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.

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:

1. Access to Quality Healthcare (VA and Non-VA)
2. Support for Service-Connected Injuries and Conditions
3. Veteran Suicide Prevention
4. 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.