Dental Care for Veterans Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 210 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 210

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to furnish dental care in the same manner as any other
                medical service, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2025

  Ms. Brownley (for herself, Mr. Casten, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr.
Cohen, Mr. Keating, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Carbajal, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Kelly of
   Illinois, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs.
 Dingell, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Landsman, Mr. Amo, Ms. Norton,
Mrs. Ramirez, and Ms. Tokuda) introduced the following bill; which was
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to furnish dental care in the same manner as any other
                medical service, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dental Care for Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT THAT SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FURNISH DENTAL
              CARE IN THE SAME MANNER AS ANY OTHER MEDICAL SERVICE.

    (a) Dental Benefits.--
            (1) In general.--Title 38, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in section 1701(6), by striking ``as described
                in sections 1710 and 1712 of this title'';
                    (B) in section 1710(c), by striking the second
                sentence;
                    (C) in section 1712--
                            (i) by striking subsections (a) and (b);
                            (ii) by redesignating subsections (c), (d),
                        (e), and (f) as subsections (a), (b), (c), and
                        (d), respectively; and
                            (iii) in subsection (a), as redesignated by
                        subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) by striking ``Dental
                                appliances'' and inserting ``The
                                Secretary may furnish dentures, dental
                                appliances''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``to be furnished
                                by the Secretary under this section may
                                be procured by the Secretary'' and
                                inserting ``under this section and may
                                procure such appliances''; and
                    (D) by striking section 2062.
            (2) Phased eligibility.--The amendments made by paragraph
        (1) shall apply as follows:
                    (A) In the case of an individual who is eligible
                for dental services and appliances furnished by the
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs under chapter 17 of title
                38, United States Code, on the date of the enactment of
                this Act, beginning on the date of the enactment of
                this Act.
                    (B) In the case of a veteran who is not so eligible
                on the date of the enactment of this Act and who is
                described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of
                section 1705 of such title, beginning on the date that
                is one year after the date of the enactment of this
                Act.
                    (C) In the case of a veteran who is not so eligible
                on the date of the enactment of this Act and who is
                described in paragraph (3) or (4) of subsection (a) of
                section 1705 of such title, beginning on the date that
                is two years after the date of the enactment of this
                Act.
                    (D) In the case of a veteran who is not so eligible
                on the date of the enactment of this Act and who is
                described in paragraph (5) or (6) of subsection (a) of
                section 1705 of such title, beginning on the date that
                is three years after the date of the enactment of this
                Act.
                    (E) In the case of a veteran who is not so eligible
                on the date of the enactment of this Act and who is
                described in paragraph (7) or (8) of subsection (a) of
                section 1705 of such title, beginning on the date that
                is four years after the date of the enactment of this
                Act.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 1525(a) of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``medicines under section 1712(d)''
and inserting ``medicines under section 1712(b)''.
    (c) Clerical Amendments.--Such title is further amended--
            (1) in section 1712, in the heading for such section, by
        striking ``Dental care'' and inserting ``Appliances'';
            (2) in the table of sections at the beginning of chapter
        17, by striking the item relating to section 1712 and inserting
        the following new item:

``1712. Appliances; drugs and medicines for certain disabled veterans;
                            vaccines.''; and
            (3) in the table of sections at the beginning of chapter
        20, by striking the item relating to section 2062.
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