[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5949 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5949

  To establish a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who 
                reside in rural and highly rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    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.
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