Refund For Health Charges (Info)

During a delay in issuing Health Service Exemption Certificates, claimants were advised that they could continue to use their Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC) / Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC) Exemption Certificate, if they had one, up until 31 July 2003.

However there are claimants who did not claim WFTC / DPTC and are now entitled to tax credits.

There will also be claimants who have paid for health service charges but did not know that they should have provided their previous WFTC / DPTC Exemption Certificate.

If the claimant is querying whether they are entitled to an Exemption Certificate or require their details amending, follow the guidance in subject Exemption Certificates / Help With Health Costs.

Note: If the claimant has not been issued with an Exemption Certificate you will need to follow the above guidance first to establish that they are entitled to one.

Prescription Charges

If the claimant is exempt from paying prescription charges, they may not have asked for the appropriate form. These are

• Form FP57 – England

• Form FP57 - Scotland

• Form PS7 – Northern Ireland

• Form WP57 – Wales

There are procedures in place for paying refunds of prescription charges where the appropriate form was not obtained, for example because the pharmacy did not have a supply of form FP57s. However, ignorance is not usually allowed as grounds for a refund. This is because information about claiming a refund of prescription charges is provided on the prescription form FP10, which patients are required to sign.

It is the claimant's responsibility to use the information on the form FP10. Pharmacies are not required to offer a form FP57 (PS7 for Northern Ireland/WP57 for Wales) as a matter of routine.