These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 1988 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for the remission of National Health Service (“NHS”) charges and for the payment of travelling expenses in certain cases.

Some persons are automatically entitled to the remission of NHS charges and to the payment of travelling expenses because they are in receipt of specified state benefits.

Entitlement to remission of NHS charges and to the payment of travelling expenses for other persons, who are not automatically entitled, is calculated in accordance with the provisions within the principal Regulations. In such cases, a calculation is made of the claimant’s income, capital and requirements (and those of that person’s family, where relevant). This calculation is made applying modified provisions of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 that are set out in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations.

Regulations 4 and 6 amend the principal Regulations to increase the amounts used as the basis for calculating entitlement to remission of NHS charges and payment of travelling expenses.

Regulation 5 extends to 5 years the period of validity for a notice of entitlement to remission of charges and payment of travelling expenses where the notice is issued to a single person aged 65 or over, or to one of a couple where one partner is aged 60 or over and the other partner is aged 65 or over where the claimant does not have certain types of income or a dependent child or young persons within their household.

Amendments made in regulation 6 provide that the earnings disregard set out in Schedule 8 of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 is to apply to a single person aged 60 or over and to a couple where one or both of the parties is aged 60 or over. Additionally, those lone parents aged 60 or more will have their requirements calculated in accordance with the amounts prescribed in the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002 and those lone parents aged less than 60 will have their requirements calculated in accordance with the prescribed amount specified in the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987.