With the cost of living rapidly increasing each day, it’s difficult to make ends meet.
But did you know you can get financial aid towards dental, optical and aural services with the treatment benefit scheme? It's recommended to contact your treatment provider to check your eligibility before proceeding with any treatment.
If you choose to have treatment in another EU member state, the Department will pay an amount equivalent to the rate paid for similar treatments carried out in Ireland or, the amount actually paid for the treatment - whichever is the lower. It's important to contact the Treatment Benefit Section before you travel to get an application form and details of the amounts the Department will pay.
Read More: Grants of up to €1,000 have been announced for contact lens users
You must have the qualifying PRSI contributions such as paid Class A, E, P, H or S social insurance contributions. The amount of social insurance you need depends on your age.
So here’s a list of government grants you could claim from treatment benefit scheme:
Dental Benefit
The Department pays 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 is more than €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
Grants of up to €1,000 towards the cost of a pair of medical contact lenses will be provided every two years, or €500 for each contact lens. The changes take effect immediately for people who qualify under the Department’s Treatment Benefit Scheme.
€500 will go towards the cost of each medical lens, provided you have a doctor's recommendation. This applies to a small number of eye conditions that make wearing glasses impossible.
Hearing aids
The Department pays the full cost of a hearing aid up to a maximum of €500 (€1,000 for a pair) once every fourth calendar year. It also pays the full cost of repairs to aids, up to a maximum of €100, once every fourth calendar year.
Hairpiece and wig
You can get up to €500 for one hair replacement item such as a hairpiece or wig, in each calendar year. It does not cover surgical or topical treatments.
Hair loss must be from a disease or treatment of a disease such as cancer or alopecia. The types of alopecia covered are:
Alopecia areata
Primary scarring alopecias
Frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planopilaris
Chemotherapy induced alopecia
Alopecia resulting from surgery or trauma, including burns
You can find out more here.
READ MORE:
- Zara blunder leaves Dublin shopper 'mortified'
- James Kavanagh says that his frequent panic attacks are a ‘violent' experience
- Grants of up to €1,000 have been announced for contact lens users
Social welfare Ireland: The payment that could help with skyrocketing bills
Nine Irish foods you miss when living abroad from spice bags to carvery dinners
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox
