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.