As Veteran’s Day approaches, we thought we would put a spotlight on veterans and their options for dental care.
Dental care, along with medical insurance, has become more complicated through the recent years. VA-provided care has mainly focused on military service-related issues and benefits have been limited by law.
Dental Care Options for Veterans
Veterans who have recently served may be entitled to a one-time course of free dental care, but are required to apply within 180 days of their discharge (excluding dishonorable discharge) from a period of active duty of 90 days or more.
Veterans in need of assistance and do not qualify for the above are able to enroll in the VADIP (VA Dental Insurance Program). This voluntary program began as a three-year, national pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing premium-based dental insurance to eligible veterans. Scheduled to end January 31, 2017, it has been now been extended to Dec. 31, 2021 due to the VA Dental Reauthorization Act of 2016.
This program offers eligible veterans the opportunity to purchase dental insurance coverage at a discounted price to assist with dental services including, diagnostic, preventative, endodontic, restorative, surgical and emergency services. Purchasing a dental plan does not affect a veteran’s eligibility for VA dental services or treatment.
VA Care and Assistance
The information in this post originated from public information provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and their websites, https://www.va.gov/ and https://www.vets.gov/. Information may change, so we recommend that you follow up with their websites and seek professional assistance where needed. Our goal is to bring to light what assistance is available to veterans in hopes that they can receive the care needed.
Additional Links
- VA Dental Care / How to Apply for VA Health Care https://explore.va.gov/health-care/dental
- Online VA form 10-10EZ https://www.vets.gov/health-care/apply/application/introduction
- VADIP Fact Sheet https://www.va.gov/HEALTHBENEFITS/vadip/VADIP_fact_sheet_02-17.pdf
