The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1997

Completion of vouchers

16.—(1) A patient who considers that a payment may be made under this Part of these Regulations in his case in respect of the replacement or repair of his optical appliance may indicate to the supplier that he wishes such a payment may be made.

(2) In the case of a replacement, the supplier may—

(a)mark on a voucher the letter code specified in column 2 of Schedule 1 which relates to the type of optical appliance to be replaced as set out in column 1 of that Schedule;

(b)duly complete the relevant parts of the voucher with the name and address of the patient, the patient’s date of birth and the date of issue of the voucher.

(3) In the case of a repair, the supplier may—

(a)mark on a voucher the letter code specified in column 2 of Schedule 1 which relates to the type of optical appliance to be repaired as set out in column 1 of that Schedule;

(b)indicate on the voucher the nature of the repair of the appliance to be undertaken and, in particular, whether it comprises—

(i)the replacement or repair of one or more lenses included in the appliance, and, if so of how many,

(ii)the repair of a frame and, if so, whether it is of the whole frame, the front of a frame or one or both sides of a frame;

(c)duly complete the relevant parts of the voucher with the name and address of the patient, the patient’s date of birth and the date of issue of the voucher.

(4) The patient shall sign on the voucher—

(a)a declaration in writing to the effect that he is an eligible person, indicating the grounds of his eligibility;

(b)a declaration in writing to the effect that the optical appliance cannot be replaced or repaired free of charge under the terms of any warranty, insurance or other arrangement made with its supplier or manufacturer; and

(c)an undertaking in writing to the effect that, if he is unable to show that he is an eligible person, he will pay to the responsible authority an amount equal to the voucher’s redemption value.

(5) A patient who is an eligible person only by virtue of regulation 8(2)(d) or only by virtue of his resources being treated in accordance with regulation 8(3)(e) or (f) as being less than his requirements shall show a current notice of entitlement to the supplier and permit him to copy such details as may be required for the purposes of regulation 18(2)(b)(iv).

(6) In a case to which regulation 15(1)(b) applies, a supplier intending to use the voucher under regulation 17 shall first submit it to the responsible authority so that it may be satisfied as to the circumstances in which the loss or damage occurred and give its approval to the use of the voucher.