Every year, Mission Roll Call (MRC) connects directly with America’s veterans through polls, surveys, and open discussions to better understand their experiences and priorities. In 2025, thousands of veterans across the country shared their thoughts on healthcare, access, family well-being, and the systems designed to serve them.

Their insights reveal not only what veterans need, but what they teach all of us about resilience, leadership, and the importance of being heard.

Here are ten things veterans taught us in 2025.

1. Choice and Flexibility in Care Matter.

A May 2025 poll on the ACCESS Act of 2025 found that 67% of respondents believe the legislation will improve healthcare outcomes, and 71% of rural veterans said it would enhance timely access.

Lesson: Veterans taught us that empowering individuals with options matters, and one size does not fit all when it comes to care. Whether it’s choosing a provider, accessing services locally, or finding the right treatment, flexibility leads to better outcomes.

2. Innovation Is Essential for Wellness.

In a 2025 poll, 74% of veterans said they would use an online portal to schedule and track their care if one were available.

Lesson: Veterans showed us that innovation and convenience in healthcare aren’t luxuries; they’re expectations. As technology continues to transform the medical landscape, digital tools can bridge gaps, reduce wait times, and help veterans take charge of their health.

3. Transparency Builds Trust.

A March/April 2025 MRC survey found that 64% of veterans said they were concerned or strongly concerned that staffing reductions at the VA would affect their care.

Lesson: Veterans taught us the importance of transparency and stability. When systems change, people feel the impact. Open communication and accountability are critical to maintaining trust with those who’ve served.

4. Inclusion Strengthens Community.

In a November 2025 MRC survey on veteran community and belonging, many respondents reported feeling only “somewhat connected” or “neutral” to the broader veteran community, underscoring the importance of inclusive and generational recognition. The survey is still open, and veterans are encouraged to share their own experiences and perspectives at MissionRollCall.org/Veteran-Voices-Survey.

Lesson: Veterans reminded us that respect spans generations and service eras. From World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan, every story counts, and every veteran deserves recognition.

5. Food Security Is Still a Battle.

In an October 2025 poll, many veterans said they or someone they know had relied on food assistance such as SNAP or local food banks. In a separate Mission Roll Call poll during the federal government shutdown, 91% of veterans said they were concerned about losing access to food assistance, with SNAP benefits set to run dry on November 1.

Lesson: Behind the uniform are real lives, and veterans told us that meeting basic needs like food security is essential. Supporting programs that address hunger among veterans and their families must remain a national priority.

6. Staffing and Resources Shape Real Experiences.

A Mission Roll Call poll found that 44% of veterans were “very concerned” about the impact of recent VA staffing cuts, and 20% were “concerned.” Another 19% were not concerned at all, highlighting the varied experiences across the veteran community.

Lesson: Veterans showed us that staffing and resource changes are more than budget decisions; they directly affect the quality and timeliness of care. Sustainable investment in people and infrastructure matters.

7. Vigilance Protects Those Who Served.

In a July 2025 MRC poll, a significant number of veterans reported having been targeted by financial scams or fraud, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of those who’ve served.

Lesson: Veterans taught us the importance of vigilance and protection. Strong safeguards, education, and awareness are essential to preventing exploitation.

Lesson: Veterans taught us the importance of vigilance and protection. We must continue advocating for stronger safeguards, education, and awareness to prevent financial abuse among those who’ve served.

8. Voices Drive Change.

The ACCESS Act poll reached 1,292 respondents across all 50 states, 85% of whom identified as veterans.

Lesson: Veterans showed us that when they speak, leaders pay attention. Policies grounded in lived experience lead to more meaningful change.

9. Access Means Freedom of Choice.

In the same ACCESS Act poll, 60% of veterans said they were comfortable receiving mental health care from non-VA providers, and 79% said allowing veterans and families to seek care in the community without a VA referral would improve access.

Lesson: Veterans remind us that access isn’t just about eligibility; it’s about proximity, convenience, and the freedom to choose what works best for them and their families.

10. Systems Should Meet Veterans Where They Are.

Across polls and conversations, veterans expressed a common desire for systems that are “user-friendly, efficient, and meet them where they are.”

Lesson: Veterans remind us to design systems around people and not to force people to adapt to systems. When we prioritize accessibility, simplicity, and respect, everyone benefits.

Looking Ahead

This year’s insights show that veterans are not just asking for help; they are offering wisdom. Their opinions, based on our 2025 polls, taught us to lead with compassion, prioritize flexibility, and hold systems accountable to serve the people they were created to support. At Mission Roll Call, we are proud to amplify these voices because when veterans speak, America listens.

Join the Mission. Share Your Voice. Shape the Future.

Mission Roll Call’s 2026 polls are coming, and your voice matters. By participating, you help ensure that every veteran’s perspective is heard by the people who make decisions that affect your life and community.

Join Mission Roll Call today at MissionRollCall.org and be part of the conversation shaping the future for all who served.

Veteran suicide rates have remained stubbornly flat for nearly two decades despite billions invested and countless initiatives. The model we rely on still waits until veterans are already in crisis, and by then, the primary tools left are prescriptions and clinical interventions that treat symptoms but rarely restore purpose or connection. VA’s latest report still reflects thousands of veteran lives lost each year, which is why veterans in our survey delivered a near-unanimous mandate for preventive partnerships. At Mission Roll Call, we believe it is time to test a different path.

In Part One of this series, we examined what veterans lose in transition: the camaraderie, networks, and healthy outlets that once gave them purpose and belonging. In Part Two, we explored what prevention could look like if built left of clinical—fitness, service, mentorship, and creative outlets delivered in ways veterans say they want, and with barriers like cost and awareness removed.

