SMILE for Veterans Act

This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to set up, within one year, a 3-year pilot program that pays community-based providers, including mobile dental clinics, to give dental care to veterans living in rural areas. The program would run in at least ten rural locations in at least five states and would cover services such as exams, X-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions, urgent care, and dentures. Eligible veterans are enrolled rural veterans who either do not qualify for VA dental care or cannot get it within VA access standards, with alternate eligibility rules for homeless veterans. Participating providers would have to accept VA rates as payment in full for covered services, and the VA would have to pay clean claims within 30 days. The bill also creates a VA working group on rural dental access, requires a public provider directory and a report to Congress, and authorizes $5 million for fiscal year 2027 and $20 million per year for fiscal years 2028 through 2030.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Jack Bergman Republican sponsor
• 5 cosponsors