The American Dental Association is supporting federal legislation that would extend Department of Veterans Affairs dental care to every veteran enrolled in the VA health care system. In a Nov. 9 letter to Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), the ADA endorsed H.R. 210, the Dental Care for Veterans Act, while urging Congress to pair any expansion with adequate funding, staffing and infrastructure, according to ADA News.
Brownley introduced the bill on Jan. 6, 2025, and it was referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The committee held a legislative hearing on it May 20. The bill has not advanced out of committee.
How the expansion would work
Under current law, VA dental benefits are generally limited to veterans who meet specific criteria. The bill would remove those statutory limits and require the VA to provide dental services the same way it provides other medical care.
The change would phase in over four years by VA enrollment priority group. Veterans who already qualify would keep their benefits. Priority groups 1 and 2 would be added after the first year, groups 3 and 4 after two years, groups 5 and 6 after three, and groups 7 and 8 after four. The ADA said that structure "would preserve continuity for currently eligible veterans."
Staffing is the sticking point
The association's support comes with caveats drawn from a September report by the Government Accountability Office. Lead dentists at all 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks told GAO their facilities lacked the staff to meet current demand. Lead dentists at 17 of the 18 said they would face significant challenges if eligibility were expanded only to veterans with ischemic heart disease, a much smaller group than the bill would cover.
GAO also found that a broader benefit could send more veterans to outside providers through the VA's Community Care program, where wait times can also be long. That is where private practices come in. The ADA asked that any expansion include reasonable and timely reimbursement for community dentists, clear administrative processes and effective network adequacy standards so practices keep participating.
The letter also asks that benefits reflect each veteran's individual clinical needs, follow evidence-based standards and the treating clinician's judgment, and cover preventive, diagnostic, restorative and specialty care. The ADA recommended that the VA's progress be measured against funding, workforce levels, provider network capacity, appointment availability, wait times and how Community Care claims are handled.
What it means for practices
For dentists outside the VA system, the bill's most direct effect would likely come through referrals. If VA clinics cannot absorb the added demand, more veterans would be seen in private offices under Community Care, and the ADA's push on payment rates and paperwork is aimed at keeping those offices in the network.
Practices that already treat veterans through Community Care would be the first to feel any shift. Those that have stayed out of the program may want to watch how Congress handles the funding questions the ADA raised before deciding whether to join.
The ADA said it will continue working with Brownley, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, VA leadership and veterans service organizations as the bill moves forward. The letter went out two days before Veterans Day.
Sources: ADA News, Congress.gov
