The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1998

Eligibility – supply of optical appliances S

8.—(1) A payment shall be made as provided for by this Part of these Regulations to meet, or to contribute towards, the cost incurred (whether by way of charge under the Act or otherwise) for the supply of an optical appliance for which a prescription has been given in consequence of a testing of sight of an eligible person–

(a) which took place under the Act; or

(b) which took place otherwise than under the Act and within the Health Board area in which the person whose sight was tested normally resides.

(2) An eligible person is a person who at the time of the supply of the optical appliance is any of the following:–

(a) a child;

(b) a person under the age of 19 years and receiving qualifying full-time education within the meaning of paragraph 7 of Schedule 11 to the Act(1);

(c) a person whose resources are treated, in accordance with paragraph (3), as being less than his requirements;

(d) a person whose income resources, as calculated in accordance with regulation 6 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Remission Regulations for the purposes of remission of charges under the Act, are equal to or exceed his requirements as so calculated but whose patient’s contribution is nil or is less than the face value of a voucher issued to him under this Part of these Regulations and whose capital resources do not exceed the capital limit;

(e) a person to whom a prescription is issued for a complex appliance.

(3) A person’s resources shall be treated as being less than his requirements if–

(a) he is in receipt of income support;

(b) he is a member of the same family as a person who is in receipt of income support;

(c) he is in receipt of family credit;

(d) he is a member of the same family as a person who is in receipt of family credit;

(e) his income resources as calculated in accordance with regulation 6 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Remission Regulations for the purposes of remission of charges under the Act, are less than his requirements as so calculated and his capital resources as so calculated do not exceed the capital limit;

(f) he is a member of the same family as a person described in paragraph (e) of this paragraph;

(g) he is in receipt of disability working allowance;

(h) he is a member of the same family as a person described in sub-paragraph (g) of this paragraph;

(i) he is in receipt of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance; or

(j) he is a member of the same family as a person described in sub-paragraph (i) of this paragraph.

(4) In paragraph (3), “family” (in references to membership of the same family) has the meaning given to it by section 137(1) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992–

(a) as it applies to income support(2), in the case of paragraph (3)(b) and (f);

(b) as it applies to family credit(3), in the case of paragraph (3)(d); and

(c) as it applies to disability working allowance(4), in the case of paragraph (3)(h),

and has the meaning given to it by section 35 of the Jobseekers Act 1995(5) in the case of paragraph (3)(j).

(5) For the purposes of regulation 10 and other provisions of this Part as they apply to payments where the testing of sight was by or on behalf of a Health Board or NHS trust, a person is also an eligible person if, because of the frequency with which the condition of his eyes changes, he is considered by the Health Board or NHS trust to be non-tolerant of his existing optical appliance.

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 8 in force at 1.4.1998, see reg. 1(1)

(1)

Paragraph 7 was substituted by the Health Services Act 1980 (c. 53), Schedule 5, Part II, paragraph 8.

(2)

See S.I. 1987/1967, regulations 14 to 16; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1988/663 and 1445, 1989/534, 1990/547, 1992/468 and 3147, 1993/2119 and 1996/206.

(3)

See S.I. 1987/1973, regulations 6 to 9; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1988/660, 1990/574, 1992/573, 1993/2119 and 1996/1345.

(4)

See S.I. 1991/2887, regulations 8 to 11 as amended by S.I. 1993/2119 and 1996/1345.

(5)

See S.I. 1996/207, regulations 76 to 78 as amended by S.I. 1996/1516 and 1517.