Help with health costs (HCS1): information booklet - August 2021

Travel Costs (to hospital for NHS treatment)

You can get help with necessary travel costs (including travel costs for your dependent children) if you:

• get or are included in an award of someone getting:
  • Income Support;
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) paid on its own or with contribution-based ESA:
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) paid on its own or with contribution-based JSA;
  • Pension Credit Guarantee Credit paid on its own or with Savings Credit:
    • Universal Credit;
    • and had no earnings or net earnings (take-home pay) of £435 or less during the most recent assessment period; or
    • which includes an element for a child and/or limited capability for work or limited capability for work related activity, and had no earnings (take-home pay) or net earnings of £935 or less during the most recent assessment period;
    • are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate;
    • are named on a valid HC2 certificate for full help under the NHS Low Income Scheme;
    • are a war pensioner and the hospital treatment is for your pensionable disablement.

Note: contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance or contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance on their own do not entitle you to help with travel costs.

• For children under 16 and those aged 16 to 18.

Partial help:

• if you are named on a valid HC3 certificate you might get some help with travel costs.