At Mission Roll Call, every year starts by listening. In our 2025 annual priorities survey, thousands of veterans, family members, and supporters shared their experiences and perspectives. The result: four core priorities have emerged to guide our work in 2026.
But hearing those priorities is only the beginning. Below are six focus areas that we are carrying forward into 2026. These 6 areas are where veteran voices are driving action, and where we are committed to turning plans into progress.
1. Expanding Access to Quality Healthcare (VA & Non‑VA)
Veterans consistently tell us that timely, high‑quality care is one of their most urgent needs.
In 2026, we are stepping up our efforts to map the barriers veterans face in accessing care and to advocate for policies that remove those obstacles. Expect more research, more storytelling, and more collaborative partnerships aimed at improving outcomes and reducing travel or wait‑time burdens.
Why it matters: Healthcare may be a system, but real care happens person to person. Keeping veterans at the center of the design ensures the system serves, not impedes, them.
2. Supporting Service‑Connected Injuries and Conditions
Many veterans live with long‑term, service‑connected injuries and conditions both visible and invisible.
In 2026, our work will zero in on caregivers, the complexity of chronic care, transitions between active duty and civilian life, and the advocacy required to make sure the benefits and programs veterans earned actually work for them.
Why it matters: Service doesn’t stop at discharge. The condition may persist and the support should too.
3. Enhancing Veteran Suicide Prevention
Preventing veteran suicide remains a top priority.
But in 2026, we’re refining the approach. We’ll explore not only crisis intervention, but prevention before crisis such as peer networks, community connection, non‑clinical wellness, and early engagement.
Why it matters: Countless initiatives exist, but veterans are telling us that what’s missing is reaching them before they hit the edge. We’re committed to shifting earlier on the timeline.
4. Expanding Housing Access & Homelessness Prevention
Every veteran deserves a safe, stable place to live and yet too many remain without it.
Our 2026 efforts will shine a spotlight on the root causes of veteran homelessness: economic instability, healthcare gaps, transitions, and family breakdowns. We’ll profile promising models, support policy change, and elevate veteran‑led solutions in housing stability.
Why it matters: A home is more than a roof—it’s a platform for healing, purpose, and community reintegration.
5. Amplifying Veteran, Family & Caregiver Voices
The four key priorities above emerged because veterans spoke up. This priority remains at the core of Mission Roll Call.
In 2026, we’ll carry forward not just issue‑areas but the method: listening to veterans, families, and caregivers, and turning their perspectives into action. That means more surveys, more regional outreach, more transparency in how we use what we hear.
Why it matters: Change without input is incomplete. When those most affected have a seat at the table, the outcome is stronger.
6. Strengthening Partnerships & Resource Networks
Our advocacy is built on collaboration with veteran service organizations (VSOs), community groups, policymakers, and families.
In 2026, we’ll expand our resource‑directory model, deepen local‑level partnerships, and ensure that knowledge and connection travel as fast as policy changes. That means more stories, more tool‑kits, more live events, and more ways for every veteran to link into the network of support.
Why it matters: When resources are scattered and hard to find, they may as well not exist. Bringing them together amplifies impact.
Looking Ahead
These six focus areas are not silos; they’re interconnected threads in a broader mission. Veterans and families told us what matters; now we carry that work into action.
At Mission Roll Call, we are honored to amplify your voices, turn your feedback into policy and practice, and build a future where every veteran is seen, heard, and supported.
If you haven’t yet participated in our Veteran Voices survey, now’s your chance. Your experience matters, and your voice remains the fuel for change. Join us and be part of the movement.
Veteran suicide rates have remained stubbornly flat for nearly two decades despite billions invested and countless initiatives. The current model largely waits until veterans are already in crisis, and by then, the tools left are prescriptions and clinical interventions that treat symptoms but rarely restore purpose and connection. At Mission Roll Call, we believe it is time to test a different path.
In Part One of this series, we saw the cost of lost camaraderie. Veterans told us they miss the team, struggle to build new networks, and often lack healthy outlets for stress. Nearly all agreed that structured opportunities for connectedness are essential. Without them, isolation grows, stress compounds, and too many veterans arrive at the VA only when a crisis is at their doorstep.
Part Two asks the next question: what would it look like to act Left of Clinical—to create preventive opportunities for connection, service, and purpose before the prescription pad comes out? Our survey results outline what veterans want, what keeps them from joining today, and what would make participation possible. The answers are clear, practical, and veteran-led.