Part Three now asks the hardest question: if veterans overwhelmingly want preventive wellness, who should lead the effort? Our survey results and broader research point to a three-legged stool: the VA providing authority and validation, Congress delivering funding and flexibility, and VSOs and nonprofits supplying the programs veterans already trust. Together, these three legs can finally create the upstream system veterans are asking for.

Part Three: Building Left of Clinical – The Three-Legged Stool of Preventive Wellness

The results of our latest survey leave little room for doubt. When asked if the VA should fund or partner with preventive wellness programs as part of its suicide prevention strategy, 78.5 percent of veterans strongly agreed, and another 17.8 percent agreed. That is as close to a mandate as we will ever see in veteran policy.

But the VA cannot build this effort alone. Congress cannot simply legislate camaraderie into existence. And while VSOs and nonprofits already deliver strong models of preventive wellness, they cannot scale nationally without support. The solution is a three-legged stool: VA authority, congressional backing, and community partnership. Each leg is essential, and only together can they move the system left of clinical.

The Role of the VA

The VA is the anchor. It has the national reach, the trust of veterans, and the authority to set standards. Our survey showed that 48.1 percent of veterans would be “very likely” and another 33.3 percent “somewhat likely” to participate in preventive wellness programs if the VA endorsed them. That endorsement matters. It conveys legitimacy, safety, and continuity of care.

But the VA is not equipped to become a wellness operator. Its infrastructure is built for clinics and claims, rather than rucks, service projects, or peer-led groups. Where it can excel is in convening, validating, and integrating. Through Whole Health programs, Veteran Community Partnerships, and suicide prevention outreach pilots, the VA can create space for preventive wellness to be embedded into transition and care. The VA has some experience with this, though limited in scope, having already piloted community-based social connection models that increased engagement with services.

Veterans also told us what would tip the balance: free access, local availability, peer-led activities, and integration with VA systems. Those are levers the VA can pull through grants, co-branding, and referrals that treat preventive wellness as part of the benefit, not a side project.

The Role of Congress

Congress provides the tools. Without targeted legislative support, the VA cannot fund or scale preventive wellness. Congress can:

• Create dedicated funding streams for preventive wellness partnerships with VSOs and nonprofits.
• Expand pilot authorities so the VA can contract directly with non-clinical organizations for fitness, peer support, and community service programs.
• Mandate preventive wellness integration into transition and suicide prevention strategies.
• Provide budget flexibility so dollars can be used for prevention, not only crisis care.

These changes do not require a wholesale rewrite of VA’s mission. They require targeted authorities that enable the VA to meet veterans where they are — before they enter the clinical system. Preventive wellness costs less, produces stronger outcomes, and reduces reliance on polypharmacy and emergency services. Congress can make that possible.

The Role of VSOs and Community Organizations

The third leg of the stool is the nonprofit community. Organizations like Team Red, White & Blue, O2X, GoRuck, The Mission Continues, and Boot Campaign already deliver the kinds of preventive wellness veterans say they want: fitness, service, peer mentorship, creative outlets, and holistic wellness.

In our survey, when asked which preventive opportunities they would most prefer, veterans pointed to fitness and outdoor activities, community service projects, peer mentorship groups, and creative or skill-based workshops. These are exactly what VSOs and nonprofits already provide.

But nonprofits cannot scale nationally on their own. Their strength is agility, community credibility, and dedication to serving veterans. They know how to design programs veterans trust. What they lack is reach, official backing, and financial stability. That is where VA partnership and congressional support become essential.

The Path Forward

If each leg of the stool plays its part, preventive wellness becomes not only possible but powerful:

1. The VA convenes, validates, and integrates preventive wellness into standard services.
2. Congress provides the programs, intent, funding, and legal authorities to start small and then scale those efforts nationally.
3. VSOs and nonprofits deliver the programs veterans want most, with the credibility and agility only community-based groups can provide.

This is not about a new bureaucracy. Rather, it’s about re-aligning our focus and resources in a way that better meets the needs of veterans. It is about using what already works, aligning it with VA’s reach, and giving it the legislative foundation to last.

Why Left of Clinical Matters

Without this three-legged stool, too many veterans will continue to arrive at the VA only when crisis is at their doorstep. By then, stress has hardened into anxiety, isolation into despair, and the only tools left are medication and clinical intervention. Our survey showed that the biggest barrier today is awareness — 53.7 percent of veterans said they simply don’t know what programs exist.

If the VA, Congress, and VSOs together remove those barriers, preventive wellness can shift the system left of clinical. That is where the real change happens — not just treating crisis, but preventing it by keeping veterans connected, active, and purposeful.

Closing

Veterans want preventive wellness. They know what kinds of programs will help. They are ready to participate if the VA supports them. And they expect their government to act.

The path forward is not VA alone. It is a three-legged stool of VA authority, congressional backing, and nonprofit partnership. Each leg is essential. Together, they can transform preventive wellness from an idea into a national reality — cheaper, more effective, and truer to what veterans say they need.

That is the veteran-led mandate to move left of clinical.

Left of Clinical is a Caregiving Imperative

This three-part series has shown the path veterans are asking us to take. In Part One, we saw the cost of losing camaraderie: isolation, stress, and unhealthy coping. In Part Two, we heard what preventive interventions could look like: fitness, service, mentorship, and creative outlets—accessible and structured to meet veterans where they are. And in Part Three, we mapped the roles of the VA, Congress, and community organizations in building the three-legged stool of preventive wellness.

Veterans are not rejecting clinical care—they are asking us to invest upstream. They want opportunities that keep them strong and connected long before the point of crisis. They want prevention that is cheaper, healthier, and more effective than a prescription.

If policymakers, the VA, and community partners take this mandate seriously, preventive wellness can become more than a concept. It can become a system that keeps veterans engaged, purposeful, and resilient. That is what it means to move Left of Clinical.