Advocates say shortcomings in VA dental coverage are a common complaint among veterans, with the primary complaints being about eligibility or accessibility. Generally, to be eligible for department dental coverage, veterans must have a service-connected disability specifically related to their teeth or mouth, or be rated 100% disabled because of other service injuries. Currently, the VA provides medical care for more than 9 million veterans. Of that group, only about 1.8 million were eligible for dental care last year as part of their veterans health care benefits. And just around 40% of those eligible individuals — about 685,000 veterans — actually used the care last year.

More than 53,000 women veterans enrolled in VA health care between May 2023 and May 2024, marking a 20 percent increase over the previous year, and the largest enrollment year for women veterans on record. The VA is also delivering disability compensation benefits to an all-time record number of women veterans, with more than 710,000 women veterans currently receiving disability compensation benefits today. The PACT Act is largely responsible for these increases.

Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) are forms created by the VA to help guide doctors during veterans’ examinations. The information collected helps ensure that a doctor accurately records the veteran’s condition. The VA then uses the information on the form to evaluate the veteran’s condition. If the VA grants service connection, it will use the symptoms and impairments on the DBQ to determine a disability rating.

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