Canada Life has been named the new administrator of the Pensioners’ Dental Service Plan, but plan members will continue sending all claims to Sun Life until June 30, 2024.
The Government of Canada has announced that the contract to administer the Pensioners’ Dental Service Plan (PDSP) has been awarded to Canada Life Assurance Company (Canada Life).
Following a transition period, the new contract will begin on July 1, 2024.
Until then, plan members should continue to send all claims to Sun Life, the current plan administrator.
The PDSP is a voluntary dental care plan for eligible retired members of the federal public service and their eligible dependents and survivors.
The Government of Canada is the sponsor of the public service benefit plans and is obligated to competitively retender the contracts of the benefit plans. The new contract has a term of up to 14 years for the administrative services of the dental care plan.
The transition to Canada Life will include a mandatory positive enrolment process. Positive enrolment is an important step where members provide information such as their address, banking and dependent information, as well as consent for their personal information to be used by Canada Life to administer their dental plan.
Federal Retirees recognizes that the transition of the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) to Canada Life has been challenging for many members. Some members have reported issues completing positive enrolment, accessing online resources, filling prescriptions or submitting claims, which may have contributed to delays, stress or costly consequences. Federal Retirees takes these concerns seriously and continues to advocate for improved service.
The contract for the PDSP is between the government and Canada Life. It is their responsibility to ensure a positive client service experience and seamless transition for plan members.
The Association is keeping a record of the PSHCP transition problems to inform and advise Treasury Board on how to improve the PDSP move to Canada Life.
Federal Retirees expects the lessons that have been learned through this PSHCP transition will guide significant client services improvements for the PDSP transition, including call centre capacity and supporting plan members who are not online.
Refer to the news release from the Government of Canada for more information.