Maine has an important legacy when it comes to Maine people serving their country in the armed forces.
And today I’d like to speak to the thousands of military veterans in our state who have served both in combat and in peacetime, keeping our country and our state safe.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.
In honor of your service and your sacrifice, this week I announced the formation of the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, in partnership with Northeast Delta Dental, participating dental clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
The Maine Veterans’ Dental Network will provide dental services to Maine’s veterans who otherwise could not afford them starting on May 15th.
Any veteran who is not 100 percent service-connected to the VA, doesn’t have dental insurance, and can’t afford to pay for dental care out of pocket, may contact the eight participating dental clinics or centers to enroll in the program.
The eight participating dental clinics include Community Dental; Lincoln County Dental; Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry; Waterville Community Dental; UNE Dental Clinic; UMA Dental Clinic; Eastport Health Care and Fish River Rural Health.
Participating dental clinics all over the state in the Veterans’ Dental Network can provide preventative, diagnostic, oral surgery, and restorative services.
To receive these dental services, veterans should fill out a State of Maine Request Form, provide a copy of their discharge papers, and grant permission for clinics to forward the documents to the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services for addition to their database.
An Honorable discharge or General Under Honorable discharge is required to qualify for the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network program, but veterans who don’t qualify due to their particular discharge can work with the clinic to arrange other access to care.
For more information or to access the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, please contact Sarah Sherman at the Maine Bureau of Veteran’s Services - she is the director of strategic partnerships - at sarah.sherman@maine.gov.
This partnership is another step forward in our commitment to serving and honoring Maine’s veterans and I am truly grateful to Northeast Delta Dental for their generosity and to all the participating dental clinics, without which this program would not be possible.
If you are a veteran who lacks access to dental care, please consider enrolling in the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network.
This week I also announced I am seeking applications for Maine’s Aides-de-camp positions, an advisory council of military veterans who will advise me on policies impacting Maine veterans.
If you are a military veteran and are interested in serving as an Aide-de Camp, please send a letter of interest and resume to the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Service Director David A. Richmond at: mainebvs@maine.gov – that’s M-A-I-N-E, B as in boy, V as in veteran, and S as in service at maine.gov - by April 30, 2021.
You know as someone who comes from a military family myself, I deeply appreciate the service and sacrifice of Maine veterans and their loved ones. My Administration will continue to incorporate the input of veterans as we work together to improve services for our servicemembers in Maine.
This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.