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Reminder: Improvements and changes to your Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) are in effect, as of January 1, 2025. Go to Canada.ca/pension-benefits to learn about these changes and how they may affect you and your eligible dependants.
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  • Preferred first name
  • Most asked questions
  • Positive enrolment questions

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.

Yes, your new plan number has changed and it is based on your month of birth, as follows:

Your month of birth

New plan number
January, February, March

72111
April, May, June

72112
July, August, September

72113
October, November, December

72114

Note: Claims for you and your eligible dependants will be processed under the same plan number. 

No, your certificate number has not changed, therefore continue to use the same certificate number for your Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) that you used before the transition on November 1.  

You can find your certificate number on your current PSDCP benefit card, on an explanation of benefits statement, in your PSDCP Member Services account through My Canada Life at WorkTM or in your compensation system. You can also call 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.  

Yes. As part of the new contract effective November 1, 2024, once your positive enrolment is completed for the Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP), you will have access to a new digital PSDCP benefit card on the Canada Life PSDCP Member Services website. Alternatively, you can request that a paper PSDCP benefit card be sent to you by mail. Your new card will contain your existing certificate number and your new plan number.  

Note: Under the new contract, we no longer issue plastic benefit cards for the PSDCP. This is a greening initiative supported by the Government of Canada and Canada Life.  

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.ca to learn about these important changes coming to your PSDCP benefits including how they may impact you and your eligible dependants. 

No, your dental benefit maximums under the Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) did not reset when the new contract started on November 1, 2024. 

Your claim history, including your dental benefits coverage balances, remains on file with Canada Life and you will be able to access this information in your PSDCP Member Services account through My Canada Life at WorkTM.

If we are completing positive enrolment into the Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) on your behalf, you will receive a positive enrolment confirmation notice between September and early October, via your preferred method of communication.  

The notice will provide you with the instructions you need to validate and, if applicable, update your positive enrolment information used from secure, authoritative sources.  

We are completing positive enrolment for as many Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) members as possible. If you have not received your confirmation notice by early October, please contact us.

If you are not eligible for Canada Life to complete positive enrolment on your behalf, you must complete it on your own by October 31, 2024. Please check back here in a few weeks for more instructions.   

To complete positive enrolment online, you will need to enter your current certificate number, last name and date of birth to begin the process. Please ensure you complete positive enrolment by October 31, 2024, to avoid any disruptions in the processing and reimbursement of your dental claims when the new PSDCP contract with Canada Life takes effect on November 1, 2024.  

To complete positive enrolment by paper, you can download and print a PSDCP Positive Enrolment Form from the Forms page.  

Alternatively, you can 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, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm ET to request that a paper form be mailed to you within 2-3 business days. 

You must also provide your dental provider with your new plan number. 

Since we used the data available to us from authoritative sources, your positive enrolment information may have changed. It’s important that you review and validate that the information is complete and accurate.  

Your personal information was provided to us securely from the following authoritative sources, while adhering to privacy and security requirements:   

  • Government of Canada: name, date of birth, gender, language, coverage level and effective date of coverage 
  • Canada Life PSHCP account (if applicable): contact information 
  • Canada Life PSDCP account: dependant information (if applicable) 

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.  

 If you are not a Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) member, please advise your departmental compensation office, Pay Centre, Pension Centre or your pension office. Once their records are updated, that information will be provided to us. 

If you are not a Pensioners’ Dental Services Plan (PDSP) member, please advise your Pension Centre or your pension office. Once their records are updated, that information will be provided to us. 

You are receiving this message because you do not need to complete positive enrolment for the Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP). We have completed positive enrolment on your behalf with information we have securely received from authoritative sources. A confirmation notice will be sent to members through your preferred method of communication. 

If you have not received a confirmation noticed by early October, please call the Canada Life 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, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm ET.

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. 

The Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) claim forms will be available to download beginning November 1, 2024.   

We encourage you to go paperless and submit your claims by signing in to your PSDCP Member Services account through My Canada Life at Work™. This is a very easy process and greening initiative that will help reduce paper waste, allow you to receive reimbursement faster through direct deposit, and is supported by the Government of Canada and Canada Life.  To submit claims online you must provide us with your banking 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. 

There will be no change to your dental benefits coverage as a result of the new contract. For additional information, please visit Canada.ca and search ‘New PSDCP administrator’ to view frequently asked questions.​  

Along with a few administrative changes, such as new plan numbers, positive enrolment will now be the members responsibility. This means that you will be required to keep your personal and eligible dependant information up to date with Canada Life

All Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) members are required to create their PSDCP Member Services account (through My Canada Life at WorkTM) using two-factor authentication. This is a mandatory step established as part of the security requirements of the PSDCP contract.  

To access your PSDCP Member Services account, you will need to complete the two-factor authentication process. Once signed in, you can choose to turn off this additional verification step in the Security settings. However, we strongly recommend that you leave this security feature turned on. Two-factor authentication is a standard security measure used globally by many organizations, including financial institutions.  

POA details on your current Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) will transfer to the new PSDCP contract.  

If you have a POA on file with Canada Life under your Public Service Health Care Plan you can transfer your POA by calling 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 internationally (collect) at 1-431-489-4064, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm ET. 

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.