Desjardins Insurance massage therapy claims

Desjardins Insurance pays group massage therapy claims when the receipt shows the therapist's name, qualifications, address, professional association and registration number, and the association is one Desjardins recognizes. If your plan requires a referral, it must be recent and include a diagnosis. Compression stockings must be prescribed before you buy them, and every claim is due within 12 months of the treatment.

Desjardins Insurance is precise about paperwork. Its healthcare claims guide spells out what a massage receipt, a referral and a compression stocking claim must contain, and a claim that misses one line comes back. If you have Desjardins group benefits through work in Alberta, getting those details right at the appointment is most of the job.

What a Desjardins massage receipt must show

For any healthcare professional’s services, Desjardins asks for an original receipt with:

• the patient’s name, the date of treatment and the amount per treatment;
• the professional’s name, qualifications and address;
• the professional’s association and registration number.

The professional must be a member in good standing of a provincial or Canadian professional association recognized by Desjardins. In Alberta, where massage therapy has no regulatory college, that association line is how Desjardins checks your therapist, so a receipt without it is incomplete.

Desjardins adds three more conditions. The treatment must be within the professional’s recognized field and given by the person named on the receipt. You must show the treatment was paid in full. And if your plan requires a medical referral, it must include the diagnosis and be recent. Our page on what a massage therapy receipt needs to show covers receipts in general, and when you need a doctor’s note covers referrals.

Rules people miss

A few lines in the Desjardins reminders cause most of the surprises:

Rule	What it means in practice
One visit per day per type of professional	Two massages on one day count as one
Close relatives	Services from a close relative are not eligible
Altered receipts	Receipts with changes or added information are refused
Pay first	Never submit before you have received and paid for the treatment
Reasonable and customary	Desjardins limits fees to the lower of the local standard rate or the rate the professional association suggests

Desjardins also asks you to check receipts and statements for accuracy, never sign a blank form, and submit claims as you go rather than saving them up. Claims can be audited at any time in the 12 months after you submit them, so keep copies.

Compression stockings: prescription before purchase

This is where Desjardins differs from plans that let you sort the paperwork out later. Its guide is direct: the stockings must be prescribed before you buy them. A claim needs:

1. the original recommendation or referral from a physician or authorized healthcare professional, including the compression strength and the diagnosis that made the stockings necessary, and recent enough to count;
2. the original receipt;
3. the compression strength;
4. confirmation that the stockings were paid for in full.

If you are being fitted after surgery or for lymphedema, see your doctor first, ask for the compression strength to be written on the note, and bring it to the fitting. Our page on compression garment prescriptions and insurance letters explains what to ask your doctor to include.

Submitting, deadlines and the payment card

Desjardins offers three routes: online through its secure site or the Omni app, by payment card at the clinic, or by mail with the Claim for Healthcare Benefits form.

• Deadline. Submit within 12 months of receiving the treatment.
• Speed. Online claims are generally processed within two business days. Register for direct deposit in your online account or the Omni app to be paid faster.
• At the clinic. If your payment card carries the TELUS Assure logo and your professional is registered for TELUS Health eClaims, Desjardins pays its share on the spot. Desjardins is on the eClaims insurer list, and its search tool shows participating professionals, though some choose not to be listed.
• Large treatment plans. When the total is expected to be more than $500, Desjardins recommends a predetermination, a treatment plan sent before you start, which it answers within five business days.

Our page on how direct billing works explains the eClaims side in more detail.

Using Desjardins group benefits at Renu

At Renu, lymphatic drainage and massage are given by Registered Massage Therapists. Meeghan Mackenzie, our founder, is a Certified Lymphedema Therapist and Certified Compression Fitter, and our complete decongestive therapy services include a 30-minute compression fitting for $25. Acupuncture is with Dr. Will Tanner.

For a post-operative series, the $500 predetermination threshold arrives quickly at our published prices:

Session at Renu	Price	Sessions to pass $500
Classic lymphatic drainage, 45 min	$105	5
Classic lymphatic drainage, 60 min	$130	4
Post-op lymphatic drainage, 60 min	$140	4

That is a reason to talk to Desjardins early if you are planning several weeks of care. Ask us, when you book, which association your therapist belongs to and what the receipt will show, so you can compare it with the Desjardins list above. Sessions with our student practitioner are not RMT services, so check your plan before counting on them. Book through Jane from the lymphatic drainage massage page.

Desjardins in four steps

1. Read your group booklet for the massage maximum and whether a referral is required.
2. Check the receipt for association and registration number before you leave.
3. For stockings, get the prescription with compression strength and diagnosis first, then buy.
4. Submit online within 12 months, with direct deposit set up.

Questions people ask

Can I buy Desjardins personal health insurance in Alberta?

Desjardins says that to be eligible for its personal health insurance you must have group drug coverage through an employer, an order or an association, or otherwise through RAMQ, Quebec's public drug plan. For most Albertans, Desjardins coverage therefore comes through a workplace group plan.

Why did Desjardins return my massage claim?

The most common gaps are a receipt missing the therapist's association or registration number, a missing or out-of-date referral when the plan requires one, or no proof of payment. Desjardins also refuses receipts that have been altered or had information added, so ask the clinic for a corrected receipt rather than writing on it.

Can I claim two massages on the same day?

Desjardins limits the maximum to one visit per day for each type of professional. A massage and an acupuncture treatment on the same day are different types of professional, but two massage visits are not.

Do I need to send Desjardins a treatment plan for a series of lymphatic sessions?

Desjardins recommends a predetermination when a treatment is expected to cost more than $500. It is a recommendation rather than a rule, but for a long post-operative series it tells you in advance what will be paid. Desjardins says it answers within five business days.

Sources

1. Desjardins Insurance: Submitting healthcare claims, what you need to know
2. Desjardins Insurance: Group insurance claims guide
3. Desjardins: Submit a claim at a healthcare professional's office
4. Desjardins: Personal health and dental insurance
5. TELUS Health: eClaims insurer coverage list

Page reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis. For your own situation, talk to your doctor, surgeon or care team, or ask us.