Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

[CYNthesys]

Ive been helping my son with his WTC & CTC affairs, at the moment waiting for data from HMRC in response to his DSAR.
A few months ago, around June/July time both he and his fiancee were sent exemption cards for health costs as they are in receipt of tax credits.
Son has had dentists appoinments in the meantime, a check up and a couple of fillings, and as he produced his exemption card he didnt have to pay.
LOW AND BEHOLD,
today he has received a letter from NHS claiming that he wasnt entitled to free dental care, he owes £50 for his treatment and he is being fined £100 for wrongly claiming.
Has anyone else found themselves in this situation, and what would be the best way to deal with it please

[Kati]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

formal complaint via hmrc??

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Would the complaint go to NHS or HMRC

[des8]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Why did NHS state he was not entitled to free treatment?

Did NHSBSA wrongly issue an exemption certificate? (check on this flowchart http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Documents/H...April_2014.pdf)
If so why? Were they given incorrect info by HMRC, or just make a mistake themselves?

In any event, if he was not entitled to free treatment because the certificate was wrongly issued, how should he know and why should he pay a penalty?
In all scenarios IMO there should be an appeal.


PS don't ring them.. keep everything in writing!

[Kati]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Would the complaint go to NHS or HMRC

Personally I'd be gunning for both .... NHS because they said he isn' t allowed the free prescription, HMRC because they sent the card saying they were entitled to free prescriptions

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs



Why did NHS state he was not entitled to free treatment? I haven't seen the letter yet, will see it tomorrow, but from what I understand it basically says that he wasnt entitled to the free dental treatment he had had.

Did NHSBSA wrongly issue an exemption certificate? (check on this flowcharthttp://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Documents/H...April_2014.pdf I dont know whether or not the certificate was issued in error, but dont think it was, as it was sent time around the time of his tax credit renewal.
If so why? Were they given incorrect info by HMRC, or just make a mistake themselves? Havent a clue

In any event, if he was not entitled to free treatment because the certificate was wrongly issued, how should he know and why should he pay a penalty?
In all scenarios IMO there should be an appeal.

PS don't ring them.. keep everything in writing!

OK will write to both and send by recorded delivery

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Despite having an exemption certificate/card an extract from letter states-
One of our checks showed that you claimed free NHS dental treatment between 19th August 2016 and 8th September 2016 because you or your representative declared that you were named on, or entitled to an NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate.

As we could not find evidence that you were entitled to free treatment at that time you now need to take action.............

[enaid]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

It's a minefield Cyn I just, or thought I had finished with this after a genuine mistake on my OHs part.
Was the exemption cert correctly dated?
was it a follow on for another cert?
If 19th Aug to 8th Sept were not covered you will have a tough time, it's like dealing with robots.
As for your question 'Has anyone else found themselves in this situation, and what would be the best way to deal with it please' thousands either by actually thinking they would get away with ticking the box, or being bamboozled by the bebefit system as my OH was.
Good Luck, oh and just to mention I did phone them and did speak to a very helpful chap although as rules is rules he could not help me as I would have hoped.


One example from MSE
Please do make sure you hold the little white and blue NHS branded card which is misleadingly called a Tax Credit Exemption Certificate. Most people may wrongly assume that a 'certificate' is an A4 piece of paper and therefore they believe their normal WTC/CTC is proof of entitlement to free treatment.
If you are on tax credits you have to meet certain conditions to be entitled to the little white card and HMRC will automatically send you one and any partner who was included in your claim.
Too many dental staff do not know the above and give poor advice. And too few patients read carefully the form you sign at the surgery. Because of this thousands of people are asked to pay retrospective NHS dental charges plus a £100 fine!
The NHSBSA in eastbourne will not let you off if you plead an innocent mistake or tthat you were wrongly advised.

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

It was the first certificate he had ever received, so wasnt a follow on one and it was only issued around July after his Tax Credit review.

[enaid]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

If you intend speaking for your son then he will have to be with you to give permission.
If you have the card and you have checked all the details are correct, by this I mean simple spelling mistakes as well as dates etc.
I would ring them, they have been known on my research to type in at their end a wrong spelling of a name and concluded that person is not exempt. They go to no real lenghts at all to ensure they have the correct person as I found out when they were writing to our old address.

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Thanks
Think I will email them and attach scans of the exemption cards

[enaid]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Good luck, fingers crossed as it drove me nuts lo

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

Ive now checked sons and his partners exemption cards. There are no spelling errors, they are numbered consecutively
and
both say they are valid from-
6/04/16 until 31/10/16

[enaid]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

The NHSBSA send youan NHS Tax CreditExemption Certificate. It is also they who issue the fines, I would simply ring them and give them the certificate number, when they apologise, I would then ask them to check the same thing will not happen to your sons girlfriend as her certificate should be there too.

[CYNthesys]

Re: Tax Credit/Help with health/dental costs

.Right, willl try again-
Dear Sirs,
I am in receipt of your letter/Penalty Charge Notice dated 10th October 2016 in respect of dental treatment charges.
As I have a NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate, number xxxxxxxxx that is valid from 06/04/16 until 31/10/16 I am concerned that incorrect personal information is being/has been processed in your system.


In the circumstances please check your records, correct your error, cancel the Penalty Charge and let me know why you have processed/recorded inaccurate personal information resulting in the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice.


Please confirm that my partner xxx xxx certificate number xxxxxxxxx will not be issued with a Penalty Charge for treatment within the period 06/04/16 - 31/10/16.