Minister Humphreys announces revamp of Treatment Benefit Scheme to benefit young people
- Published on: 30 May 2022
- Last updated on: 3 June 2022
- people aged 25-28 will now only need to work for 9 months to avail of dental, optical and aural treatments
- measure will benefit almost 80,000 people at a cost of €2.8 million per year
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, has announced a revamp of the Treatment Benefit Scheme, which will benefit almost 80,000 young people aged 25-28 years old.
To date, this cohort has had to be in employment for 5 years to qualify for State supports for dental, optical and aural treatments.
From today, this period is being reduced to just 9 months.
It means that the number of PRSI contributions required to access such benefits is now reduced from 260 to 39.
The measure will benefit almost 80,000 young people and was secured by Minister Humphreys as part of the social welfare package for Budget 2022.
Under the scheme, dental, optical and aural services are provided to insured employees, the self-employed and retired people, who have the required number of qualifying PRSI contributions. It is also available to the dependent spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of those who qualify. People can avail of a range of treatments, either free or part funded.
Announcing the measure today, Minister Humphreys said:
“This change is about ensuring our young workers have easier access to vital supports under the Treatment Benefit scheme.
“Previously, a young worker in this cohort would have to clock up PRSI contributions over a 5-year period.
“That’s now reduced to 9 months – and demonstrates our desire to support our young professionals when it comes to dental, optical or aural treatment.
“We expect almost 80,000 of our young Labour Force will benefit, which demonstrates how important this initiative is."
Minister Humphreys added:
“The Treatment Benefit scheme is the department’s largest individual scheme in terms of claims with over 1.4 million processed and paid in 2021.
“I am delighted to extend the scheme to benefit more workers, particularly our younger cohort, and I would urge all who have an entitlement to make sure they get the full benefit from their PRSI contributions.”
Notes
An estimated 2.25 million people qualify for Treatment Benefits.
Under the Treatment Benefit Scheme, a person may qualify for:
- dental benefit - annual oral examination and a payment of €42 towards either a scale or polish or, if clinically necessary, periodontal treatment, once a calendar year. If the cost of either cleaning or periodontal treatment is more than €42, the customer 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 - free eyesight test every 2 years and a grant towards glasses or contact lenses
- hearing aids - Maximum grant of €500 per hearing aid every 4 years (€1,000 for a pair), also a grant of up to €100 for cost of repairs every 4 years
The Department of Social Protection has contracts with over 3,000 Dentists, Opticians and Audiologists to provide Treatment Benefit treatments. Customers can check their eligibility with their treatment provider before getting any treatment. Providers can do this within seconds on the department’s Welfare Partners online portal.