April 15, 2008
Washington, D.C.—Congressman Christopher P. Carney testified today to the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health about his bipartisan legislation, H.R. 5595, the Make our Veterans Smile Act.
“I am pleased that our legislation is moving forward,” said Congressman Carney, a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve who still does two weeks of active duty each year. “This hearing is the first step to bring meaningful reform to dental benefits for our disabled veterans.”
The Make our Veterans Smile Act will expand dental care offered by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to all service connected disabled veterans. Currently, the VA does not provide dental services to disabled veterans who are 90% or less disabled. The Make Our Veterans Smile Act will fix this problem by allowing all service connected veterans to receive dental care through the VA. This will add another 1,075,000 disabled veterans to the VA dental program.
“As someone who still wears the uniform, I know that more needs to be done for our veterans and our military families, this starts with improving access to quality health care. The VA has done an excellent job of providing dental services to those that are able to receive them and the VA should continue to provide these services. I believe we have a moral obligation to care for these veterans,” said Congressman Carney.
“We must ensure that disabled veterans from wars past are also given every tool to find and keep a meaningful job and this includes dental care,” said Carney.
Then legislation is supported by the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, the Navy Reserve Association, the Air Force Association, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, AMVETS and Disabled American Veterans.
