Scheme for dental, optical and more worth €2,542 a year available to workers

Workers can claim over €2,542 a year thanks to a handy social welfare scheme.

The Treatment Benefit Scheme, run by the Department of Social Protection, offers a limited financial contribution towards dental, optical and aural services. Insured workers, self-employed individuals and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions are eligible for the Treatment Benefit Scheme.

Under the Treatment Benefit Scheme, you may qualify for:

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• Dental benefit
• Optical benefit
• Hearing aids
• Hair piece or wig

Before proceeding with any treatment, it’s recommended to check your eligibility with your treatment provider, reports RSVP Live. Here’s everything you need to know about what you can claim and how:

Dental Benefit

Under this scheme, the Department covers the full cost of an oral examination once a calendar year.

A payment of €42 towards either a scale and polish or – if clinically necessary – periodontal treatment, is also available once a calendar year. If the cost of either cleaning or periodontal treatment exceeds €42, you must pay the balance – capped at €15 for a scale and polish.

There is no cap on the balance charged for periodontal treatment.

Optical Benefit

The Treatment Benefit Scheme entitles you to a free eyesight test, once every two years.

Every two years, you can get a set payment towards either one pair each of reading and distance spectacles, one pair of bifocal or varifocals or one pair of contact lenses (including disposables). The cost will vary depending on the frames you choose.

Basic frames are free. If you require contact lenses for medical purposes, you could be eligible for up to €1,000 towards the cost of a pair of medical contact lenses (€500 per lens) every two years. This is applicable to a limited number of eye conditions that make it impossible to wear glasses.

A doctor’s recommendation is required and lenses are not available on purely cosmetic grounds.

Hearing aids

Suppliers who have a contract with the Department may provide hearing aids. The Department covers the full cost of a hearing aid up to a maximum of €500 (€1,000 for a pair) once every four years.

It also covers the full cost of repairs to aids, up to a maximum of €100, once every four years.

Hairpieces and wigs

You can receive up to €500 for one hair replacement item such as a hairpiece or wig, in each calendar year. Surgical or topical treatments are not covered.

Hair loss must be due to a disease or treatment of a disease such as cancer or alopecia. The hair piece or wig must be purchased from the Department’s list of approved providers.

How to qualify

You must have made Class A, E, P, H or S social insurance contributions. The amount of social insurance you need depends on your age.

Claims are made through your provider (dentist, dispensing optician/optometrist/ophthalmologist or audiologist), who can verify your entitlement before treatment and claim payment afterwards.

Your provider will need certain details to identify you, like your date of birth and PPS number. Before treatment, you’ll have to sign a Consent Form agreeing that your provider can have this information and that you consent to this information being given to the Department of Social Protection, for the purpose of processing your claim.

For more information click here.

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