Federal Dental Services

• Securing the necessary funding and resources for federal service dentists to provide optimal dental care to military personnel and their families, and otherwise fulfill their mission(s).
• Appropriately compensating federal dentists in a manner consistent with their training, experience, and the difficult circumstances in which they practice.
• Establishing a 2-star General or Admiral rank, or equivalent civilian grade, for chief dental officers in all federal dental services.

The Association's priorities are based on the major policies and positions (PDF) (Members Only) adopted by the ADA House of Delegates.

• May 15, 2023 — Letter to Representative Kim thanking him for introducing the Dental Care for Our Troops Act of 2023 (PDF)
• March 28, 2023 — Letter sent to Congress requesting additional funding and resources for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Dentistry (VA Dentistry). (PDF)
• February 10th, 2023 — Letter to Congressman Bilirakis in support of the Veterans Early Treatment for Chronic Ailment Resurgence through Examinations (VET CARE) Act.  (PDF)
• November 2, 2022 — Letter to the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees asking Congress to restore the head of the office of VA Dentistry to the equivalent of the military two star rank or higher (PDF).
• November 2, 2022 — Letter to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees asking Congress to restore the two star rank or higher for the chief dental officers of the Army and Air Force, and to upgrade the rank of the Chief Dental Officer of the Navy to two stars. (PDF)
• October 27, 2022 — Letter  from the ADA, AAPD, and Military and Veterans Service Organizations expressing concerns about the current TRICARE dental contract with United Concordia (PDF).
• August 3, 2022 — Letter to Senator Tester on the VA Workforce Improvement, Support, and Expansion (WISE) Act of 2022 (PDF). The letter asks for improvements to the bill to better support the VA dental workforce.
• July 7, 2022 — Letter to Representative Andy Kim to thank him for introducing the Dental Care for Our Troops Act, which would provide premium-free TRICARE dental coverage to Reserve Component service members. The letter also urges the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to include the Dental Care for Our Troops Act in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). (PDF)
• January 27, 2022 — Letter  to Senator Sanders about the ADA's work on veterans oral health care in anticipation of Senator Sanders' bill on a veterans dental benefit. (PDF)
• December 2, 2021 — Letter to Senator Sanders in support of his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would ensure that a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) dental clinic is located in each state, and that the clinic serve the oral health needs of the veterans within the state where the clinic is located. (PDF)
• December 14, 2020 — Letter  to the Biden Transition Team, requesting that they continue to support the Veterans Administration Pilot Program for Dental Healthcare Access. (PDF)
• December 4, 2020 — Comments   on the VA interim final rule Authority of VA Professionals to Practice Healthcare. (PDF)
• October 30, 2019 —Coalition letter  urging the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to approve S. 2629, the United States Public Service Modernization Act of 2019, which would allow the Indian Health Service to back fill health care positions vacated when Regular Corps service members are deployed for public health emergencies. (PDF)
• June 23, 2015 — Coalition letter urging members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee to oppose section 502 of the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2016. (PDF)
• June 4, 2015 — Letter urging members of the House Armed Services Committee to oppose section 502 of the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2016. (PDF)
• June 3, 2015 — Letter urging members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to oppose section 502 of the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2016. (PDF)

Letters and Testimony reflect the Association's position(s) on specific bills, regulations, and other policy issues, and are based on the major policies and positions (Members Only) adopted by the ADA House of Delegates. (PDF)

• Federal Dental Services
• Finding a Job in Federal Dentistry
  (Careers) (Members Only)

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