Canada introduced a dental plan for seniors. When Attila retired, the first month of the year he retired, his benefits were terminated instantly. So when the stars aligned, and Attila became eligible, he applied for the seniors dental plan and was accepted. We thought this was wonderful.
Attila, like myself, inherited soft teeth that are particularly vulnerable to decay. So the decision was made, when the dental plan approved his application, to have all but three of his problematic lower teeth removed (he has upper teeth). The process was covered largely by the dental plan, and he was to have a partial denture ready and working before Christmas.
But the expected response from the dental plan people was not forthcoming. The dentist/denturist was surprised and the appointments to proceed with the dentures were cancelled. No teeth for Christmas. Attila has been able to eat soft foods since last autumn when the teeth were removed, so he is not starving, just a bit of an odd smile at the moment.
No word came from the dentist/denturist about the coverage. Very strange. And so we have waited.
Then, at the end of January, we received an almost threatening letter from the Canadian government, informing us that Attila’s application was false, the dental plan approval was revoked, and that we were liable to pay back all the dental bill that had been incurred thus far on the plan, thousands of dollars. This decision was based on tax information, the year Attila worked for a few weeks in January before retiring. The tax information led the government to assume that Attila had benefits beyond those few weeks, for the entire year, and that he had falsely claimed he had no benefits when he applied, the following year.
Attila was given weeks to provide documentation proving he had retired, and that he did not have benefits.
We were shocked and very dismayed. This proof was not asked for in the application process, why now, why within such a short time?
So Attila got busy attaining the documentation demanded. He has been retired for a few years, so the company he had worked for had to be approached for the documentation. They have security, so he could not enter the building to inquire. He sent email messages to people in HR that he knew, they had all left the company since he retired. It took several days to finally get a phone call through to the company’s office.
They were most helpful. Apparently this is such a common problem that the company has a formal letter to provide for retired employees who are caught in this trap. The letter was sent to us, and immediately mailed to the Canadian government. Attila was told that the review of this documentation would not be done for 8 to 10 weeks.
So Attila will be eating soft food for quite a while, as he waits for the wheels of the machine to chew through this mess that it created.
I think the powers that be could have managed a more humane strategy to ensure eligibility!!!
The worst case scenario is that we will have to find the thousands of dollars to pay for the dental work already done. And then pay thousands more to finish the job, so that Attila can chew food again.
We are hoping for the best.
Whoever hoped that computers would make paperwork easier, or processes run more smoothly, must feel sorely disappointed with modern life. More technology means more problems, in our personal experience.
Worldly
Weather
1°C
Date: 2:45 PM EST Wednesday 11 February 2026
Condition: Snow
Pressure: 100.8 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: -1.0°C
Dew point: -2.9°C
Humidity: 87%
Wind: NNW 10 km/h
Wind Chill: -4
Visibility: 0.8 km
Visibility:24 km
Quote
“You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With four hungry children and crops in the field
I’ve had some bad times, lived through some sad times
But this time the hurtin’ won’t heal
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille”
Song written by Roger Bowling and Hal Bynum, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers, released in 1977.
What a bureaucratic cluster! One would (foolishly) think that after the first few dozens of times this happened that someone would have figured out there’s a bug in the system. If it has happened often enough at Attila’s former company that they’ve resorted to a form letter, there must be many other employers and instances where this has occurred.
Let’s hope the resolution process is as streamlined at the government end as it has become at the former employer.
What a crappy system! So sorry for the struggles you both have to face. May your luck turn around soon.
Thank you SP! It is shocking how intrusive the system is, and yet how clueless it is, perusal of the tax documents would give them enough “proof” to have left our coverage active.
Wendy, exactly, a bureaucratic cluster! There is little hope that the government is going to learn from this type of situation, or effectively streamline anything to do with providing a social safety net. A lot of people who are “helped” by the government systems have tales to tell of the personal costs of such help.
If we hadn’t been led to believe the dental work was covered by the plan, Attila has the Dental Card and Number, we would not have made the decisions we made, but would have worked within our financial limitations.
That’s horrible! DH says he thinks that’s a personnel problem, not a computer problem. As a computer guy, his first reaction is that’s someone too quick to assume that because you had benefits in January they must have continued on through the rest of the year.
I got these suggestions from Google:
“How to File a Complaint or Appeal (CDCP)
If you are dissatisfied with a decision regarding your coverage or claim, you should follow these steps, as outlined by Sun Life and the Government of Canada:
I think contacting the Problem Resolution Team might be a good place to go, so you don’t have to pay more money.
Thank you Teri!
Attila has been interacting with Health Canada, thankfully SunLife is not involved with this.
Of course, things could always get worse, particularly if SunLife were involved.
We have had horrendous experiences with SunLife in the past, through Attila’s work coverage, just thinking about them does bad things to my blood pressure.