The 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 government has updated the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) eligibility for pensioners.
The 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.
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.
Important update: the government recently updated the meaning of "access" to dental insurance or coverage. An exception has been added for individuals who retired and opted out of pension benefits before Dec. 11, 2023, and cannot opt back in under plan rules. These individuals may be eligible for the CDCP. To qualify for the CDCP an individual must meet all the eligibility criteria.
Originally, all individuals were considered to have access to dental benefits if they opted out of available benefits, including pension benefits. As many pensioners’ dental benefits plans, including the PDSP, do not allow plan members to rejoin the plan after leaving, dental benefits were not available to individuals who had previously opted out. The Association raised this eligibility gap with government representatives and is pleased to see this exception for pensioners without access to dental coverage.
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 opted out of the Pensioners' Dental Services Plan (PDSP) before Dec. 11, 2023, and can’t opt back in, in accordance with the PDSP Rules, may be eligible for the CDCP. All other eligible PDSP members are not eligible for CDCP coverage.”
The CDCP website outlines all eligibility criteria. Individuals with questions about their eligibility for the CDCP should review CDCP eligibility requirements before making changes to their dental coverage.
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.
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
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.
Those who opted out of the PDSP before Dec. 11, 2023, may be eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). All other eligible PDSP members are not eligible for CDCP coverage.
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 (PSDCP).
There is also a three-year requirement for members or dependents when they join the PDSP.