Hospital Corpsman Lydia Horne uses scanning technology at the dental clinic at Naval Branch Health Clinic, in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, N.H., on Aug. 17, 2026. A new federal watchdog report examines the growing number of veterans eligible for covered dental care after military service. (Ernesto Espinosa Carpio/U.S. Navy)
The number of veterans eligible for dental benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs has increased by 70% since fiscal year 2020, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
The growth is driven primarily by a greater number of veterans who are fully disabled and unemployable — designations that qualify them for free comprehensive dental coverage.
Many of the veterans who have qualified for VA dental coverage since 2020 are 50 years old and younger, the report said. Younger veterans represented 36% of those eligible for VA dental coverage in 2025, compared to 21% in 2020.
Today about 2.4 million veterans are eligible for the VA dental coverage, according to the GAO report released Wednesday that looked at the impact of expanding VA dental coverage to include veterans with heart disease.
The American Heart Association has reported a link between poor dental health and some serious medical conditions, including heart disease.
Providing VA dental coverage to veterans with heart disease would increase the number to approximately 3 million veterans qualifying for free care, the report said.
These veterans may be older and have more complex medical conditions that require coordination with a cardiologist and primary care doctor, the report said.
“In 2025, approximately 930,000 veterans received care for a diagnosis of heart disease, including about 310,000 who were eligible and 620,000 who were not eligible for VA dental benefits,” the report said.
The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which became law in 2025, mandated that the VA launch a two-year pilot program by January 2026 to provide dental benefits to certain veterans with heart disease, the report said.
With more than 9 million veterans enrolled in VA health care, the pilot program seeks to increase the numbers of veterans qualifying for dental coverage.
The report did not detail the pilot program or any early findings, but it concluded that expanding dental coverage will pose hardships without more clinic space and workforce capacity.
The VA would need to consider hiring more providers and expanding some dental facilities to accommodate the higher volume, the report said. Dentists working at the VA reported in early 2026 that their facilities lack the staff to keep pace with current demand, the report said.
Meanwhile, the Health Resources and Services Administration has projected national shortages for dentists and dental hygienists. HRSA is a federal agency within the Health and Human Services Department.
There could be an even greater demand on facilities. A bill pending in Congress would make comprehensive, no-cost dental care part of a standard medical benefits package for veterans enrolled in VA health care.
The Dental Care for Veterans Act is endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Military Officers Association of America, among other groups.
The legislation would phase in expanded dental coverage over a four-year period.
The number of veterans using their dental benefits has doubled from about 420,000 in 2020 to about 870,000 in 2025, the report said.
Disabled American Veterans said in May that it would like to see an additional $675 million allocated for dental services to hire more providers and expand dental treatment to more VA facilities.
Veterans can receive covered dental care at a VA clinic or by seeking a referral to a provider in private practice who is registered with the VA to provide reimbursable care.
Out of 1,380 VA health facilities, 256 have dental care programs. The VA is working to grow its community network of non-VA dental care providers.
The Veterans Health Administration offers qualifying veterans regularly scheduled cleanings, X-rays, fillings and crowns, oral surgery, tooth extractions and dentures.
The GAO report said that expanding dental services may result in more veterans turning to non-VA providers for specialty care.
“For example, VHA dental providers at one facility told us they send veterans to community care providers for root canals — despite having an in-house specialist — because the clinic does not have enough capacity to meet demand,” the report said.
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