The recently unveiled Canadian Dental Care Plan is intended to help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for eligible Canadian residents.
Note: The Association does not provide individualized advice or counselling to members on which coverage options they should pursue for their health or dental needs. For information about the CDCP, visit the Canadian Dental Care Plan online or call 1-833-537-4342 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time, Monday to Friday. For questions about PDSP coverage, contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is a federally delivered public plan to help uninsured Canadian residents, with an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000, access oral health care.
The CDCP is intended to help those who have no access to dental insurance. Therefore, only those who do not have access to any form of dental insurance/coverage (private or employer-sponsored) can apply for the CDCP.
Information provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada states, “retired members of the Government of Canada, Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their eligible dependants and survivors who have access to the Pensioners' Dental Services Plan (PDSP) are not eligible for the CDCP."
To qualify for the CDCP, all of the following criteria must be met:
- No access to employer/pension-sponsored or private dental insurance.
- An adjusted family net income of less than $90,000.
- Be a Canadian resident for tax purposes.
- Have filed your tax return in the previous year.
- Through your employer or a family member’s employer benefits, including health and wellness accounts.
- Through your pension (previous employer) or a family member’s pension benefits.
- This includes federal, provincial and territorial government pension plans.
- Through a professional or student organization.
- Purchased by you or a family member or through a group plan from an insurance or benefits company.
You’re still considered to have access to dental insurance if you choose to opt out of available benefits like these.
Applicants will need to attest whether they have access to any type of dental insurance at the time of their application. According to the federal government, applicants who provide false information may be removed from the plan or may have to repay the full cost of care received through the CDCP. Review the complete details, by visiting the Government of Canada online.
Pensioners’ Dental Services Plan
The PDSP is a voluntary dental services plan established by the Government of Canada to provide dental services coverage to eligible federal pensioners and eligible family members, including survivors. The PDSP is not negotiated. According to our latest member survey, over 90 percent of Association members have access to the PDSP.
The cost of the PDSP is shared equally between the Government of Canada and federal retirees.
Under PDSP rules, should a member choose to leave the plan, they will no longer be eligible to rejoin the plan, except when they have returned to work and qualify for the Public Service Dental Care Plan.
There is also a three-year requirement for members or dependents when they join the PDSP.
Further information
Federal Retirees has reached out to government representatives for more details about the CDCP and eligibility for federal retirees, veterans, and their spouses and survivors. Updates and analysis will be shared as they become available.
The Association does not provide individualized advice or counselling to members about which coverage options they should pursue for their health or dental needs.
PDSP members who are curious about the CDCP are strongly encouraged to review the CDCP eligibility requirements and implications of terminating PDSP coverage, before making changes to their dental coverage.
Visit the Canadian Dental Care Plan online for more information, or call 1-833-537-4342, between 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. local time, Monday to Friday.
For questions about your PDSP coverage, contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre.