AN ACT ESTABLISHING A VETERANS DENTAL CARE ACCESS PROGRAM.

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5413
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2289

Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AND MILITARY
AFFAIRS

Introduced by:
(VA)

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A VETERANS DENTAL CARE ACCESS
PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Armed forces" has the same meaning as provided in section 27 -2
103 of the general statutes. 3
(2) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. 4
(3) (A) "Dental services" includes (i) preventive and diagnostic 5
services, such as biannual examinations and prophylaxis, (ii) restorative 6
services, such as fillings, root canals and crowns, (iii) prosthetics, such 7
as partial and complete dentures, and (iv) oral surgery, such as 8
extractions. 9
(B) "Dental services" does not include (i) dental implants, (ii) fixed 10
bridges, (iii) orthodontics, (iv) cosmetic services, such as whitening or 11
veneers, or (v) telehealth services. 12

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(4) "Department" means the Department of Veterans Affairs. 13
(5) "Eligible veteran" means any veteran who (A) is a resident of th e 14
state, (B) has a service -connected disability rating of less than one 15
hundred per cent and is not receiving dental care from the United States 16
Department of Veterans Affairs, and ( C) has a household income at or 17
below four hundred per cent of the federal poverty level. 18
(6) "Provider" means a dental practice, dental clinic or person licensed 19
to practice dentistry or dental medicine in the state. 20
(7) "Veteran" has the same meaning as provided in section 27 -103 of 21
the general statutes. 22
(b) There is established a Veterans Dental Care Access Program, to be 23
administered by the department, for the purpose of assisting eligible 24
veterans with receiving dental services from providers that participate 25
in such program. The commissioner shall consult with a state -wide 26
organization that represents licensed dentists to identify any such 27
providers willing to participate in such program , and shall coordinate 28
with such organization in administering such program and 29
implementing the provisions of this section. 30
(c) On and after January 1, 2027, any eligible veteran may submit an 31
application to the department, in a form and manner prescribed by the 32
commissioner, for assistance through the program established in 33
subsection (b) of this section. Not later than ten days after receipt of any 34
such application, the commissioner shall verify whether the applicant 35
satisfies all criteria for program eligibility and shall notify such 36
applicant of the commissioner's determination as to approval or 37
rejection of such application. Any such approval shall be for two years, 38
after which an applicant may reapply pursuant to the provisions of this 39
subsection. 40
(d) Not later than thirty days after an approval under subsection (c) 41
of this section, the commissioner shall refer the eligible veteran to a 42

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participating provider for the purpose of scheduling an appointment to 43
establish or continue, as applicable, dental care and to develop a 44
treatment plan for such eligible veteran. The provider shall set forth in 45
such treatment plan the dental services recommended for the eligible 46
veteran and shall submit such treatment plan to the commissioner for 47
review. Not later than ten days after receipt of a treatment plan, the 48
commissioner shall approve or modify such treatment plan and notify 49
the provider of such approval or modification. A provider may provide 50
dental services to an eligible veteran only after such notification and 51
only in accordance with such approval or modification. 52
(e) (1) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, 53
not later than five days after the provision of dental services to an 54
eligible veteran, a provider shall invoice the department for such dental 55
services. Not later than thirty days after receiving such invoice, the 56
department shall remit payment to the provider for such dental services, 57
subject to the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection, and shall 58
advise such provider of the eligible veteran's status with regard to the 59
maximum annual benefit described in said subdivision. 60
(B) If an eligible veteran has coverage under a health insurance plan 61
for any of the dental services provided under subsection (d) of this 62
section, the provider shall invoice the health insurer for such dental 63
services and may only invoice the department for the remaining balance 64
on such dental services after exhausting all such coverage. 65
(2) The amount of dental services received by an eligible veteran for 66
which the department may remit payment under subparagraph (A) of 67
subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not exceed three thousand five 68
hundred dollars per calendar year. If an eligible veteran receives dental 69
services in a calendar year in an amount that exceeds three thousand 70
five hundred dollars, the commissioner shall refer such eligible veteran 71
to the state-wide organization described in subsection (b) of this section 72
to explore alternative sources of funds to address such excess amount. 73

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(f) Not later than January 15, 2030, and annually thereafter, the 74
commissioner, in consultation with a state -wide organization that 75
represents licensed dentists, shall submit a report on the performance of 76
the Veterans Dental Care Access Program, and any recommendations 77
for improvement thereof, to the joint standing committees of the 78
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to veterans' 79
and military affairs and public health, in accordance with the provisions 80
of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 81
Sec. 2. Section 27 -128 of the general statutes is repealed and the 82
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 83
The Governor may transfer, from time to time, as may be found 84
expedient, including for purposes of the administration of the Veterans 85
Dental Care Access Program established in section 1 of this act, moneys 86
existing in the Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Fund and moneys 87
appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs from one of said 88
funds to the other of said funds. 89
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 27-128

Statement of Purpose:
To establish a program, administered by the Department of Veterans
Affairs, for the purpose of assisting eligible veterans in receiving certain
dental services.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]