Reps. Davis, Bergman, Van Drew, Golden Introduce SMILE for Veterans Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Reps. Don Davis (NC-01), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02) and Jared Golden (ME-02) have introduced the SMILE for Veterans Act, bipartisan legislation which will create a Department of Veterans Affairs Pilot Program to pay for local dentists providing care to America's rural veterans.

"Too many rural veterans experience difficulty obtaining necessary dental care, and quality dental care is essential for maintaining overall health," said Rep. Don Davis. "The SMILE for Veterans Act provides community-based providers with a means to provide that care closer to home. We owe it to our veterans to maintain our promise to provide them with the best care possible."

At this time, only approximately 15 percent of the nearly 9 million veterans receiving their healthcare through the VA are eligible for VA-funded dental care. In most cases, eligibility for dental care is based on whether a veteran has a service-connected dental issue, a 100 percent disability rating, or was a former prisoner of war.

The SMILE for Veterans Act addresses the lack of accessibility to quality dental care in rural areas by allowing local dentists already in place to be reimbursed for treating rural veterans. The legislation would allow for increased access to dental care in underserved areas using the current provider base and infrastructure, without creating additional costs or requiring the VA to develop new dental systems.

"For too many veterans in rural communities, basic dental care is either too far away or simply out of reach,"said Rep. Jack Bergman."The SMILE for Veterans Act offers a practical solution by connecting veterans with trusted dental providers already serving their communities. Rather than building an expensive new federal system from the ground up, this legislation uses existing local providers to deliver care efficiently and closer to home."

"I spent 30 years as a dentist, and I can tell you that putting off dental care usually only makes things worse,"said Rep. Jeff Van Drew."For veterans living in rural communities, sometimes the hardest part is simply finding a dentist close enough to get the care they need. That should not be the case. The SMILE for Veterans Act is a practical way to connect veterans with that care closer to home. To me, that is common sense."

"VA health care is an essential benefit for our nation's veterans, but for too long a lack of dental coverage has been a massive gap in care. The mouth is part of the body, and our veterans shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get basic dental care. I'm proud to work with Reps. Bergman, Davis and Van Drew on the SMILE Act, which takes a smart first step toward more comprehensive coverage by focusing on rural areas where barriers to care are the highest and community providers that can help close the gap,"said Rep. Jared Golden.

The SMILE for Veterans Act is supported by AMVETS, the National Rural Health Association, and the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.

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