How does a 100% disabled veteran get community care dental benefits?

2023-10-26T22:11:20-04:00

I have tried to get benefits for dental care and have been shuffled from provider to provider with nothing being done

Response by COL Randall C. made Oct 26 at 2023 10:50 PM

2023-10-26T22:50:46-04:00

Community care will (unless grandfathered) generally depend on availability or services at the VA, time/distance you are away from the VA dental clinic, and/or the timeframe for being scheduled for services.

The first step is to have an initial exam by the VA dental clinic*. You can request that you receive future care at a community care provider if you meet one of the eligibility criteria*.

If you meet the eligibility based on travel time, then you should have no problem getting future care from a local provider. Other eligibility may be situational (i.e., "yes" for this treatment/procedure, but we'll have to evaluate for future needs).

One item of note - Community Care providers will have to get pre-authorization for everything. Most will "stack" requests up front (for example, an authorization request for a year's worth of exams, cleanings, etc.), especially if your VA facility's community care office takes a while to send an approval back.
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* Facility search - https://www.va.gov/find-locations/
* Community Care Eligibility - https://www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/programs/veterans/General_Care.asp.

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Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2023 11:42 PM

2023-10-26T23:42:40-04:00

Usually it will require a consult. One from your primary care doc to dental and then one from dental into the community if such resources are present. If not then they will have to send you to the closest VA with dental facilities available.

Response by 1st Lt Mary James made Nov 1 at 2023 9:22 PM

2023-11-01T21:22:59-04:00

Dental care is an essential part of total health and should be afforded to anyone needing it, regardless of rating. I have been fighting this issue for a long time. Also even my colleagues with a 100% rating are fighting to get dental care but the clinic is overwhelmed. Community Care services are constipated at the very least. I hope this situation changes for all of us.

Response by CPO Kenneth Reece made Nov 1 at 2023 10:51 PM

2023-11-01T22:51:27-04:00

100% DAV are eligible for all dental care. All other vets must have a SC dental issue.
It starts at your local VA clinic. Make appt. for dental. They will evaluate your conditions,
and most likely refer you to a community care civilian dentist who will again evaluate your conditions and make a recommended course of action back to your VA doc. They , the VA will process the request and submit to a higher level for approval and payment. Once this is done, they will notify you by text and letter your appts. and times. At this point you are well on your way to getting complete quality care just as any self paying person would. you will have no out of pocket expenses and even receive travel pay if you qualify. If needed your care will be coordinated to include crowns, bridges, implants, etc. This seems long and intensive but it's not. From my first VA dental appt. to getting care from my community care Doc "cc" was about 30 days. You will receive copies of all procedures and costs as a courtesy and for you to verify if the work was done. These are the same dentists our civilian counterparts' use. You also may as I have, see a variety of dental specialist if needed for surgical, Endo., prosthodontics etc.
No guarantee but this is how it worked for me . There will be no cost to you. As a 100% DAV you paid this bill in advance.
One last note from an old DAV member, The "Golden Rule" can work wonders.
Hope this helps you to navigate your journey.

Good luck,

"Doc Reece"

HMC Ken Reece
USMC/USN Ret.

Yes I was duel service or OSV

Response by PVT James Lafayette made Nov 2 at 2023 8:11 AM

2023-11-02T08:11:30-04:00

I have checked with many dental clinic for the cost for implant I just can afford the cost that the dental clinic ask for.

Response by PVT James Lafayette made Nov 2 at 2023 8:28 AM

2023-11-02T08:28:16-04:00

My dentist tells me I need a bottom implant I'm not able to chew my food correctly which causes a lot of stomach problems so if you could help please let me no thank you . Mr James Lafayette

Response by SSG Marcia Delay made Nov 2 at 2023 8:43 AM

2023-11-02T08:43:40-04:00

This is all BS the dental care thur VA is a joke this needs to be looked into it should be "no dental care "

Response by HA Ronna Crowder made Nov 2 at 2023 12:36 PM

2023-11-02T12:36:50-04:00

If you are more than 40 miles from the VA then you can request it. Or if it would take more than 30 days to be scheduled for an appointment you an request community care dentistry. You shouldn't be "shuffled" from one dentist to another because the dentist's office will have a contract to fulfill once they accept you as a patient.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2024 11:20 AM

2024-10-21T11:20:22-04:00

I had a similar situation when trying to access dental care after my service. The initial exam at the VA dental clinic was straightforward, but figuring out the community care aspect was a bit tricky. I found that if you qualify based on travel distance, it opens up a lot of options for local providers.

In my case, I was able to see a cosmetic dentist nearby who offered some fantastic services, including sedation options through a dentist anesthesiologist. For anyone looking for more info, I came across a helpful resource at https://www.socalsleepdentistry.com/. It made the whole experience way more comfortable!

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Response by SSG Adrian Walker made Oct 30 at 2024 10:07 PM

2024-10-30T22:07:46-04:00

This is one of the reasons why I don't say yes when I'm asked if they should join the military by young people who are interested in doing that, the VA just doesn't care enough to get the community care system fixed , they are more involved in their own crap and they don't care about us.