{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-optical-charges-and-payments-regulations-1989/regulation-10",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-optical-charges-and-payments-regulations-1989/regulation-10.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1989/396",
  "legislation_title": "The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1989",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-optical-charges-and-payments-regulations-1989",
  "path": "regulation/10",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "10",
  "heading": "Issue of vouchers by Family Practitioner Committees",
  "text": "(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a patient whose sight has been tested by an ophthalmic medical practitioner or optician otherwise than under the Act who considers that he may be an eligible person by virtue of regulation 8(2)(d) and wishes a payment to be made under these Regulations in his case may, if he was not issued with a voucher under regulation 9(7), apply in writing for a voucher to the Family Practitioner Committee for the locality in which his sight was tested.\n(2) An application made under paragraph (1) shall–\n(a) state that the patient may be an eligible person by virtue of regulation 8(2)(d);\n(b) be accompanied by the prescription issued to the patient or a copy of it; and\n(c) be made within the period of one month beginning with the date of the testing of sight but before the patient arranges for the supply of his optical appliance.\n(3) On an application made in accordance with paragraph (2) the responsible authority shall issue a voucher relating to the optical appliance prescribed and shall–\n(a) mark on it the letter code specified in column 2 of Schedule 1 which relates to the type of optical appliance prescribed as set out in column 1 of that Schedule;\n(b) duly complete the relevant parts of the voucher with the name and address of the patient, the patient’s age if under 19, particulars of the prescription issued to the patient, the date on which the patient’s sight was tested and the date of issue of the voucher; and\n(c) return to the patient any prescription that he may have submitted.\n(4) Where, on an application by a patient within 6 months of a voucher having been issued to him under regulation 9(2) or (7), a Family Practitioner Commmittee is satisfied, having made such enquiries as it considers relevant, that the voucher has been lost or destroyed without having been presented to a supplier of optical appliances, it may issue to the patient a replacement voucher completed in accordance with paragraph (3)(a) and (b), but with the date of issue of the voucher being that on which the replacement is issued.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/396/regulation/10",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T15:47:59.924300+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}