ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a billthat will create the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program within the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs to offer more grant money for eligible nonprofits to apply for who provide dental care to Florida veterans.
The I-Team has reported on the struggle nonprofits face to provide free and low-cost dental care for veterans who don't qualify through the VA — which is most veterans.
TheU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that just 15% of veterans are eligible for dental services through the VA.
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Sandy Simmons retired from the military 20 years ago and has spent those decades giving back to fellow veterans.
“This was the first place that I came when I moved down here," Simmons said, sitting at a table outside of AMVETS Post #8in St. Pete. “I was their first woman commander.”
Earlier this year, Simmons herself received help from the nonprofit Wounded Veterans Relief Fundand Dr. David Pascia.
“They removed my teeth and did some deep cleaning to get my gums healthier, and got a partial," Simmons said after she did not qualify for dental care through the VA.
“About 85% of the veterans do not receive dental care through the VA. You have to be 100% disabled or have an oral injury at the time of being in service," Tami Martin, with Wounded Veterans Relief Fund, said.
Martin said the nonprofit is the first in Florida to offer free critical dental care to veterans across the state, helping to fill the gaps beyond local resources that may serve veterans in a single county.
Wounded Veterans Relief Fund reports it has funded more than $1 million for veteran dental care since the start of its program two years ago.
Wounded Veterans Relief Fund Qualifications for Assistance
“I get emotional. I’m so sorry," Martin said with tears in her eyes. "It gives them their life back. They can get great jobs now because they’ll smile, they’re not afraid to show now that they’re happy and that they’re feeling much better, it’s just their whole lifestyle."
When asked what she thought when she saw her new smile, Simmons smiled big and said, "It's unreal."
Beyond the cosmetic, oral health is connected to overall health.
“I developed osteoporosis and they had a treatment for the osteoporosis, but because I had loose teeth, they would not give me the treatment. Because they said the side effects affect the mouth and the jaws and things," Simmons said.
Now that she's received the dental treatment she needed through Wounded Veterans Relief Fund, she is on track to start that treatment for osteoporosis next week.
With the passage of the bill that will allow nonprofits to apply for more grant money through the VA, Martin said, “We would be able to help hundreds of more veterans.”
Senator Danny Burgess sponsored the bill.
“At the state level, we’re addressing a big need," he said.
Burgess, a veteran himself, saw that need when he served as the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director from 2018-2020.
“It’s a public/private partnership through the Department of Veterans Affairs, any state funding that is appropriated would then flow down to these great nonprofits who could apply to provide greater service and more benefit to the veterans within their respective communities. They know best the needs of those veterans," Burgess said.
