Medical Costs
Emergency Dental Work
The Income Assistance program offers help for emergency dental care under certain circumstances:
- you are in pain
- you have bleeding in your mouth that will not stop
- your gums are swollen
- you need your dentures fixed
- you have a dental problem that could stop you from getting a job
Here's how it works.
- You must tell your dental office that you are on Income Assistance and give them your Nova Scotia Health Card number.
- Your dentist will find out for you if the procedure is covered under our dental procedures.
- Income Assistance pays the major portion of the dental cost and you pay the rest.
Eye Exams and Glasses
We can assist you with the cost of eye exams and glasses. The Income Assistance program pays for you or someone in your family. The maximum amounts that Income Assistance will pay are:
- $40 for a regular eye examination
- $90 for a regular pair of glasses once every two years
- $110 for a pair of bifocals once every two years
Prescriptions
Community Services provides pharmacare benefits and offers assistance with the cost if you do not have any other drug plan or other resources.
Can Community Services assist me with the cost of my family's drug prescriptions?
Community Services provides Pharmacare benefits and offers assistance with some of the medical prescriptions you have. Here's how it works.
- You can receive assistance with your prescriptions if you do not have any other drug plan
- If you are eligible for Pharmacare coverage, you give the pharmacist your Health Card number every time you get a prescription filled
- You pay a $5 co-pay for each prescription you get filled and Pharmacare pays the rest
- The drug must be listed in the "Nova Scotia Formulary." This is a list of all the drugs covered by Pharmacare. Check with the pharmacist to make sure your prescription is on the list.
- Pharmacare does not pay for medicines that you can buy without a prescription. These are called over-the-counter drugs or medicines.
You may not have to pay the co-pay amount if you have large monthly drug costs or you need small doses of prescription drugs regularly. Pharmacare also pays for your spouse and your dependent children.
If you are not eligible for Pharmacare assistance, you may still be eligible for assistance with the cost of your prescriptions. Speak to your caseworker.
Low Income Pharmacare for Children (LIPC)
See our page dedicated to this subject.
Next steps
Please contact your caseworker to determine eligibility.
If you are not yet an Income Assistance client, see our information on How to Apply.