NI extends free eye care and travel for UC claimants

Northern Ireland is changing who can get free eye care and help with Health Service travel and charges. The Department of Health and the Department of Finance sealed the rules on 4 November 2025; they start on 1 December 2025. The legal source is Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland 2025 No. 172.

What’s new is a clear gateway for people on Universal Credit. If you meet the earnings test for a “relevant Universal Credit recipient”, you can get a free Health Service sight test, an optical voucher towards glasses or contact lenses, and full payment of certain HS travel expenses and remission of certain HS charges.

Two earnings limits apply. If your Universal Credit award does not include the child element, the Limited Capability for Work (LCW) element or the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element, you qualify when your earned income is £435 or less in your latest assessment period. If your award includes any of those elements, you qualify when earned income is £935 or less. This applies whether you claim as a single person or as part of a couple, and it also covers a child or “qualifying young person” you are responsible for.

Earned income here means the figure Universal Credit uses after taking off income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions. Northern Ireland’s welfare supplementary payments (set out in A Fresh Start) are ignored. Your “assessment period” is your personal UC month, which can start on any date, so your eligibility can move up or down from month to month.

Here’s how that looks in practice. Jamie claims Universal Credit as a single adult with no child element and no LCW/LCWRA. Their earned income for the latest assessment period is £420. Because £420 is at or below £435, Jamie can book a free HS sight test, ask for a voucher towards glasses, and get eligible HS travel costs covered. If Jamie’s earned income rises to £450 in a later period, the entitlement would not apply for that month.

Erin is a parent and her Universal Credit includes the child element. She earns £900 in her assessment period. Because the award has a child element, the £935 limit applies and she qualifies. If her earned income for a later assessment period is £940, she would not be eligible for that period but could qualify again if earnings drop below the limit next time.

Aidan receives Universal Credit with an LCWRA element. His earned income for the month is £930. As LCWRA is included in his award, the higher £935 limit applies and he qualifies. If he has no earnings in a later month, he still qualifies; if earnings increase above £935, eligibility pauses for that period.

Support extends to dependants. If Aoife is 17 and classed as a “qualifying young person”, and her mother’s Universal Credit includes the child element, Aoife can receive a free HS sight test and an optical voucher on the same earnings test. This helps learners who need new lenses mid‑term without unexpected costs.

What you receive is practical support. For eye care, you are entitled to a free sight test under general ophthalmic services and, where prescribed, an optical voucher towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses. For treatment-related journeys, you are entitled to full payment of eligible HS travel expenses and full remission of certain HS charges from 1 December 2025.

Using the entitlement is straightforward. When you book with an ophthalmic medical practitioner or an optician who provides Health and Social Care services, bring your latest Universal Credit statement showing the assessment period dates and the earned income figure. Ask the practice to assess you under the new rules and issue a voucher if one is due. For hospital travel, keep receipts and ask at the hospital cashier or your HSC trust about reimbursement or charge remission; your UC statement is the key evidence.

Transitional protections mean no one should lose out because of the changeover date. If you paid for a sight test, glasses or HS travel before 1 December 2025, you can still be reimbursed under the previous rules. Any optical vouchers issued before that date but not yet used must be honoured. If you had a sight test before 1 December without a voucher being completed, you can claim a payment as if you had been eligible at the time.

Remember the scope. These rules apply to Health Service charges and services in Northern Ireland; arrangements in England, Scotland and Wales can differ. The Regulations were made on 4 November 2025 and come into operation on 1 December 2025, as confirmed by the Department of Health and the Department of Finance.

If you’re supporting someone to claim, help them build a simple evidence pack: their latest Universal Credit statement with assessment period dates and earnings, photo ID, any payslips that explain deductions, and appointment details or travel receipts. A monthly calendar reminder to check the new UC statement helps keep eligibility up to date.

If you’re unsure whether your award includes the child element, LCW or LCWRA, look at the “Payments” and “Your claim” sections in your UC account or ask a welfare adviser. The lesson in these Regulations is simple: eligibility follows the Universal Credit earnings figure for your latest assessment period, so check it each month.