Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2016
Public Law 114-218 · S. 3055 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Jul 29, 2016 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Jon Tester
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2016
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and administer a dental insurance plan for veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment under federal veterans' benefits provisions and for veterans' survivors and dependents who are eligible for medical care under such provisions.
The VA shall contract with a dental insurer to administer the plan. Benefits shall include diagnostic services, preventative services, endodontics and other restorative services, surgical services, and emergency services.
Enrollment shall be voluntary. The VA shall: (1) prescribe the minimum enrollment period, and (2) prescribe and annually adjust the premiums necessary to cover costs associated with carrying out the plan. Each individual covered by the plan shall pay the entire premium and the full cost of any copayments.
The VA shall permit voluntary disenrollment within 30 days after initial enrollment and under other specified circumstances the VA shall prescribe to the extent that such disenrollment does not jeopardize the fiscal integrity of the plan.
This bill's provisions terminate on December 31, 2021.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 5770Identical bill
Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2016
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.
- Jul 29, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-218.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 19, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 14, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Wenstrup asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
- Jul 13, 2016FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Jun 29, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-707.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Jun 14, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.