability element and your income for tax credit purposes is £15,276 or less; or
    •guarantee credit of pension credit (PC).
Exempt groups
You are eligible for free NHS dental treatment if:
    •you are under 26; or
    •you are pregnant or have given birth in the last year; or
    •you are under the Public Dental Service (for people who have difficulty getting treatment for reasons such as a disability); or
    •you are an asylum seeker getting asylum support; or
    •you get a war pension and need treatment for your war disablement.
You are eligible for vouchers for glasses or contact lenses if:
    •you are under 16; or
    •you are under 19 in full-time education; or
    •you have a prescription for complex lenses; or
    •you are a hospital eye service patient; or
    •you are an asylum seeker getting asylum support; or
    •you get a war pension and need treatment for your war disablement; or
    •you are a care leaver getting support from the local authority under section 29 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
You are eligible for help with fares to hospital if:
    •you are under 26; or
    •the hospital is 30 or more miles away, or it involves a journey of five miles or more by sea, and you live in the Highlands or Islands – ie:
      ◦the Highland region, Western Isles, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands;
      ◦Arran, Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae;
      ◦the area formerly covered by Argyll and Bute District Council;
      ◦parts of Moray (Aberlour, Cabrach, Dallas, Dyke, Edinkillie, Forres, Inveravon, Kinloss, Kirkmichael, Knockando, Mortlach, Rafford, Rothes); or
    •you are an asylum seeker getting asylum support; or
    •you get a war pension and need treatment for your war disablement; or
    •you are a care leaver getting support from the local authority under section 29 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Low income scheme
If you are not on a qualifying benefit or in an exempt group and your capital is £16,000 or less, you may still be able to get help with the cost of dental treatment, glasses/contact lenses and fares to hospital under the low income scheme. Whether or not you get any help depends on how much income you have compared with a set level (based on IS but with some differences).
Best Start foods
You can get a payment card to buy certain foods under the Best Start foods scheme if you are pregnant or have a child under three and you get a qualifying benefit (if you are under 18, you do not have to get a qualifying benefit).1WF(BSF)(S) Regs The Best Start foods scheme is administered by Social Security Scotland.
The qualifying benefits are:2Reg 10 WF(BSF)(S)Regs
    •UC;
    •IS, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or PC;
    •housing benefit;
    •CTC;
    •WTC.
 
1     WF(BSF)(S) Regs »
2     Reg 10 WF(BSF)(S)Regs »