Golden, bipartisan colleagues introduce SMILE for Veterans Act

Image September 28, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON — Congressmen Jared Golden (ME-02), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Don Davis (NC-01) and Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02) introduced the SMILE for Veterans Act , to expand affordable dental care for veterans in rural communities across the country. “VA health care is an essential benefit for our nation’s veterans, but for too long a lack of dental coverage has been a massive gap in care. The mouth is part of the body, and our veterans shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get basic dental care. I’m proud to work with Reps. Bergman, Davis and Van Drew on the SMILE for Veterans Act , which takes a smart first step toward more comprehensive coverage by focusing on rural areas where barriers to care are the highest and community providers that can help close the gap,” Golden said. Under current law, only about 15 percent of the nearly nine million veterans enrolled in health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are eligible for VA dental services. Eligibility is generally limited to veterans with a service-connected dental condition, a 100 percent disability rating or former prisoner-of-war status. Efforts to broadly expand dental coverage through the VA have faced significant cost and capacity challenges, including the need for additional personnel, facilities, and community-care infrastructure. The SMILE for Veterans Act takes a targeted approach by creating a pilot program to reimburse existing community-based dental providers to serve rural veterans. By leveraging providers and infrastructure already in place, the legislation would expand access to dental care in underserved communities without requiring the VA to build a new system from the ground up. Research from the CareQuest Institute in 2024 found that more than one-third of veterans surveyed rated their oral health as only fair or poor, while more than 75 percent of respondents reported losing two or more teeth to decay or gum disease. Nearly four in 10 veterans reported having no dental insurance. “For too many Veterans in rural communities, basic dental care is either too far away or simply out of reach,” Bergman said. “The SMILE for Veterans Act offers a practical solution by connecting Veterans with trusted dental providers already serving their communities. Rather than building an expensive new federal system from the ground up, this legislation uses existing local providers to deliver care efficiently and closer to home.” “I spent 30 years as a dentist, and I can tell you that putting off dental care usually only makes things worse,” Van Drew said. “For veterans living in rural communities, sometimes the hardest part is simply finding a dentist close enough to get the care they need. That should not be the case. The SMILE for Veterans Act is a practical way to connect veterans with that care closer to home. To me, that is common sense.” “Quality dental care is a critical part of keeping our veterans healthy, and too often, veterans in rural communities face significant challenges getting the care they need. The bipartisan SMILE for Veterans Act would give community providers across eastern North Carolina a way to deliver that care closer to home. Our veterans kept their promise to our nation, and we must always keep ours to them,” Davis said. “The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is grateful to see the introduction of the SMILE Act, led by Representative Bergman, Representative Davis, Representative Van Drew, and Representative Golden. This legislation would establish a pilot program to improve rural Veterans’ access to dental care, addressing a critical need in rural communities where Veterans often face significant barriers to accessing essential health services. With one in four Veterans living in a rural area, ensuring access to dental care is an important part of ensuring rural Veterans can receive the comprehensive care they deserve,” said Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association. Full text of the bill can be found here . ### Issues : Veterans