Biography

Originally from South Dakota, Richard joined the U.S. Navy in 1982 and served on active duty until he was medically discharged for his vision loss in 1990. Duty stations included the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in Norfolk, VA, the NATO base in Naples, Italy and the USS Midway (CV-41) then homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.

Richard made five deployments while on active duty and earned the Navy Expeditionary Medal for service in Lebanon and the Armed Forces Expeditionary for service in the Persian Gulf.

After being discharged, Richard studied business at Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand before pursuing a career in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. His work in this field included work in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam along with most of the rest of Southeast Asia.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Richard worked as a contractor in Department of Defence and Department of State contracts. He worked as a Procurement and Supply Chain Manager and work in this field took him to Houston, Afghanistan, Dubai, and Iraq.

Further deterioration in his vision led to Richard returning to the United States in 2009 where he settled in Northern Virginia.

After returning to the U.S., Richard started working in Contracts Management including work with private companies and as a Contract Specialist with the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.

To advance his career in Contracts Management, Richard earned a Certificate in Procurement & Contracts Management from the University of Virginia.

In 2016, Richard joined the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) as a Veterans Service Officer (VSO). As an accredited VSO, Richard assisted blind and visually impaired Veterans and their dependents, informing them of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs available and claiming their earned benefits. Benefit claims filed included compensation, pension, survivor benefits, blind rehabilitation services, housing & automobile grants, healthcare, life insurance, home loans, and education.

To advance his career as a Veterans Advocate, in 2018, Richard joined the Legal Services of Northern Virginia as a Sr. Veterans Law Paralegal.

As an accredited VA Claims Agent, Richard assists Veterans’ and survivors in applying for VA compensation, pension, healthcare, housing, burial, and survivor benefits. Additionally, Richard represents Veterans at the Veterans Benefits Administration and Board of Veterans Appeals.

Richard also assists attorneys in applying for Veterans’ discharge upgrades with the Department of Defense.

Richard’s work with LSNV is funded under a grant from the VA to provide Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness (LSV-H).

To increase his knowledge of Veterans benefits and best practice for assisting Veterans and their families, Richard earned a Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy, and Advocacy from the Law School of William & Mary.

Richard is 100% service connected for his vision loss and has attended the Blind Rehab Centers (BRC) in Tuscan, AZ and West Haven, CT; and regularly uses the Visual Impairment Services Outpatient Rehabilitation (VISOR) clinic in Washington, DC.

Finally, Richard has been a life member of the BVA since January 2000 and is qualified as a BVA Ambassador.