Free Dental Visits

Also bear in mind that the dental benefit department is normally up to a year behind in your contributions as they are only credited to you in January. So if you started working in the middle of the year and are short a few months in say August, you need to ring them and request that the credits go onto the system so you qualify.

If you were in full time education in the state you give them evidence of this and the limit of 5 years is discounted against you. I had to do this a few years ago and got my free cleaning and discounted fillings etc.

Sounds more complicated than it is....
 
Thanks mo3art, I was indeed in full time education (typical 4 year degree course). Can I just ring them up and tell them this or is there a form to fill out?

I'll give them a call tomorrow anyway, it's good to have some knowledge ahead of it though!
 
bond-007 said:
You only need 39 contributions in the year of reckoning which is 2004. The dentist is talking ****! Apply for the benefit and see what happens.
Click to expand...


Not so, if you are over 25 years of age, you five years contributions paid. All the information anyone needs about Dental Benefits is hidden under the ludricous title "Treatment Benefits" (now who dreamed up that one?) on www.welfare.ie . Optical benefit information is also there.
 
Last edited:
mo3art said:
Also bear in mind that the dental benefit department is normally up to a year behind in your contributions as they are only credited to you in January. So if you started working in the middle of the year and are short a few months in say August, you need to ring them and request that the credits go onto the system so you qualify.
Click to expand...
This is confusing. "credits" do not count towards the 260 mcontributions made. Perhaps you mean that any contributions paid in the current tax year (2007) may need to be notified to the department to make up the to the 260 total?

mo3art said:
If you were in full time education in the state you give them evidence of this and the limit of 5 years is discounted against you. I had to do this a few years ago and got my free cleaning and discounted fillings etc.

Sounds more complicated than it is....
Click to expand...

are you sure about this? AFAIK, there is no "discount" from the 260 paid total needed when you are over 25. what is a "limit of 5 years"?
 
In answer to your first question, yes welfarite you need to arrange for the credits for the current year to be added so as to make up the total 260.

In answer to your second question, I haven't a clue how it works all I can tell you is what I was informed when i rang to query my own dental benefit. I got dental benefits in the end, despite being over 25 and without the recommended 260 weeks credits.
 
It's possible to be granted pre-entry or student credited contributions, which may explain receipt of benefit without 260 contributions. Here's the information from the Welfare Website:

Pre-entry credits

When you first start work you are automatically given credits. These Pre-entry credits are given from the beginning of the tax year in which you start work, up to the date you start work, and for the 2 previous tax years. Pre-entry credits are not given if you pay Class J contributions only in your job.
These credits may help you to qualify for Illness, Jobseekers, Maternity or Adoptive Benefit as soon as you have worked and paid PRSI contributions for 52 weeks. Pre-entry credits are normally given only once.
Student credits

Credits may be given for periods in full-time education, for example, third level, if a person:
  • worked before starting the course and paid PRSI Class A,
  • started the course before reaching age 23

    and
  • has started in their first full-time insurable employment at Class A.
When you apply for Student credits, you need to supply:
  • written confirmation from your school or college stating that you were a student there, and
  • the dates you attended the school or college.
Student credits are given only once and are not counted towards future entitlement to social welfare pensions.
 
You need 260 PAID...repeat, PAID contributions. Pre-entry credits, student credits, illness credits, jobseekers' credits are not counted. Where credits do come in is when a GCY (governing contribution year) falls short of the required 39 contributions/credits total. This, I suspect, is what happened in Mo3art's case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top