WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — For last decade the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund has been a leading force to ensure veterans have safe and affordable housing.
The South Florida non-profit organization is now offering veterans additional relief by assisting with the cost of dental care.
“Like many veterans, so many of us do not qualify for dental support through the VA,” said Mike Durkee, Executive Director for the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund. “A veteran must be 100% disabled before he or she can receive dental through the VA.”
Wounded Veterans Relief Fund recently teamed up with Dr. Tom Roberts, a dentist in West Palm Beach, to participate in th program and support veterans in need of dental care.
As per the Federal Register Notice of Intent for the VA Pilot Program, due to defined eligibility for dental care, the Department of Veterans Affairs only provides dental benefits to 8 percent of the veterans enrolled in the VA health care system every year.
The remaining 92 percent of veterans use private dental insurance, pay out of pocket for dental services, rely on pro bono or discounted dental clinics and services, or forego critical dental services.
“Our program with Dr. Tom Roberts has already saved two lives,” said Durkee. “One with oral cancer and another with a tremendous bacterial infection that could have blocked her breathing all together if not treated.”
Wounded Veterans Relief Fund is an independent 501(c)(3), founded in 2009.
Donations from the community make it possible for the organization to continue its mission of providing emergency financial assistance to Florida's disabled veterans.
For more information about the veteran assistance programs or to make a donation, click here.
