Vol. 442 No. 3
83 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the fact that those who take early retirement are currently being disqualified from eligibility for dental and optical benefits as a result of one of the so called dirty dozen cutbacks; and the steps, if any, he will take to redress this.
One of the statutory contribution conditions for entitlement to treatment (dental and optical) benefits from my Department requires an applicant aged between 21 and 66 years to have at least 39 reckonable PRSI contributions paid or credited in the governing contribution year of which at least 13 must be paid contributions. Alternatively, this condition can be satisfied if the applicant has at least 13 contributions paid in either of the two contribution years preceding the governing contribution year, or a subsequent contribution year, including the year in which employment ceases due, for example, to early retirement. People in receipt of long-term unemployment assistance, pre-retirement allowance, disability benefit for more than 12 months, invalidity pension, or retirement pension are exempt from the condition requiring at least 13 paid contributions.
In practice, therefore, a person who leaves the workforce can retain entitlement to treatment benefit for up to five years after employment ceases. Where entitlement runs out after that period, it can be restored on receipt of retirement pension at age 65 years. Furthermore, once qualified at 66 years of age, a person remains qualified for the rest of his or her life.
