Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) would reauthorize a veteran dental insurance pilot program and expand access to all veterans who don’t already receive dental benefits.
The VA Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act, S. 3055, would reauthorize the dental insurance pilot program that was created through a provision Burr included in the Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. Burr offered the bill with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).
Established in 2014, the dental insurance pilot program has been providing veterans and their dependents with access to dental insurance for three years and is scheduled to sunset in 2017.
“The veterans dental insurance pilot program is a success,” Burr said. “We know that access to dental care is important to maintaining overall health. The veterans’ dental insurance program works and it is time to give all of our veterans access to this insurance.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently provides full dental coverage to select classes of veterans – 100 percent disabled veterans, former prisoners of war and veterans who have a service-connected dental disability.
The dental insurance pilot program is currently operated through contracts with Delta Dental and Metlife. The pilot program enables veterans to pay low premiums — $13.88 per month for a single veteran in Raleigh, North Carolina, for example — while monthly premiums cover entire program costs.
Tens of thousands of veterans and veteran family members could lose access to dental coverage if the pilot program sunsets as scheduled in 2017, according to Burr.