Question Period Note: DENTAL CARE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Disability advocates are warning the eligibility criteria for people with disabilities could be cumbersome and may not capture everyone who should have access to the program

Service Canada’s expertise and experience in delivering benefits and services to millions of Canadians each year positions us to deliver this important priority.

Our teams of experts are working together to ensure the Canadian Dental Care Plan provides an integrated and seamless experience for all applicants.

Our priority is to minimize barriers to access while maintaining security and integrity of personal information.

If Pressed (Eligibility Criteria):

Service Canada is working collaboratively with Health Canada as well as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to design the eligibility determination process.

Tax information will be a key component in assessing eligibility.

Service Canada encourages Canadians interested in applying for the CDCP to file their taxes with the CRA.

The CDCP will be implemented in stages, beginning with the most vulnerable segments of the population, that is, seniors, persons with

In Budget 2023, the Government of Canada announced $13.0 billion over five years, starting in 2023-24, and $4.4 billion ongoing to Health Canada (HC) to implement the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).

The CDCP will provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000.

Officials from Service Canada are working with HC and the Canada Revenue Agency to ensure that clients can access the program in an efficient manner and receive support across all Service Canada’ s across all service channels.

Delivery timelines are aggressive. Service Canada has dedicated teams in place to ramp up delivery as quickly as possible while also balancing the importance of ensuring seamless client experience, accessibility to all, including the most vulnerable, and an information management system that protects personal information.

In a report published in The Canadian Press on October 6, 2023, disability advocates are warning the risk that the eligibility criteria could be cumbersome and may not capture everyone who should have access to the program.

Although the Government of Canada has not said publicly how people will be required to prove that they’re disabled to qualify for the insurance plan, the report assumes that CDCP eligibility is based on the list of people who access the Canada Disability Tax Credit. The report highlights that this list is not inclusive of all Canadians who may be eligible for the benefit because: many people with disabilities, particularly those with low income, do not file their taxes; those who do file their taxes may not quality or bother to apply because they don’t have the resources, and; that many people with disabilities don’t quality because their disabilities are episodic or temporary.

The CDCP will be implemented in stages, beginning with the most vulnerable cohorts of the population, that is, seniors, persons with disabilities and children under 18. As such, the need for a proof of disability is required in the early roll out of the CDCP as part of the prioritization process.

All Service Canada channels support accessible service and have measures in place to ensure Canadians living with a disability can access Government of Canada programs and services.

The media article does acknowledge that this issue will be short-lived as by the end of next year, eligibility to the CDCP will be based only on income requirements.

CDCP is a HC program. HC retains all the authority on policy decisions. ESDC/SC is entering into a service delivery agreement with HC to deliver CDCP services to Canadians.

KEY QUOTES / CITATIONS

« Lorsque quelque chose est médicalement nécessaire pour la santé bucco-dentaire d’une personne, nous voulons nous assurer que, quelle que soit votre situation — certainement si quelqu’un a des problèmes supplémentaires, est en situation de handicap — le système soit assez souple pour garantir que les gens reçoivent les soins dont ils ont besoin. »

– Mark Holland, ministre de la Santé

"Where something is medically necessary for somebody's oral health, we want to make sure that regardless of your circumstance -- certainly if somebody has additional issues, is facing a disability -- that there's flexibility within the system to make sure that people get the care that they need" – Health Minister Mark Holland

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