Part Two: Designing Interventions Left of Clinical
Veterans told us exactly the kinds of interventions they would choose. When asked what preventive wellness opportunities mattered most, the top answers were physical fitness and outdoor activities, community service projects, peer mentorship groups, and creative or skill-based workshops.
These are not exotic solutions. They are the same habits that keep people healthier across all populations: exercise, social connection, meaningful activity, and self-expression. Veterans are pointing to everyday practices that build resilience — only they want them structured, accessible, and veteran-oriented. Independent research from Frontiers in Psychology also confirms that peer- and group-oriented programs have been shown to reduce loneliness and increase purpose and engagement among veterans.
What Keeps Veterans Out
So why aren’t more already engaged in these activities? The biggest barrier, by far, was lack of awareness. More than half of respondents (53.7 percent) said they simply don’t know what programs are available. Cost came next at 18.8 percent, followed by scheduling conflicts (11.3 percent) and transportation (7.5 percent).
This tells us something important: veterans are not rejecting preventive wellness. Most just don’t know it exists or can’t make it fit into their lives. The problem is not demand. The problem is design. This tracks with what we’ve reported at Mission Roll Call about awareness and navigation challenges across VA systems.
What Would Tip the Balance
We also asked what would make veterans more likely to participate. The answers clustered around four practical needs: free access, local availability, peer- or veteran-led activities, and integration with VA care. These directly mirror the barriers: address cost, geography, trust, and legitimacy, and you unlock participation.
This is not about inventing something new, and it points directly to solutions. If we want preventive wellness to be real, we don’t need to invent a new model. We need to remove the obstacles veterans themselves have identified. Independent research from RAND catalogs preventive activities where peer and community strategies complement clinical care, suggesting VA endorsement and integration can multiply impact.
The Power of VA Endorsement
Finally, we asked how likely veterans would be to join preventive wellness programs if the VA supported or endorsed them. Nearly half (48.1 percent) said “very likely,” another 33.3 percent said “somewhat likely,” and only 4.7 percent said unlikely.
That endorsement matters. It signals credibility, safety, and legitimacy. Veterans are telling us they would proactively join preventive opportunities if those opportunities existed and if the VA put its weight behind them.
This is the essence of Left of Clinical. Veterans do not want to wait for crises. They are asking for earlier options that are cheaper, healthier, and more sustainable than endless clinical interventions. Broader research also associates routine physical activity with lower rates of mental-health problems and suicidality, underscoring why fitness-based, peer programs can be smart prevention.
Why This Matters
If half of veterans are already struggling with stress or isolation, and more than 80 percent say they would likely participate in preventive programs if endorsed by the VA, then the opportunity is enormous. We can intercept isolation and despair early. We can substitute connection and purpose for medication and symptom management.
The system has never truly invested in preventive wellness, but the message from veterans is unmistakable: they are ready. In Part Three, we turn to how the VA, Congress, and community organizations can work together to build the three-legged stool that makes preventive wellness real.
At Mission Roll Call, everything begins with listening. This year, thousands of veterans, family members, and supporters across the country shared their experiences and perspectives through our annual priorities survey. Together, those voices have shaped our path forward.
Based on what we heard from you, four priorities will guide our work in 2026:
- Access to Quality Healthcare (VA and Non-VA)
- Support for Service-Connected Injuries and Conditions
- Veteran Suicide Prevention
- Housing Access and Homelessness Prevention
These priorities represent both the challenges veterans and families face and the opportunities we have to create meaningful impact in the year ahead.
When veterans, families, and supporters share their stories with us, they shape national conversations. Veteran feedback directly influences how we advocate, the research we conduct, and the partnerships we build to drive progress. Your voices matter!
Access to Quality Healthcare:
Veterans consistently tell us that timely, high-quality care is one of their most urgent needs. Mission Roll Call is currently conducting research to understand where barriers exist and how to improve care across the system. The findings will be published before the end of 2025 and will help guide our advocacy to make access and outcomes stronger for every veteran.
Support for Service-Connected Injuries and Conditions:
From visible wounds to chronic conditions, many veterans face long-term challenges tied to their service. Mission Roll Call is focused on ensuring they receive the care, benefits, and support they’ve earned. This includes spotlighting policy updates, caregiver perspectives, and programs that promote recovery and independence.
Veteran Suicide Prevention:
Suicide prevention remains a top priority. We are gathering data to better understand risk and resilience among veterans and their families. Through upcoming articles, podcasts, and research, we’ll explore ways to strengthen protective supports and expand preventive approaches to mental wellness.
Housing Access and Homelessness Prevention:
Every veteran deserves a safe place to live. Yet too many remain without stable housing. Mission Roll Call continues to highlight stories, research, and resources that address the root causes of veteran homelessness. To learn more about our efforts in 2025, visit our spotlight page on housing and homelessness.
Working Together for Greater Impact
Mission Roll Call’s work is strengthened by collaboration with Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) featured in our Veteran Resource Directory. These partnerships help veterans connect to trusted local resources while ensuring that on-the-ground experiences inform our collective efforts.
Throughout 2026, we’ll share updates, research findings, and real stories through articles, blogs, podcasts, and Mission Roll Call University (MRCU). We’ll also report on progress tied to each of these priorities so that the community remains informed and engaged as we move forward.
Why Your Voice Matters
Every story shared and every survey completed moves the mission forward. Veterans and their families help us see where progress is happening and where it’s still needed, guiding how Mission Roll Call educates, informs, engages, and connects.
Because of you, we are turning individual experiences into collective impact. You’re helping build a stronger future for those who have served, and for the generations that will follow.
Thank you for lending your voice to the mission.
Despite their service, rural veterans often face unique barriers to accessing the care and support they need after leaving the military. The first step toward supporting rural veterans is educating ourselves on the challenges they face.
Here are 6 Things You Might Not Know About Rural Veterans:
1. Rural veterans lack access to necessary healthcare
While there are 4.7 million veterans who live in rural areas, they each face their own unique barriers to accessing healthcare. Many rural veterans struggle to access necessary healthcare due to factors like geographic distance to VA facilities, transportation challenges, and limited internet access that hinders telehealth services.
2. Rural veterans face a higher risk of mental health challenges
Rural veterans are less likely to receive the mental health care they need compared to urban veterans. While mental health is a significant concern for all veterans and their families, due to their living environment, rural veterans are at a higher risk of mental health challenges like post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety.
3. Rural veterans are more likely to face economic disparities
Compared to their urban counterparts, rural veterans are more likely to have lower household incomes and experience higher rates of poverty, with more than half earning an annual income of less than $35,000. This can further compound their challenges in accessing essential resources like healthcare.
4. Rural veterans are in a position to have their well-being impacted by social isolation
The isolated nature of rural communities can lead to social isolation, impacting their mental health and overall well-being. Veterans die by suicide at 1.5 times the rate of their non‐veteran counterparts, with rural veterans at a 20%–22% greater risk of dying by suicide than urban veterans. Peer support and community engagement programs can help combat this, which leads us to our final point.
5. Rural veterans rely heavily on resources
The VA is a crucial resource to rural veterans, but they also rely heavily on community providers, veteran service organizations, and programs to meet their needs.
Mission Roll Call has identified and vetted many nonprofit organizations that work with these communities. For example, the Alaska Warrior Partnership™ (AKWP) is committed to improving veterans’ quality of life in the state of Alaska through the coordination of local services and opportunities. And Boulder Crest Foundation provides a free, first-class rural wellness retreat dedicated to helping America’s military members, veterans, and their families. For more resources and support, visit Mission Roll Call’s comprehensive Veteran Resource Directory.
6. Rural veterans are resilient, resourceful, and deeply connected to their communities
This isn’t just a list of challenges—rural veterans bring incredible strengths that deserve recognition. They embody grit, self-reliance, and a strong sense of duty, often serving as the backbone of their communities long after their time in uniform. With deep family roots and a commitment to service, they step up as mentors, leaders, and quiet helpers in times of need. These qualities not only make them vital to the fabric of rural America, but they also make them powerful voices in shaping the future of the broader veteran community.
Conclusion
Rural veterans make up an essential part of the American veteran population—yet too often, their stories are overlooked, and their needs go unmet. From barriers to healthcare and mental health services to economic hardship and geographic isolation, the challenges are real. But so is their strength.
As individuals, we can show support to rural veterans by educating ourselves on their unique needs and challenging harmful stereotypes or stigmas. We can also point veterans and their families to useful benefits, service organizations, social groups, and other resources.
To join us in advocating for rural veterans and ensuring their voices are heard, visit www.missionrollcall.org.
If you are a rural veteran, we want to hear from you through our open polls. Participating in our polls is crucial for Mission Roll Call’s advocacy efforts. Your input helps us understand the needs and concerns of the rural veteran community, guiding our actions and amplifying your voice in driving meaningful change.