Tom Raffio is used to people calling him when they have a toothache.
That means another veteran has heard about a Northeast Delta Dental program that provides free dental care for those who have served.
Originally launched in New Hampshire in 2015, the program has since been expanded to include Maine and Vermont, and has served a total of nearly 2,400 veterans.
Raffio, the CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, was inspired to launch the program after hearing a veteran talk about his dental issues on a New Hampshire radio program hosted by Jack Heath (currently the host of “Good Morning NH” on The Pulse of NH.)
“The veteran was saying that he couldn’t get his dental health at the VA. I’m listening to that, and I’m thinking, oh, I should know this,” Raffio said.
Since 2015, the board of Delta Dental has allocated about $300,000 for the New Hampshire veteran dental program. The company launched similar programs in Maine in 2021 and Vermont in 2023.
Veterans in New Hampshire can call Raffio directly at 603-223-1300. He’ll either handle the call or have one of Delta Dental’s two in-house dentists talk to them, arranging for care within two weeks. (The programs in Maine and Vermont have different protocols.)
“What I did to conserve the funds is we have a bunch of dentists who have served our country that are in a little network and we pay them, but at a discounted level,” Raffio said.
Under current regulations, as many as 9 out of 10 veterans seeking dental care at Veterans Administration facilities are denied treatment based on eligibility restrictions — rules that can only be changed by an act of Congress.
“Unless you are fully disabled, unless you are a POW and unless you had a wartime injury, because of that congressional statute, you can’t get your dental health at the VA,” said Raffio, who has worked with the state’s congressional delegation to lobby to change those rules.
But he acknowledges that will be a long-term process due to the funding that would be required to support dental coverage for all veterans.
“You don’t have to wait for a governmental solution, although there’s nothing wrong with a governmental solution, but that’s going to take a long time,” Raffio said.
“In the meantime, we’ll continue to fund this between the three states. The next year in New Hampshire, 2027, the board will allocate $350,000; Maine will be 350,000, and in Vermont about $140,000. If you take the three states combined, it’s about $850,000 a year that we’re committed to.”
The program was scheduled to be honored on Wednesday by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Visit nedelta.com for more information.
The following are the stats for the three veterans dental programs operated by Northeast Dental Dental.
New Hampshire (2015-2025)
$1,465,879.43 in funding
630 veterans served
Budgeted $300,000 and awarded $83,346 (to date) in 2026
Maine (2021-2025)
$935,000 in funding
1,618 veterans served
Budgeted and awarded $350,000 in 2026
Vermont (2023-2025)
$123,000 in funding
117 veterans served
Budgeted $100,000 and awarded $38,000 (to date) in 2026
Source: Northeast Delta Dental
Tom Raffio is used to people calling him when they have a toothache. That means another veteran has heard about a Northeast Delta Dental program that provides free dental care for those who have served.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, which we can’t just celebrate; we need to protect Medicaid
There is a critical need in the Granite State for nurses, and the market has responded with more supply, with more interest than ever in nursing.
The New England Council recently hosted a forum in Boston exploring some of the incredible innovation in our region focused on the early detection of diseases. We heard about some of the remarkable advances in technology that are enabling earlier detection of everything from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.
North Country Healthcare on Monday, April 13, released a report summarizing feedback from a series of community listening sessions held earlier this year across the region, highlighting widespread concern about access to care, staffing and communication, along with strong support for keeping local hospitals open.
Mental health wellness is an important element in the workplace, according to a panel of experts convened by the NH Business Review in an April 16 webinar. Making accommodations for mental health issues — including depression, posttraumatic stress, even grief — can go a long way toward employee retention and prevention of potential legal issues.
Congress recently passed meaningful reforms targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen who largely determine which medications patients receive and how much they pay.
ConvenientMD is trying to re-establish what it means to have a primary care physician — one that is accessible, that isn’t hurried by the stack of patients in the waiting room, that is focused on preventative care as much as continued care.
It is likely that individual health is one of the core drivers of our economy and productivity. Seeing the potential value of employers investing in wellness may even seem straightforward. Trickier however, might be finding affordable and appealing ways to do this amid the tight margins and self-reliant cultures of agriculture and natural resources sectors.
