Disabled American Veterans (DAV) names Delta Dental Partner of the Year

Left to right: Barry Jesinoski (DAV National Adjutant), Doug Schobel (Senior Market Outreach Representative, Delta Dental), Coleman Nee (DAV National Commander)

Delta Dental of California and Affiliates was recently honored as the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Partner of the Year. DAV is a nonprofit charity that provides support for Veterans of all generations and their families, helping over one million Veterans each year.

Doug Schobel, Senior Market Outreach Representative, represented Delta Dental at the ceremony during the annual DAV & Auxiliary National Convention. He shared, “I am just over the moon that we have great programs to offer Veterans and their families, positively impacting their oral health and overall health. They are a group that we have amazing respect and gratitude for. To be able to serve them in any way, let alone be recognized as National Partner of the Year, is an incredible honor.”

To many employees, this work hits especially close to home. “Many of us are from military families. My brother is a retired fighter pilot, and my uncle's a retired Navy SEAL,” said Schobel, “I have endless appreciation for Veterans, and any way we can make their lives more fulfilling, richer, healthier…We are not only happy to do it, we are honored to do it."

For the first time this year, Schobel was able to volunteer at the annual DAV Winter Sports Clinic on behalf of Delta Dental, a magical weekend where disabled Veterans have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of winter sports, from skiing to curling to fishing and more. Along with being endlessly inspired by the athletes, he noticed something about his fellow Delta Dental employees – every single one was going out of their way to help. Whether it was helping with the dinner line, assisting a visually impaired Veteran walk to the next event, Delta Dental employees were continually raising their hand to make sure each Veteran in attendance had the support they needed, living out our values.

Supporting our Veterans extends beyond our support of DAV. Through the Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Program (VADIP), we proudly provide dental coverage to Veterans, their families and CHAMPVA beneficiaries. VADIP helps ensure that those who’ve served our country have access to the essential dental care they need and deserve. To learn more, visit deltadentalins.com/vadip. Delta Dental also recently collaborated with DAV on an oral health resource hub for Veterans, which can be found here: https://www.dav.org/veteran-dental-care/

And what’s next for this partnership? As Schobel closed, “We look forward to many more years of working together and supporting them as best we can.”