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Rural Veterans Dental Care Act
To establish a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas.
Summary
This bill would establish a three-year pilot program for the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide dental care to rural and highly rural veterans beginning October 1, 2026. The program would use mobile dental vans, containerized mobile clinics, and temporary structures at outreach events to deliver dental services. Priority would be given to locations more than 75 miles from existing VA dental clinics, areas with high concentrations of veterans needing dental care, and rural areas with large veteran populations. The Secretary would submit annual reports to Congress on the number of veterans served, program locations, operating costs, and recommendations for improving or making the program permanent.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
Actions (3)
- Nov 17, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- Nov 7, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. · house
- Nov 7, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
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Text versions (1)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 7, 2025
Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To establish a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas.
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 “Rural Veterans Dental Care Act”.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO FURNISH DENTAL CARE TO VETERANS WHO RESIDE IN RURAL AREAS.
(a) Establishment.—On October 1, 2026, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas (as determined by the Director of the Office of Rural Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs).
(b) Methods.—To carry out the pilot program, the Secretary may use the following methods:
(1) Vans equipped with full diagnostic and treatment dental equipment.
(2) Modular or containerized mobile dental clinics—
(A) at community-based outpatient clinics of the Department; or
(B) rural health fairs.
(3) Tents or other temporary structures at outreach events of the Department.
(c) Priority.—In selecting locations to carry out the pilot program, the Secretary shall give priority to locations—
(1) located more than 75 miles from the dental clinic operated by the Secretary;
(2) that have a high concentration of veterans with unmet dental needs; and
(3) rural and highly rural areas (as such terms are used by the Office of Rural Health of the Veterans Health Administration) that have large populations of veterans.
(d) Duration.—The pilot program shall terminate on September 30, 2029.
(e) Reporting.—Not later than September 30 of 2027, 2028, and 2029, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the pilot program. Such a report shall include the following elements:
(1) The number of veterans who received dental care through the pilot program.
(2) Locations where the Secretary carried out the pilot program.
(3) The costs for operating each method under subsection
(b).
(4) The recommendation of the Secretary whether to improve or make permanent the pilot program. <all>
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