Over three
quarters of a million claims for PRSI
Treatment
Benefit Supports during first 7 months of 2019
141,000 self-employed
people availed of the scheme to date in 2019
Thursday, 29 August
2019:
Over three quarters of a million claims have
been made for Treatment Benefits (dental, optical and aural) in the
first 7 months of this year according to Department of Employment Affairs and
Social Protection figures released today.
Of the over 798,000 claims made, over 141,000
were received in respect of self-employed people (the latter representing 17.6 per cent of the overall claims
received). The extension of Treatment Benefits to the self-employed and their
dependent spouses/partners was introduced in March 2017, with further
improvements to the scheme being extended for employees and the self-employed
from the end of October, 2017.
The breakdown of applications
awarded for Treatment Benefits since 1st January 2019 to date is as
follows:
|
Treatment type
|
Claims made in 2018
|
Expenditure in 2018
|
Claims made in 2019 (Jan to July)
|
Expenditure in
2019 to date
|
|
Dental
|
804,375
|
€46,915,668
|
535,856
|
€31,284,126
|
|
Optical
|
451,249
|
€32,725,636.53
|
254,314
|
€17,841,860
|
|
Medical Appliance
|
14,869
|
€12,742,106.95
|
8,061
|
€7,072,000
|
|
Total
|
1,270,313
|
€92,383,611.48
|
798,231
|
€56,197,986
|
Minister for
Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., today
commented:
“Currently, there are
over 2.5 million PRSI contributors, comprising employees and self-employed who
may have an entitlement to claim Treatment Benefit for both themselves and
their dependent spouse or partner. I am so glad to see so many are taking the
opportunity to avail of the schemes and I would urge all who have an
entitlement to make sure they get the full benefit from their PRSI
contributions.”
The Optical scheme now covers the provision of
glasses, either free or subsidised if an upgraded design is chosen, or provides
a contribution towards contact lenses. Repairs to glasses are also covered
under the scheme.
The Dental scheme now includes a contribution
to cleanings, either an annual scale and polish or more extensive periodontal
treatment if clinically required. These treatments are available in addition to
the free annual dental examination. The cleanings require a co-payment from the
patient if the cost of the treatment charged by the dentist is in excess of the
fee payable by the Department. For the simpler scale and polish treatment this
additional co-payment is capped at a maximum of €15.
Benefits available under the medical appliance
scheme remain unchanged; covering a payment of 50% towards the cost of a
hearing aid, up to a maximum payment of €500 per aid.
The cost of the Treatment Benefit scheme in 2018
was €92.3m. There were 1,270,313 claims made
in 2018, compared with 648,675
claims in 2017. Some €56.2m has been paid out on the scheme
this year to date, with a total of €95m
provided by Government in the 2019 Budget.
ENDS
Notes to
Editors: