Will you still get free school dinners or NHS treatment?
There are some benefits known as ‘passported benefits’ that you can only receive if you receive a qualifying benefit. These are things such as free school meals, free NHS treatment and prescriptions and the Warm Home Discount.
The situation with these passported benefits and Universal Credit is becoming clearer, and basically if you were getting them before, you should still be entitled to them – though you may have to insist and even appeal any decision you don’t feel is right if you are told otherwise.
There are plenty of stories of people losing these benefits and then having them given back on appeal, so it’s worth trying.
If you’re already receiving any of these benefits and you are being moved to Universal Credit make sure you mention them at your initial Jobcentre Plus appointment and ask what will happen to them.
