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Paying for diabetic supplies, surgical supplies and dressings

ODSP can help you and your family pay for diabetic supplies, surgical supplies and dressings.

What kind of diabetic supplies can I get help with?

Diabetic supplies include:

  • needles and syringes
  • alcohol swabs
  • lancets
  • blood glucose monitors, and
  • insulin pump supplies.

If you or a member of your family is insulin-dependent and needs injections, you must contact the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) for blood glucose monitors and lancets. CDA and ODSP will share the cost for these supplies.

CDA’s central toll-free telephone number is 1-800-361-0796.

What kind of surgical supplies and dressings can I get help with?

Surgical supplies and dressings include items that a licensed Ontario doctor has prescribed for you or a family member because of a surgical, radiological or medical procedure or disease. Examples include:

  • surgical gauze
  • adhesive tape, and
  • adult diapers.

How can I get this help?

To be eligible, you must be receiving ODSP income support.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Tell your caseworker what you need to buy, and ask for a Mandatory Special Necessities Benefit Request form.
  2. Ask your family doctor or other health care professional to fill out the form.
  3. Once the form is filled out, fax the form or provide a copy to your local ODSP office either in person or by mail.

We will review your form and send you a letter to let you know if ODSP will pay for your diabetic supplies, surgical supplies or dressings.

Which health care professional can fill out the Mandatory Special Necessities Benefit Request
form?

For diabetic supplies:

  • Physicians
  • Nurses in the Extended Class (Nurse Practitioners), and
  • Registered Nurses (where a doctor has identified the need).

For surgical supplies and dressings:

  • Physicians
  • Nurses in the Extended Class (Nurse Practitioners)
  • Registered Nurses (where a doctor has identified the need), and
  • Enterostomal Therapists (where a doctor has identified the need).

You should not pay a fee to have the form filled out. The Ministry of Community and Social Services pays for the cost of filling out the form.

The application form tells the health care professional how to get paid for filling out the form.

Don’t agree with a decision?

You can ask for an internal review. Someone at ODSP will review a specific decision that affects your ODSP. The review will make sure the decision followed ODSP rules.

You must ask your ODSP office for an internal review within 30 days of when you received the decision.

Need more information?

For more information, please contact your caseworker at your local ODSP office.

To find contact information for your local office and learn more about ODSP visit: ontario.ca/socialassistance.

For general questions, please call ServiceOntario at:

Telephone: 1-888-789-4199
Teletypewriter (TTY):1-800-387-5559

 

Social assistance

 

Ministry of Community and Social Services

 

Contacts