Since last December, low-income parents of children under 12 can receive up to $650 from the federal government to pay the dentist, without having to provide bills, which will certainly lead to abusive claims, according to the Director parliamentarian for the budget, who is concerned about the lack of verification measures.
Karine*, a mother of two living in the Rosemont district of Montreal, paid $70 for her 2-year-old son’s visit to the dentist in October 2022. She learned in December that she could receive the new Dental Benefit Canadian, and received $650 a few days after his application.
“All they checked was that I had paid out of pocket, that I had no insurance and that I had made at least one appointment for my child,” he said. -She.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), which administers the program, did not verify the amount of his bill.
In fact, eligible parents can receive their benefit even before paying the dentist: all you need is a “scheduled date” for an appointment. The amount paid does not matter, since the benefit is paid in full.
Families with a net income of less than $70,000 are entitled to $650 per child, those earning less than $80,000 may receive $390, and those making less than $90,000 receive $260, for treatments provided after 1er October 2022.
Families will be able to claim the same amounts after the 1er July 2023, for a maximum total of $1,300 per child for the year.
Costs of 938 million
The benefit is available even in Quebec, where curative dental care for children under 10 is paid for by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) – preventive care, such as cleanings, however, is not covered .
Karine, who is widowed and on sick leave, is happy to have received the benefit in this period of inflation. She had already paid $400 in early 2022 for treatments for her son, not covered by RAMQ.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer, Yves Giroux, however, fears fraud, because the CRA has not planned systematic audits under the program.
“When we talk about the ‟scheduled appointment date”, that allows people to request the benefit before receiving the services, which opens the door to a lot of abuse,” underlined Mr. Giroux in a telephone interview.
One can claim to have planned to go to the dentist, but then cancel the appointment, or even never intend to go, but collect the benefit.
Yves Giroux, Parliamentary Budget Officer
He cites the examples of the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the wage subsidy, introduced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to predict that there will be fraud. “It’s pretty clear that there will be benefits paid out unnecessarily, when it would have been easy to ask for receipts. »
According to him, since each benefit paid represents a small sum, it would be surprising to see the CRA implement very strict checks.
So far, the CRA has approved 129,260 claims, says a spokeswoman for the Department of Health. The program is expected to cost $938 million and benefit 500,000 children nationwide.
Refunds in case of ineligibility
As for verifications, parents are asked to keep their dental receipts for six years in case the CRA contacts them later. “Claimants deemed ineligible during the vetting processes will be required to reimburse the benefit received,” said Tammy Jarbeau of the Department of Health in an emailed response.
Why are sums paid that are often higher than the cost of treatment, especially in Quebec, where the RAMQ already offers coverage?
“The amount of the Canadian Dental Benefit is based on the average cost of basic oral care in Canada, including an initial exam, a series of x-rays, basic preventive care or a minor repair, such as a filling,” replies Ms.me Jarbeau.
The benefit is not expected to exceed the cost of such care in most cases. Parents with a surplus of funds can contribute to their child’s oral health by purchasing quality toothbrushes, fluoride toothpaste and dental floss, for example.
Tammy Jarbeau, Department of Health Canada Media Relations
According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a family should not receive more than the amount of their bill.
“It is necessary to add more beacons to protect taxpayers against possible abuse. We have observed that the government has not put in place the appropriate guidelines during the pandemic and that taxpayers must now assume the bills of tens of billions of dollars in ineligible or suspicious financial assistance related to COVID-19″, observes Nicolas Gagnon, FCC director for Quebec.
The Ordre des dentistes du Québec believes that the Dental Benefit will greatly help less affluent families to take their children to the dentist, and that it should therefore be easy to obtain.
“Several government programs are thus based on an honor system, where we rely on the good faith of providers. It is to be hoped that any conscientious parent will make proper use of this federal benefit in the best interest of the health of their child,” said Dr.D Liliane Malczewski, President of the Order.
* Fictitious first name to protect the identity of the mother