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  • Most asked questions
  • Preferred first name
  • Dependant Eligibility Verification Program
  • Annual Student Review Program
  • Claims

The Government of Canada has announced that there will be improvements and changes to your PSDCP benefits effective January 1, 2025. At Canada Life, we are updating our systems to ensure these changes are fully implemented for you.

Some of the changes are related to:

  • preventive dental services
  • basic dental services
  • major restorative services (for example, crowns and bridges)
  • orthodontic services  

Go to Canada.caOpens a new website in a new windowOpens a new website in a new window to learn about these important changes coming to your PSDCP benefits including how they may impact you and your eligible dependants. 

Yes, positive enrolment must be completed for both plans.  

If you are eligible for us to complete positive enrolment on your behalf, you will receive two separate confirmation notices. If you do not receive a confirmation notice for both plans, you may be required to complete positive enrolment on your own for the plan you did not receive a confirmation notice for.  

You can update your positive enrolment information by signing into your Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) Member Services account through My Canada Life at Work™ and going to Your profile.  

You can also update your information by paper by completing a PSDCP Positive Enrolment Form. Download your PSDCP Positive Enrolment Form here. You can also call the PSDCP Member Contact Centre to request that a paper form be mailed to you.  

If incorrect information appears in the non-editable fields, such as your date of birth or last name, we encourage you to still complete the positive enrolment and consent process, to ensure there is no delay in processing your claims. After you complete positive enrolment, you must contact your departmental compensation office or the Public Service Pay Centre at 1-855-686-4729 (from anywhere in North America) or 1-506-424-4330 (from outside North America, call collect), to update your information. This will update our records with the correct information. 

Positive enrolment must be completed to have access to your benefit card.   

Website 

To download or print your new benefit card, sign into your Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) Member Services account through My Canada Life at Work™. Select the ‘Benefit cards’ tile at the bottom of the Overview page. From there you can download, save or print a copy of your benefit card.   

Mobile app 

To download or save your new benefit card to your mobile device, download the My Canada Life at Work mobile app from your app store. Sign into the mobile app with the same credentials you use to sign in to your PSDCP Member Services account.   

Once signed in, you can access your benefit card by selecting the card icon in the top right-hand corner of your screen. Follow the provided instructions to load the benefit card to your Apple or Google wallet.  

Paper 

Your paper benefit card will be included in your confirmation package. You can also call the PSDCP Member Contact Centre within North America (toll-free) at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time, or internationally (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, to request that your benefit card be mailed to you within 2-3 business days.  

Note: Plastic benefit cards will not be issued for the PSDCP. This is a greening initiative that is supported by the Government of Canada and Canada Life. 

Please provide a COPY of the appropriate, signed documentation with your plan and certificate number clearly indicated. Do not submit the original. Please note that only 'general' or 'property' POAs are acceptable. We do not accept personal or healthcare POAs.  

To submit through mail:

Please send the copy of your POA document(s), with the plan member’s certificate number to: 

Canada Life Assurance Company    
Public Service Dental Care Plan (or PSDCP) Plan Member Letters    
PO Box 99451 Station Main    
Winnipeg MB R3C 1E6  

To submit digitally:  

You can upload your POA documentation by signing in to your PSDCP Member Services account through My Canada Life at Work™. Once you are signed in, go to the Contact us page, follow the steps to Message us and upload your file to submit to Canada Life.

A child who does not meet the definition of  child  for the purposes of this plan, but for whom the member stands in place of a parent (in loco parentis), may be eligible for coverage with the approval of the Board of Management. To obtain coverage for such a child, you must submit supporting documentation to the Board of Management responsible for your component. Refer to the PSDCP Member Booklet for information on where to send this documentation. To expedite the Board of Management’s consideration, supporting documents to provide include:  

  • a permanent guardianship (court) order or 
  • a custodial (court) order or 
  • a notarized private guardianship agreement, caregiving agreement or a notarized voluntary surrender of custody and guardianship that indicates that the parent or parents relinquish their parental responsibility to you 

The Board will also consider: 

  • the extent to which you are financially responsible for the child 
  • whether your relationship is that of parent and child 
  • the expected duration of this relationship 

Refer to the PSDCP Member Booklet for information on where to send this documentation.

