Why do you have to be on benefits to get concessions on anything and free prescriptions?

There are two kinds of Tories. The upper class ones that go into politics to keep all the money and power with a few rich people. Then worse types like Iain Duncan Smith who wish they were upper class, who follow orders from their Bullingdon Club masters who make life more difficult for anybody not any use at being a slave for upper classes, bankers who want our economy closely linked with USA encouraging greed and debt, so they they can use economy crashes every few years to implement their ideology, and their tax dodging corporate donors.
Iain Duncan Smith made up lots of lies to appear better. Such as saying he went to the University of Perugia, when it was a 2 week course at a different college in the same town. Then he thinks he has the right to create dumb policies to make many people suffer. It took threats from the UN before he realised he was being used. Same with how if May resigns, there will be worse Tories wanting to take her place.

What upset me was that when I rang them up and explained the situation.  That I was on UC and entitled to free prescriptions.  They refused to take my word for it and insisted that I provided proof.

Then at my first jobcentre meeting, my advisor told me it was not her job to provide the  proof.    Only later, she advised me who to phone.

After I received the second letter I was thinking of paying.  But my mental health case worker told me to stop being silly and fight it!

Yeh I've been through all that on one occasion I never even received the first letter, so just received the second one and the higher charge and threat of court, as said before I payed them because of my anxiety, I recently saw a post on another forum where someone had asked them how many people they had prosecuted, and the answer was 0.

Here is their original letter

The second page, stating who is exempt from paying.   I was on universal credit with income below £435 for that month.  The problem is proving it!

The second letter warning of court action.

Lol, you may have got away with it, if they had known about the condition then.

Like many I suspect, I can map wiring diagrams in my head, do long multiplication no problem, and my over sensitive hearing can tell when an engine is running low on oil.

I just can't speak to strangers or be bothered to put new clothes on everyday, getting more frustrating the older I get.

Sometimes, being 'special' has advantages.  I might been acquitted at Nuremberg.

Wish I'd known that as I have had 2 off the fines in the past, I was recieving working tax credit, but they stopped it, as they made the minimum wage higher it took me just over the threshold to receive it, which actually made me worse off again.

I paid the fines as it took my anxiety into overload.

Hi, yes I understand I would still have to pay for prescriptions, as I do already, but with the extra income, I'd be happy too.

I had one of those 'fines' - I rang them, (being very stressed) told them I was autistic and that someone in the pharmacy told me what to tick - and so they cancelled the fine.  Us aspies are compelled to comply with instructions from an authority figure. 

Being on benefits does not guarantee free prescriptions.

I'm on universal credit and we are technically eligible for free prescriptions subject to additional conditions 

In practice, claiming a free prescription is a hassle.  The back of the prescription form has not been updated.  There is no box to tick for universal credit claiments.

Advice varies.  Some pharmacies refuse to give out free medicine and insist I pay.  Others expect the job centre to provide me with some kind of exemption certificate.  Others just say tick one of the other boxes of the benefit that universal credit has replaced.   Or just pay the full cost.

I usually tick one of the other boxes.

A couple of years ago things came to a head.  I received a letter accusing me of benefit fraud.  And a fine of £100 +  the cost of the original prescription.  

I had ticked the income support box.  They checked and found I was not on income support.  So a fraudulent claim and a fine with threats of court action if a didn't pay up.

I rang their help line explaining that I was on UC and entitled to free prescriptions.  But there was no box to tick for UC. And I was following the advice the pharmacy gave me.

They insisted that it was up to me to prove my entitlement to free prescriptions.

At my job centre appointment I asked my UC work coach for help, expecting her to print out a standard letter confirming that I was in fact on UC.   She refused, formally stating that her job was to ensure that I was meeting my job search requirements in order to continue to receive UC.  And that the payments side was nothing to do with her.

A month later I recived another letter.  The fine had gone up to £150 + cost of prescription.  28 days to pay or county court action would begin to recover the money.

This was doing wonders for my mental health.

Finally I got advice to ring the UC helpline.  After waiting and listening to 50min of piped music ,. I got through and they sent me a formal letter.  Which I passed onto the nhs business unit prosecuting me.  And the dropped the fine.

• Many things in life are not fair and there are many special opportunities/deals that may enable the opportunists to gain. Just keep asking observing and trying schemes. Usually there is no one to help spot the Best ways 

NAS 62378 I am so sorry to hear your story, as a result of the replies on here I have decided to try for pip, please read my full answer below.

Good luck.

NAS 62378 I am so sorry to hear your story.

I Believe the problem is that as soon as we reach 18, there is very little help available, after.getting my job at 16 my mum died when I was 17 leaving me all alone. And although I knew I was always different, it wasn't until my son who was diagnosed as a child talked me into going for an assessment I was fully diagnosed.

Look at all the merchandise out there, it's all 'I have a child with autism' ect.

Due to the replies on here I have decided to apply for pip.

I know I will have to go to tribunal, and I know as an adult there will be little/no help for me in the process, even the basic of £50+ a week daily living would make a massive difference to my life, and even if I don't eventually get that I can maybe help others with my experience.

Thanks again for all your responses. I will keep you updated.

Because in England we're idiots. Scotland and Wales don't vote for Tories. they vote for politicians who counteract Tory policy. I'm jealous that if we leave the EU, Scotland can have another vote to leave the UK to become a separate nation in the EU, joining other north European nations without Tories who work for most people and society. While in England we will still have Sun readers chanting for people to vote for Tories making everybody hate England, for reasons only upper classes, bankers who want our economy closely linked with USA encouraging people to be in debt and corporations gain from.

I am fully with you on this as an Asthmatic and have to pay for my inhalers.  It is a life threatening condition and the drugs are needed for treating the condition but things like Diabetes (because it is to replace something the body usually produces naturally) and the drugs/prescriptions are free.

Also, I wish England just followed Wales and Scotland with free prescriptions for all.

You are lucky then, I'm on tramadol and co-codamol and I also order electronically, my prescription got rejected before easter as it was early (2 bank holidays and a weekend have to order 3days in advance as standard) so ordered 7 days early I ended up with no medication for 3 days which caused me alot of pain

I have a good working arrangement with my GP - they let me have whatever I ask for - including lots of Tramadol.   I just pop into the designated chemist and it all happens electronically.

It is worth noting that not all medication can be issued in large quantities. It is not only those to treat drug problems anything that falls into controlled substance category has to limited and can't be ordered when you want. 2 of my medications fall into this category and can only be issued every 28 days, this even gets questioned when you order early to allow for weekends and bank holidays. 

PIP is very hard to receive. It took me a year and a half to receive PIP for my Asperger Syndrome from applying. I only had help from a woman at a charity to fill in the forms, and when I didn't receive enough points, she told me she didn't have enough time to help me appeal, so I had to do alone. Had to sit in a court like a criminal in front of three people including a judge and felt really stupid. You spend your life trying to appear normal, but that's used against you when trying to apply for help. At the tribunal it was quite upsetting to see on the forms the original assessor made up lies. Even though I have difficulties with mobility as get anxious on public transport, they only gave me lower rate for daily living. I had to sleep with a man to get help buying a car so I can get about.

Thanks for replying, I do buy a prepayment certificate, it just annoys me that other people with long term problems such as thoyroid get free prescriptions, as do unemployed people, some of whom have never worked and payed tax. I would actually be better off being unemployed, but work is part of my routine and I'd be bored if I didn't do it.