Millions of Brits could miss out on £442 free food due to benefits rules – make sure it doesn’t happen to you
LOW-INCOME families could face losing access to free state-backed food if they haven't switched to Universal Credit after having a baby.
New parents are being told they can no longer receive Healthy Start vouchers to help feed their children if they are still on legacy benefits, despite guidance on the government's own website that says they can.
Healthy Start vouchers help low-income pregnant women and families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have young children.
They help cover the cost of milk, vegetables, fruit, pulses and vitamins.
The vouchers are available from week 10 of your pregnancy or if you have a child under age 4.
If you qualify for the scheme, you will be sent vouchers you can use in more than 30,000 shops in the UK.
You can also get coupons to swap for vitamins to help with pregnancy, breastfeeding or for your children.
The vouchers are currently worth £4.25 each after the value was raised last April.
A shake-up to the scheme means you'll soon have a prepaid card loaded with the amount, rather than being sent vouchers in the post.
Eligible families get one or two vouchers per week, per child, depending how old each child is.
These include:
- Child Tax Credit (but only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit (but only if your family earns £408 or less per month from employment)
However, parents are now reporting being told that if they received ESA while pregnant, they can't continue to get the vouchers once their child is born unless they switch to Universal Credit.
This would involve a new assessment which can take time and mean they miss out on payments or even qualify for a lower amount.
The has reported of one mum who accused the government of "blackmailing disabled people onto Universal Credit" after being told she was no longer eligible for the vouchers.
“We are reviewing the information held on the government website to ensure this accurately reflects the current eligibility criteria for the scheme.”
The Sun has asked why the Gov.uk website currently states that ESA and other legacy benefit claimants can apply and when this changed.
It comes as the government continues its rollout of Universal Credit, which involves switching people from legacy benefits which may mean new applications and delays.
Print it off, fill it in and send it to Freepost RRTR-SYAE-JKCR, Healthy Start Issuing Unit, PO Box 1067, Warrington, WA55 1EG.
If you don’t have a printer, you can call the Healthy Start helpline on 0345 607 6823 and get a form sent to you.
You can also get an application form from your midwife or health visitor.
You will have to provide your:
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
- National Insurance number
- Baby’s due date (if you’re pregnant)
- Benefit award letter if you’re over 18 (you must enter the same information that’s on this letter)
Once your application is approved, you’ll have the vouchers posted out to you every four weeks.
The vouchers can be spent in supermarkets, corner shops, greengrocers, market stalls, pharmacies, food co-ops and milk floats or vans.
How to switch to Universal Credit
The department for work and pensions (DWP) is aiming to move all benefit claimants to Universal Credit by 2024.
It replaces
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Support
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
You will only be moved if you inform the DWP of a change in circumstances or the government will eventually contact you about moving.
In both these cases you will need to make a new application to move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit, which may be lower and take longer to apply for.
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