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

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.

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.

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.

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.