The ADA is providing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with comments for its ongoing project to establish a national standard of practice for all professions within the VA, including dental hygienists.
The goal of the project is to create more uniform care across VA locations, allow VA professional employees to more easily work across state lines at VA facilities and increase interoperability with the U.S. Department of Defense. The ADA responded to a request for information from the VA on dental hygienist practice standards and sought clarification on how a national standard would affect individual state practice laws or standards.
In the Jan. 6 response, which was addressed to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, the ADA said it is committed to advocating for access to the highest quality of dental care for veterans and all Americans. The Association commended the VA for its attention to priorities like improved distribution for dental professionals and license portability but also asked for clarity on questions about the proposed standard of practice for VA dental hygienists.
Source: ADA advocates for high-quality dental care in letter to VA / ADA News