Dental Care for Veterans Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2413 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 MARCH 30, 2023 Ms. BROWNLEY 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 Sec- retary 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 Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dental Care for Vet- 4 erans Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2413.IH H2413 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 2413 IH SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT THAT SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF- 1 FAIRS FURNISH DENTAL CARE IN THE SAME 2 MANNER AS ANY OTHER MEDICAL SERVICE. 3 (a) DENTAL BENEFITS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title 38, United States 5 Code, is amended— 6 (A) in section 1701(6), by striking ‘‘as de- 7 scribed in sections 1710 and 1712 of this title’’; 8 (B) in section 1710(c), by striking the sec- 9 ond sentence; 10 (C) in section 1712— 11 (i) by striking subsections (a) and (b); 12 (ii) by redesignating subsections (c), 13 (d), (e), and (f) as subsections (a), (b), (c), 14 and (d), respectively; and 15 (iii) in subsection (a), as redesignated 16 by subparagraph (B)— 17 (I) by striking ‘‘Dental appli- 18 ances’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary 19 may furnish dentures, dental appli- 20 ances’’; and 21 (II) by striking ‘‘to be furnished 22 by the Secretary under this section 23 may be procured by the Secretary’’ 24 and inserting ‘‘under this section and 25 may procure such appliances’’; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2413.IH H2413 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 2413 IH (D) by striking section 2062. 1 (2) PHASED ELIGIBILITY.—The amendments 2 made by paragraph (1) shall apply as follows: 3 (A) In the case of an individual who is eli- 4 gible for dental services and appliances fur- 5 nished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 6 under chapter 17 of title 38, United States 7 Code, on the date of the enactment of this Act, 8 beginning on the date of the enactment of this 9 Act. 10 (B) In the case of a veteran who is not so 11 eligible on the date of the enactment of this Act 12 and who is described in paragraph (1) or (2) of 13 subsection (a) of section 1705 of such title, be- 14 ginning on the date that is one year after the 15 date of the enactment of this Act. 16 (C) In the case of a veteran who is not so 17 eligible on the date of the enactment of this Act 18 and who is described in paragraph (3) or (4) of 19 subsection (a) of section 1705 of such title, be- 20 ginning on the date that is two years after the 21 date of the enactment of this Act. 22 (D) In the case of a veteran who is not so 23 eligible on the date of the enactment of this Act 24 and who is described in paragraph (5) or (6) of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2413.IH H2413 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 2413 IH subsection (a) of section 1705 of such title, be- 1 ginning on the date that is three years after the 2 date of the enactment of this Act. 3 (E) In the case of a veteran who is not so 4 eligible on the date of the enactment of this Act 5 and who is described in paragraph (7) or (8) of 6 subsection (a) of section 1705 of such title, be- 7 ginning on the date that is four years after the 8 date of the enactment of this Act. 9 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1525(a) 10 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking 11 ‘‘medicines under section 1712(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘medi- 12 cines under section 1712(b)’’. 13 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—Such title is further 14 amended— 15 (1) in section 1712, in the heading for such sec- 16 tion, by striking ‘‘Dental care’’ and inserting 17 ‘‘Appliances’’; 18 (2) in the table of sections at the beginning of 19 chapter 17, by striking the item relating to section 20 1712 and inserting the following new item: 21 ‘‘1712. Appliances; drugs and medicines for certain disabled veterans; vac- cines.’’; and 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2413.IH H2413 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 2413 IH (3) in the table of sections at the beginning of 1 chapter 20, by striking the item relating to section 2 2062. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:09 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2413.IH H2413 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB