Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, has appealed to workers to avail of her department’s Treatment Benefit, a scheme intended to support workers access dental, eyesight and hearing treatments.
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.
Speaking on the scheme, Minister Humphreys said: “I especially encourage those under 25 to look at their entitlements under the scheme. In 2022, I changed the insurance contributions required for younger workers to made it easier for them to qualify. That change recognised that a substantial number of younger people are now entering the workforce later and are less likely to have built up the required number of social insurance contributions required to avail of the Treatment Benefit scheme.”
“This scheme is about giving something back to people who work hard and contribute to the system via their PRSI contributions. I want to make sure people know about it and avail of it,” she added.
In order to qualify, a person needs to have paid at least 260 PRSI contributions at either Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and have 39 contributions paid or credited in the relevant contribution year on which the claim is based.
Below is the detailed breakdown of the scheme given by the Department of Social Protection:
Dental benefit: A free annual oral examination and a payment of €42 towards either a scale and polish, or 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 an allowance towards glasses, contact lenses medical lenses and repairs.
Hearing aids – Maximum grant of €500 per hearing aid every four years (€1,000 for a pair), also a grant of up to €100 per aid for cost of repairs every four years.
Hair replacement products / Wigs – Maximum grant of €500 per product annually. The payment assists people who have suffered hair loss due to treatment of cancer or certain types of alopecia to purchase a hair replacement product.