Yes, a homeless veteran can receive VA dental care on a limited basis.
Under VA’s Outpatient Dental Program, outpatient dental services and treatment considered medically necessary are provided to certain homeless and other enrolled Veterans. These limited dental benefits defined in Title 38 U.S.C. 2062 are to be provided on a one-time course of dental care provided in the same manner as the dental benefits provided to a newly discharged veteran. Specifically, dental services and treatment provided to eligible Veterans under this authority are those that are:
1. Necessary for the Veteran to gain or regain employment;
2. Necessary to alleviate pain; or
3. Necessary to treat moderate, severe, or complicated and severe gingival and periodontal pathology.
Eligible Veterans are defined as those who are enrolled in VA’s health care system; and the Veteran is receiving care (directly or by contract) for a period of 60 consecutive days, as verified by the facility Veterans Homeless Coordinator, in any of the following settings.
1. A Domiciliary, which includes Domiciliary Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs.
2. A Compensated Work Therapy-Transitional Residence.
3. A Community Residential Care Program, if VA coordinated the placement.
4. A Community –based residential treatment program serving homeless Veterans under the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program.
5. A setting operated by a provider to whom VA provides grant and per-diem funds under VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.