Automatic passporting to Help with Health Costs scheme in Northern Ireland to be reinstated from December

The automatic entitlement to free sight tests, dental treatment and travel costs for health service treatment is to be introduced from 1 December for eligible Universal Credit (UC) recipients.

The Help with Health Costs (HwHC) scheme provides individuals, primarily on low incomes, with help towards the cost of dental treatment, eyesight tests, glasses or contact lenses, and travel costs for Health and Social Care treatment, on referral by a doctor or dentist.

Individuals in receipt of certain legacy benefits are entitled to help from the scheme without having to make an application.

However, that had not been the case for individuals in receipt of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland as the legislation had not, until now, been amended to reflect the introduction of Universal Credit here.

The Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 have now been updated to ensure that eligible Universal Credit recipients are automatically passported to the HwHC scheme. The change, which will benefit more than 195,000 people, will take effect from 1 December.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “Tackling health inequalities has been a key area of focus for me since taking up the office of Health Minister.

“Intensive work has been ongoing within my Department to reinstate automatic passporting for those eligible for support through the Help with Health Costs scheme following the migration of their benefits to Universal Credit.

“The loss of automatic passporting for such a large number of people in Northern Ireland has been of considerable and understandable concern.

“I am delighted to say that work has completed to update the relevant legislation which now brings Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK in this area and will ensure that eligible Universal Credit recipients receive the automatic help they need to access these crucial healthcare services.”

Not all Universal Credit recipients will be automatically eligible for the HwHC scheme. As in Great Britain, an earnings threshold will apply in Northern Ireland to determine eligibility.

Automatic passporting will apply to Universal Credit recipients who had:

• No earnings, or take-home pay of £435 or less in their last Universal Credit assessment period, or

• No earnings, or take-home pay of £935 or less in their last Universal Credit assessment period if their Universal Credit includes a payment for a child, or they have limited capability for work, or limited capability for work and work-related activity.

Those who are in receipt of Universal Credit, but are outside of the thresholds for automatic passporting, can continue to apply under the Low Income Scheme (LIS) for HwHC to have their eligibility assessed and confirmed prior to treatment. The Department will continue to monitor the impact of these changes and, where possible, seek to improve the process for those in this situation.

The Minister added: “Adopting the GB thresholds reintroduces parity across the UK and enables a UK-wide approach to future changes to the threshold.

“My Department will continue to work with counterparts across the UK nations on any potential revisions to the existing thresholds to ensure that these are reflected in Northern Ireland legislation.

“We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes. For those in receipt of Universal Credit who are not automatically passported as a result of these changes, we will seek to streamline the process of applying for Help with Health Costs.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Department for Communities provides advice to UC claimants on eligibility for the Help with Health Costs (HwHC) scheme and manages the application process for those not automatically passported into the scheme.
2. The Statutory Rule giving effect to the amended legislation has now been formally laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly.
3. The Department of Health launched a public consultation in January 2025 to outline the potential changes to the eligibility criteria for automatic support being provided under the Help with Health Costs scheme for Universal Credit recipients.