TABLE 1 LIST OF TABLES ACQUISITION OF REQUIRED DENTAL CARE PAGE 9 2 MAIN REASON FOR DEPENDENTS NOT 11 3 ACQUISITION OF REQUIRED DENTAL CARE 13 4 MAIN REASON FOR DEPENDENTS NOT OBTAINING 13 5 PERCENTAGE OF WIVES RECEIVING EACH 15 6 PERCENTAGE OF DEPENDENTS AGES 5 14 16 7 AVAILABILITY OF SPECIALIZED CIVILIAN 17 8 DEGREE OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIP CAUSED BY 24 9 DEGREE OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIP CAUSED BY 25 10 COST OF DENTAL CARE IN THE PAST YEAR FOR DEPENDENTS OF SPONSORS IN GRADE GROUP I 42 TABLE PAGE 11 COST OF DENTAL CARE IN THE PAST YEAR 43 12 ફ COST OF DENTAL CARE IN THE PAST YEAR 44 13 COST OF DENTAL CARE FOR DEPENDENTS OF OFFICER AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL IN THE PAST YEAR 45 SURVEY OF DEPENDENT DENTAL CARE BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION In 1956, with Congressional passage of the Dependent Medical Care Act, a major advance was recorded in the realm of military compensation. This initial groundbreaking provision of care in civilian hospitals for the dependents of military personnel was subsequently expanded, most notably a decade later, in the form of the Military Medical. Benefits Amendments. These amendments expanded coverage significantly to include outpatient and other types of care, extended to retirees and their dependents care from civilian sources, and established a new program of financial aid for the care of mentally retarded and physically handicapped children. Since civilian dental care had not been an integral component of any previous medical care program for dependents, Chairman Rivers of the House Armed Services Committee appointed a Special Subcommittee, early in the Ninetieth Congress, charged with a broad mandate to consider all the ramifications of the problem. One specific item for consideration was an examination of the ability of military families, particularly those of men in the lower pay grades, to handle the burden of dental bills. In his testimony before the Special Subcommittee, the then Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower), Thomas D. Morris, put forth the Department of Defense position that each fringe benefit program for military personnel should be considered with an eye to its bearing on the entire military compensation package. He further stated that "where there are economic penalties resulting from conditions of service, there must be a compensating advantage in the benefits extended to mili tary personnel." REQUIREMENT Dental care for military dependents at government expense is available at this time only in certain prescribed hardship situations. Notably, routine dental care in uniformed service facilities is authorized by law, on a space available basis, for all dependents located in areas outside the United States. Similar dental care for dependents is authorized at installations in "remote areas" of CONUS where it has been determined that adequate civilian dental facilities are unavailable. It was not known, at the time of the Secretary's testimony whether and to what extent, a military dependent residing in CONUS, not at an installation in a designated "remote area", might be generally disadvantaged, vis-a-vis a civilian counterpart, in having equal access to qualified dental services at reasonable cost. In this connection the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower directed that a survey be initiated to reveal the experience with civilian dental care for dependents of a representative cross-section of military families as compared to a civilian counterpart population. PROCEDURE Considering the dimensions of the requirement and time constraints for completion of the survey, it was determined that maximum results would be obtained with minimum expenditure of resources by administering a structured objective-response type questionnaire to a sample of military and Federal civilian personnel at DoD installations in continental United States. This procedure would not only facilitate the collection of data, but would also enhance the efficiency of the survey as a result of the control that was possible centrally, and provide an opportunity to conduct the survey without trained representatives in the field, as well as to reduce the burden on field commands. Separate questionnaires were used for military and civilian respondents. Each was designed to be self-administered and completely anonymous. The primary thrust of the questions required responses concerning dental care received by dependents during the last year in terms of number of visits, |