NAVAPD has long fought for additional resources for our Dentist colleagues because we recognize the importance of oral health care on the general overall medical wellbeing of our patients.  In the past few years, VA Dentistry has seen a significant increase in the number of service-connected veterans who are eligible for comprehensive VA Dental care.  This number is outpacing the resources and physical space of VA Dental Clinics.

NAVAPD has brought this issue directly to Congress. We have explained to our Congressional Leaders that the current growth in service-connected eligible veterans already creates an access issue in the VA Dental clinics. We have shown that physical space for the dental clinics is wholly inadequate to meet the current needs, let alone any future growth. We have asked Congress to take these factors into consideration when planning for, or implementing new Acts that increase service connection, such as the PACT Act; and/or when planning to make every veteran eligible for dental care, such as is the plan of Senator Sanders.

NAVAPD supports the goal of making all veterans eligible for VA Dental care, IF that plan is carefully thought out, slowly and carefully implemented with the appropriate resources to sustain the operation. There must be funding and physical space to make these lofty goals a reality without an undue burdening of a system already at capacity.

NAVAPD was pleased to learn that the American Dental Association has tendered a letter asking Congress for additional resources to support VA Dentistry.  The request from the ADA was submitted by ADA President George Shepley, and the ADA Executive Director Raymond Cohlmia.  Together they have requested that Congress provide $1.25 Billion dollars to VA Dentistry, which is an additional $50 Million dollars above the current funding level.

They recognized that VA Dentistry has provided care to over 600,000 veterans in FY23 and that the current number of veterans becoming eligible for VA Dental care has already outpaced the funding and resources available. The ADA asked for the additional monies noting that funding for VA Dentistry has not kept up with the exponential increase in the eligible veteran population and noted that without the additional funding VA Dentistry will have a problem with access to care.  (NAVAPD would argue that VA Dentistry already has an access to care issue because dental clinics are currently already at capacity.)   The letter submitted to Congress also requested that the additional funding be strictly dedicated to VA Dentistry and not put into a general fund that could be reappropriated elsewhere in the VA. 

In the ADA letter, they also requested Congress put in language that the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Dentistry (AUSH-D) be at the same executive level as other undersecretaries; and that the AUSH-D report directly to the Under Secretary for Health. Currently, the AUSH-D reports to a Deputy Assistant Under Secretary in Clinical Operations, a completely different service, and not the Deputy Undersecretary for Health. The Deputy Assistant Under Secretary of Clinical Operations reports to Assistant Undersecretary for Clinical Services. The Assistant Undersecretary  for Clinical Services reports to the Deputy Undersecretary for Health who then reports to the Undersecretary for Health.  This creates unnecessary layers of bureaucracy which has the perception that the VA does not value dentistry or the dental care that is provided by VA Dentists.

NAVAPD thanks the American Dental Association for their support of VA Dentistry and their commitment to help ensure that all veterans have appropriate dental care and timely access to care which additional funding and resources can provide.

• The link to the article can be found here: ADA asks Congress for additional resources for VA Dentistry | American Dental Association. 

• The link to the letter sent to Congress can be found here: 230328_ada_vadentistryappropsletter.pdf