Advocates urge passage of bill to provide dental vouchers for Connecticut veterans

Advocates told the Connecticut General Assembly Appropriations Committee on the evening of the public hearing that House Bill 6765 would help veterans afford dental care by creating vouchers for services provided in partnership with the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine.

Sandra Ferreira Molina, policy and advocacy director at the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, told committee members she strongly supports House Bill 6765, saying many veterans face barriers to affordable dental care and that vouchers “would provide veterans with vouchers to cover out of pocket dental costs, which we know are extremely expensive.”

Ferreira Molina said the bill would create a practical mechanism to reduce the financial burden veterans encounter when seeking dental care and urged committee members to back the proposal. She said the initiative would preserve veterans’ overall health and quality of life by improving access to dental services.

No formal committee vote or funding decision was recorded during the public hearing. The testimony was offered as part of the Appropriations Committee’s review; sponsors and staff will determine next procedural steps in committee. The bill’s exact funding level and implementation details were not specified during the testimony.

If enacted, the bill as described by testimony would create a voucher program run in collaboration with the UConn School of Dental Medicine; the transcript did not specify the program budget, eligibility criteria, or an implementation timeline.

The public hearing record will be available to committee members for budget negotiations and any future committee markup on the bill.