We are undertaking a review of our dental program to investigate how it can continue to meet the current and future needs of the veteran community.

What is covered by our Dental program

Our dental program provides eligible clients with access to a comprehensive suite of dental services including:

• preventive treatment such as examinations and cleaning
• simple treatment such as fillings and extractions
• complex treatment such as crowns, bridges, implants and dentures
• emergency treatment following unforeseen injuries

Program eligibility is based on Veteran Card type:

• Gold Card holders are entitled for treatment of all dental conditions
• White Card holders are only eligible for treatment of their accepted dental condition or the dental consequences of cancer treatment.

Why we are reviewing our Dental Program

We are undertaking a review of our dental program in 2020-21 to ensure it continues to meet the current and future needs of the veteran community. A key component of this review is consulting with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure a high quality and comprehensive review. The outcome sought from the review is a written report which:

1. Assesses the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of our dental program from a veteran, provider and Government perspectives, and

2. Provides findings and recommendations to inform any future program re-design.

The consultation process provides an opportunity for you to raise issues or concerns of relevance either to you or your stakeholders.

Feedback we are looking for

We are seeking feedback on a number of aspects of the dental program and have developed Discussion Papers for Ex-Service Organisations (ESO), veterans and their dependents and Dental Practitioners. These papers have been developed for the purpose of consultation and seek stakeholder feedback on two broad themes:

• the effectiveness of the current program
• options for future program re-design

Your input will help guide the development of any changes to the dental program and better meet the needs of our veterans.

ESO, veterans and their dependants

Veterans and their dependants are invited to read the below Discussion Paper and provide their feedback to the email address below.

• Dental Review - Discussion Paper - ESO and Client.docx
• Dental Review - Discussion Paper - ESO and Client.pdf

Dental Providers

Dental Providers are invited to read the below Discussion Paper and provide their feedback to the email address below.

• Dental Review - Discussion Paper - Provider.docx
• Dental Review - Discussion Paper - Provider.pdf

Making a Submission

Comments may be submitted to dental.review [at] dva.gov.au using the submission template found at Appendix B of the relevant discussion paper. Comments must be received no later than 18 December 2020.