A preferred first name is any name a plan member chooses to use other than their legal name such as a nickname or chosen name. For example, a plan member may wish to shorten their first name (e.g. Steven to Steve), be referred to by their middle name, or may choose another name altogether (e.g. Stephanie to Steven) as an act of self-determination.

Yes, PSDCP members can use a preferred first name by updating their user profile in their account on the PSDCP Member Services website, or by filling out a Positive Enrolment form (paper or online). See question 3 below.

It is important to note that your preferred first name must be updated for each plan of which you are a member. Your preferred first name will only be used in communications for the plan for which it has been provided.

On the PSDCP Members Services website through My Canada Life at Work:

  1. Click on the profile icon at the top right corner of the screen.
  2. Select 'Your Profile'.
  3. Before making any updates to your personal information, your consent is required. Please review the information displayed on your screen, and if you consent, click ‘agree’.
  4. Select the ‘Personal information’ tile.
  5. Click 'Edit' beside preferred first name.
  6. Enter your preferred first name and hit 'save'.
  7. Please allow 1-2 business days for the change to display online.

By filling out a Positive Enrolment form:

You can either download the form from the Forms page of the PSDCP Member Services Website or request a paper positive enrolment form be mailed to you by calling the PSDCP Member Contact Centre. For inquiries within North America (toll-free) at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time, or for international inquiries (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET.

Once your preferred first name has been updated it will be used for all written or electronic documentation and correspondence, for example on benefit cards, explanation of benefits, as well as on your PSDCP Member Services website account. If you have updated your profile for all plans for which you have coverage, your preferred first name will also be used by the Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP), the Pensioners Dental Services Plan (PDSP) and the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) Member Contact Centre agents when addressing you.

Yes, your legal name will still appear on cheques from Canada Life, as it is the name provided to us by the Government of Canada.

Should you wish to have your name changed in your Government of Canada file, please contact your departmental compensation office, Pay centre, pension office or Pension Centre to formally update your name.

The purpose of the Dependant Eligibility Verification Program is to validate that the enrolled dependant(s) are eligible for coverage according to the terms of the Public Service health and dental benefits.

You are being contacted to provide supporting documents to validate that your enrolled dependant(s) meet the eligibility criteria under the Public Service health and dental benefits. 

You were randomly selected from the pool of Public Service health and dental benefits plan members who have enrolled dependants.

Once you have validated the eligibility of your dependant(s) for coverage under the Public Service health and dental benefits, you will not be required to validate the same dependant(s) through the Dependant Eligibility Verification for at least five (5) years.

If you do not respond to this request, the processing of claims for your eligible dependant(s) may be suspended or coverage may be terminated until the required documents are received and eligibility is validated.

To validate the eligibility for your child dependant(s), provide one of the following supporting documents for each dependant child: 

  • a copy of their birth certificate (for a biological child) 
  • a copy of their passport  
  • a copy of their legal adoption documentation 
  • a copy of their or your provincial health card showing that your dependant is listed on the card 
  • a copy of your custodial or guardianship documentation for a child 

To validate the eligibility for a spouse or common-law partner, provide one of the following supporting documents:  

  • a copy of your marriage certificate 
  • a legal affidavit 
  • a copy of their active driver’s license or their provincial health card showing the same last name or the same residential address (to demonstrate cohabitation) 
  • a copy of joint bank or credit accounts  
  • a copy of jointly signed residential lease or mortgage or purchase agreements 
  • a copy of a utility bill or invoice in their name showing your address 

Note: If none of these documents are available to confirm your partner’s status, you must complete and return a Declaration of Marital Status form.  

Be sure to send us copies, not the original documents. 

Once we receive your supporting documents, we will review them to validate the eligibility of your dependant(s) and advise you of the results. If we determine that a dependant is no longer eligible for coverage, we will advise you and terminate their coverage. 

It is possible we received your documents around the same time we sent you the follow-up communication. If you want to confirm that Canada Life has received your documents, please call the Member Contact Centre for inquiries within North America (toll-free) at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time, or for international inquiries (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET. 

If you no longer require coverage for your dependant(s) you must still submit the supporting documents requested so that we can validate the eligibility of the dependant(s) at the time you were selected to participate in the Dependant Eligibility Verification Program. You can then update your coverage to remove your dependant(s).

If you no longer require your current level of coverage under PSDCP, you can change it by: 

  • Amending your coverage type through the secure online Compensation Web Applications (CWA).
  • If you cannot access the CWA, please contact your departmental compensation office or Pay Centre. 

