Army veteran Richard Hawkinson had been fired up about not receiving his earned dental benefits.

In 1989, he was climbing into a tactical cargo truck known as a “deuce and a half” when a Kevlar helmet smacked his face.

“We had our rucks on, soft cap and Kevlar on the canteen left side,” explained Hawkinson. “As I was pulling myself up, the guy in front of me backed up and I caught his Kevlar to my face and took my tooth out, mangled that up.”

He lost consciousness on his final day of training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.

A few months later, dentists extracted the tooth and installed a bridge, a dental device that replaces missing teeth. They also opted to grind two teeth down to fit the implant.

For years, Hawkinson has been trying to get VA dental care. He’s been to the dental clinic several times in Tucson, Arizona, only to be rebuffed.

“Nobody told me I was covered for dental care,” he added.

But who qualifies for VA dental care?

Though DAV is pushing to expand dental health to all who are receiving VA care, dental services are currently only available to veterans who have service-connected dental disabilities, former prisoners of war and those with 100% disability ratings.

When Hawkinson caught wind of the DAV National Convention advertised online, he learned there’d be a claims clinic. “I started Googling, and I found out, hey, it’s this coming weekend up here in Phoenix,” said Hawkinson.

While there, he met George “Andy” Karnes, an assistant supervisor of the DAV office in Waco, Texas, assigned to the VA claims clinic at the convention.

Advocate for VA Dental Benefits Expansion

“When we submit the proper forms to VA at the convention, they take immediate action,” said Karnes. “A majority of conditions, they can order an exam right there.”

With VA raters and examiners on site, veterans like Hawkinson could receive a medical opinion and a decision on their claim in days.

In Hawkinson’s case, a claim for dental benefits he submitted to the VA a year prior was collecting dust while he awaited action.

“It had been languishing with the VA not doing anything on that issue,” added Karnes. “We talked to the VA personnel [at convention] and pointed out his service treatment records.”

Hawkinson received service connection for his upper left central incisor, known as tooth number nine, when all was said and done. With the claim approved, Karnes said he qualifies for dental care, something Hawkinson had been pleading for.

However, that isn’t all that was granted. On Aug. 9, the same day VA decided his dental claim, Hawkinson received service connection for injuries to his left ankle and left foot, wounds he sustained while on Airborne status. Karnes also found evidence of a traumatic brain injury (TBI); that claim is still pending.

Hawkinson will finally receive the proper dental care he had earned through the VA community care network.

Karnes said the lightning-fast process is a testament to how closely DAV and VA worked together to serve disabled veterans attending the convention. “The VA personnel there were there to help veterans,” he said. “If there was anything they could do, they were doing it.”

“It’s awesome, I’m happy,” said Hawkinson. “The value was the DAV national service officers; they were much more knowledgeable.”