NYSDA Meets with Delta Dental Regarding Paper Check Fee
NYSDA had a meeting with Delta Dental of California's vice president of Public and Government Affairs, and their regional legislative and policy advocate person on October 20, 2026, regarding their new policy to charge in-network providers a $15 weekly fee to receive reimbursement by paper check, beginning January 1, 2027. They are offering providers the option of receiving reimbursement by electronic funds transfer (EFT) at no charge. Delta Dental said they have been in contact with other state dental associations affected by their new policy as well. They are holding steadfast to their new policy and have no plans to rescind it.
Delta cited several reasons for implementing its new policy, including the costs associated with mailing and processing paper checks. Additionally, EFT has become the industry standard across many sectors, including healthcare, due to its benefits in fraud prevention and faster payment processing.
Delta acknowledges dentists’ concerns regarding the challenges of reconciling payments. In response, Delta states that providers will receive an email notification once a payment has been deposited. Additionally, providers will have immediate access to claims statements through the Delta portal (Provider Tools) on the same day the payment is received.
The Delta Dental of California enterprise includes the following entities/states:
Delta Dental of California: California
Delta Dental of the District of Columbia: Washington, D.C.
Delta Dental of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania and Maryland
Delta Dental of West Virginia, Inc.: West Virginia
Delta Dental of Delaware, Inc.: Delaware
Delta Dental of New York: New York
Delta Dental Insurance Company: Alabama; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Georgia; Louisiana; Mississippi; Montana; Nevada; Texas; and Utah.
Any state not listed above is considered a “non-enterprise” state and Delta Dental of California’s new policy would not apply. If a patient is covered by a “non-enterprise” state, the $15 fee for paper checks does not apply to either in-network or out of network providers. The new policy does not impact any out of network provider, regardless of which Delta Dental (enterprise or non-enterprise) covers the patient.
If you are an in-network provider and choose to continue receiving paper checks, the $15 processing fee will be deducted from your weekly reimbursement payment. The $15 fee will be charged regardless to whether you submit one Delta claim per week or several. It is not $15 per claim.
NYSDA's general counsel has confirmed that Delta Dental is not violating New York's virtual credit card legislation. NY's law requires that insurance carriers offer their contracted providers at least one fee-free payment methodology. By offering providers payment by EFT at no charge, Delta Dental is in compliance with NY law. If an in-network provider would like to avoid the paper check fee, they may enroll for EFT payments with Delta at: https://www1.deltadentalins.com/, before the January 1st deadline.
Lastly, Delta has “ambassadors” that cover various regions throughout the state who ae available to assist in-network providers one-on-one. They are available to meet with providers either virtually or in their office. Providers can reach out anytime to Provider Relations at 800-592-0156 or ProviderConcierge@delta.org.