It is possible that, between the time you were selected to participate in the Dependant Eligibility Verification Program and the time you are receiving the request, the dependant(s) listed in the validation request are no longer eligible for coverage.     If a dependant is no longer eligible, you must still submit the supporting documents requested so that we can validate the eligibility of the dependant(s) at the time you were selected to participate in the Dependant Eligibility Verification Program. You can then remove them from your plan(s) by updating your positive enrolment information through one of the following methods: 

  • Online: You can sign in or create your Member Services account through My Canada Life at WorkTM to remove the dependant from your plan(s). This is done by selecting the icon on the upper right corner, choose Your profile, then Dependants and other coverage..    OR 
  • By mail: You can remove your dependant(s) by providing the effective date of removal in writing to Canada Life at: 

The Canada Life Assurance Company 

Eligibility Verification   

PO Box 6000 Stn Main 

Winnipeg MB R3C 3A5   

 

If the dependant(s) must be removed from multiple plans, update each dependant listing section for all plans that are affected. 

To remove the suspension, respond to the Dependant Eligibility Verification Program request by submitting the required documentation to Canada Life. Once we have validated the eligibility of your dependant(s), the suspension will be removed and we will process any claims you submitted during the suspension. 

If your dependant(s) no longer require coverage for your PSDCP, there is nothing you need to do. The request will no longer appear in the Immediate action required section of the Overview page of your account through My Canada Life at WorkTM.

If your eligible dependant(s) still require coverage, you will have to request that their coverage be restored. Before we can restore coverage to your eligible dependant(s), we must validate that they are eligible under the plan(s). To do that, we will require that you submit a completed positive enrolment form along with copies of the supporting documentation required to validate the eligibility of your dependant(s).  
 
As the dependant(s)’ coverage has been terminated and this review is no longer available online, you are not able to respond through the Immediate action required section of your account through the Member Services website. You must submit the completed positive enrolment form and copies of the supporting documentation by mail.  
 
To have your eligible dependant(s)’ coverage restored, you will need to: 

  1. Download and print a paper positive enrolment form from the Your forms page of the Member Services website. You can also request a paper form to be mailed to you by calling the Member Contact Centre. 
  2. Complete and sign the positive enrolment form, which includes information on your eligible dependant(s). 
  3. Gather the supporting documentation required to validate the eligibility of your dependant(s). 
  4. Mail the completed positive enrolment form and copies of supporting documentation to Canada Life using the address found at the top of the positive enrolment form.  

If you believe an error has occurred or that someone added dependant(s) without your consent, please call the Member Contact Centre at 1-855-415-4414 (toll-free), Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time within North America, or for international inquiries (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET. 

If you have any questions, please visit your Member Services account through My Canada Life at Work™ or call the Member Contact Centre for inquiries within North America (toll-free) at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time, or for international inquiries (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET. 

The purpose of the Annual Student Review Program is to validate that the enrolled dependant(s) are eligible for coverage as a full-time student according to the terms of the Public Service health and dental benefits.

You are being contacted to provide supporting documents to validate your enrolled dependant(s) meet the eligibility criteria under the Public Service health and dental benefits as a full-time student. To be eligible, your full-time student dependant(s) must be between 21 and 25 years of age and attending an accredited school, college or university on a full-time basis.

You were selected to participate in the Annual Student Review because claims have been submitted for your full-time student dependant(s) over the past year.

You will be asked to validate the full-time student status every year that claims are submitted for your full-time student dependant(s) until they are no longer eligible for coverage.

If you do not respond to this request, the processing of claims for your full-time student dependant(s) may be suspended or coverage may be terminated until the required documents are received and the full-time student status is validated. 

These are the documents required to validate the status of your full-time student(s):

  • most recent registration documents from the educational institution
  • most recent tuition receipts from the educational institution
  • confirmation of full-time attendance on the letterhead of the educational institution

Please send us copies for 1 of the examples above, not the original documents.

Once we receive your supporting documents, we will review them to validate the status of your dependant(s) as a full-time student and advise you of the results. If we determine that a dependant is no longer eligible for coverage, we will advise you and terminate their coverage.

It is possible we received your documents around the same time we sent you the follow-up communication. If you want to confirm that Canada Life has received your documents, please call the Member Contact Centre for inquiries within North America (toll-free) at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time, or for international inquiries (collect) 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET.

