An Issaquah-based nonprofit is helping veterans receive dental care they otherwise might struggle to afford.
An Issaquah-based nonprofit is helping veterans receive dental care they otherwise might struggle to afford.
Everyone for Veterans connects eligible veterans and their spouses with volunteer dentists nationwide who provide free, comprehensive treatment. The organization says only about 8% of veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system qualify for VA dental benefits, leaving the majority of veterans on their own to get dental care.
For Dr. Jacy Nelson, volunteering is an extension of his own military service. He spent the first four years of his career as a Navy dentist, including a year at Whidbey Island and three years in Japan, before moving into private practice in Renton.
“When I learned about the organization, it was something that was just kind of natural to work with as a veteran, as a dentist,” Nelson said. “I feel like it was a chance for me to give back to my shipmates, to the veteran community.”
One of those fellow veterans is Pat Deroiun, a former Navy corpsman who learned about Everyone for Veterans through a VA employee. Deroiun is now semi-retired after a decades-long career in marketing. His job gave him access to dental care.
An Issaquah-based nonprofit is helping veterans receive dental care they otherwise might struggle to afford. (KOMO News)“I had insurance, but that was limited as to what they would do with the insurance,” he said.
Now, Deroiun depends on Everyone for Veterans, which connected him to Nelson Family Dentistry.
The roots of Everyone for Veterans stretch back to 2008, when Dr. Theresa Cheng began providing free dental care to combat veterans and their spouses at her Issaquah practice. Other dentists joined the effort, and Everyone for Veterans became a nonprofit in 2017.
Today, its program serves eligible veterans all over the country, as well as their spouses. Treatment can include bridges, root canals, crowns and implants.
Nelson said financial pressures can push dental care behind other household needs.
Image (35).jpg“Dental often comes last for a lot of people,” said Nelson. “It’s low on the priority. Once you’ve paid all the other bills, if you don’t have money left for your teeth, then you get to suffer.”
Volunteer providers help close that gap by donating their time and skills to treat veterans in their communities.
“This doesn’t work if we don’t have volunteers giving of their time and skills,” said Nelson, who is also on the board of directors for Everyone for Veterans.
For Deroiun, the help he’s received from the non-profit has made a tangible difference. “It’s amazing. I’ve got a full set of teeth now,” he said.
Veterans seeking assistance and dentists interested in volunteering can learn more at everyoneforveterans.org. The organization says it will begin accepting new applications Oct. 1, 2026.