If you no longer require family coverage, you must still submit the supporting documents requested so that we can validate the eligibility of the full-time student(s) at the time you were selected to participate in the Annual Student Review Program.

If you no longer require your current level of coverage under PSDCP, you can change it by:

  • Amending your coverage type through the secure online Compensation Web Applications (CWA).
  • If you cannot access the CWA, please contact your departmental compensation office or Pay Centre.

It is possible that, between the time you were selected to participate in the Annual Student Review Program and the time you are receiving the request, the full-time student dependant(s) listed in the review request are no longer eligible for coverage as a full-time student. 

If a full-time student dependant is no longer eligible, you must still submit the supporting documents requested so that we can validate the eligibility of the dependant(s) at the time you were selected to participate in the Annual Student Review Program. You can then remove them from your plan(s) by updating your positive enrolment information through one of the following methods:

  • Online: You can go online to sign in or create your Member Services account through My Canada Life at WorkTM to remove the dependant from your plan(s). This is done by selecting the icon on the upper right, choose Your profile, then Dependants and other coverage.

OR

  • By mail: You can remove your dependant(s) by providing the effective date of removal in writing to Canada Life at:

The Canada Life Assurance Company
Eligibility Verification
PO Box 6000 Stn Main
Winnipeg MB R3C 3A5 

If the dependant(s) must be removed from multiple plans, update each dependant listing section for all plans that are affected.

To remove the suspension, respond to the Annual Student Review Program request by submitting the required documentation to Canada Life. Once we have validated the status of your full-time student dependant(s), the suspension will be removed and we will process any claims you submitted during the suspension.

If your dependant(s) no longer require coverage for your PSDCP, there is nothing you need to do. The request will no longer appear in the Immediate action required section of the Overview page of your account through the Member Services website. 

If your full-time student dependant(s) still require coverage, you will have to request that their coverage be restored. Before we can restore coverage to your full-time student(s), we must validate that they are eligible under the plan(s). To do that, we will require that you submit a completed positive enrolment form along with copies of the supporting documentation we require to validate the eligibility of your full-time student(s).

As the full-time student(s) coverage has been terminated, you are no longer able to respond through the Immediate action required section of your account through the Member Services website. You must submit the completed positive enrolment form and copies of the supporting documentation by mail. 

To have your full-time student(s)’ coverage restored, you will need to:

  1. Download and print a paper positive enrolment form from the Your forms page of the Member Services website. You can also request a paper form to be mailed to you by calling the Member Contact Centre.
  2. Complete and sign the positive enrolment form, which includes information on your full-time student(s).
  3. Gather the supporting documentation required to validate the eligibility of your full-time student(s).
  4. Mail the completed positive enrolment form and copies of supporting documentation to Canada Life using the address found at the top of the positive enrolment form.

If you believe an error has occurred or that someone added a dependant without your consent, please call the Member Contact Centre at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time within North America or at 1-431-489-4064 (collect), Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET, from outside North America.

If you have any questions, please sign in to your Member Services account through My Canada Life at Work™Opens a new website in a new windowOpens a new website in a new window or call the Member Contact Centre for inquiries within North America (toll-free) at 1-855-415-4414, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, your local time, or for international inquiries (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, ET. 

A service date is the date that your dental procedure or service was performed. The date your procedure was claimed may differ from the service date and may impact the eligibility of future claims. 

A unit is a measurement of time. As an example, one unit of scaling is equal to 15 minutes, and a half unit is 7.5 minutes. 

A simple extraction is when the tooth is removed easily and often in one piece. 

A complicated or surgical extraction is when the tooth may need to be sectioned into pieces to be removed or requires an incision in the gums or removal of bone to gain access to the tooth (for example, wisdom tooth removal). 

Fillings are billed according to the tooth number that notes its location in the mouth and the surfaces repaired. A tooth has 5 surfaces: cheek, tongue, forward facing, backward facing and biting surface. The time required to repair a tooth has no factor in billing.    

Sealants are a protective coating placed in the pits and grooves of your teeth to help prevent dental decay.  

A bitewing (showing upper and lower back teeth in a single view) or periapical x-ray (showing the whole tooth from root to crown in a single view) is taken by placing a sensor or film into your mouth. 

A panoramic x-ray will have you in a machine that will rotate around your head capturing the upper and lower teeth and jaw in a single image.