Camaraderie Among US Veterans and Their Preferences for Health Care Systems and Practitioners

Key Points

Question

Among veterans who use the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health System, is camaraderie with other veterans associated with choosing a health care system or practitioner?

Findings

This survey study of 652 veterans found that camaraderie, also referred to as the desire to be around other veterans, is important to veterans who use the VA Health System, especially veterans younger than 65 years.

Meaning

These findings suggest that camaraderie contributes to VA’s value proposition, and as care is increasingly provided in the community, finding ways to preserve camaraderie in both settings should be considered.

This survey study examines whether camaraderie with other veterans is important to veterans using the Veterans Affairs Health System and whether it is associated with their health care choices.

Abstract

Importance

Unlike convenience, cost, and quality, camaraderie with other similar patients has not been reported as a prominent patient consideration when choosing a health care system or practitioner. As the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health System expands choice of practitioners for its enrollees, it is important to identify ways to promote veteran camaraderie in community care settings.

Objective

To determine whether camaraderie with other veterans is important to veterans using the VA Health System.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In 2019, a web-based survey was administered to veterans who reported using VA health care. The survey included questions about cultural factors, such as camaraderie, practitioners’ understanding of veterans, trust of VA caregivers, and a scenario-based question to ascertain whether veterans would choose VA or private health care if cost and distance were equivalent. Data analysis was performed from November 2024 to January 2025.

Exposure

Using the VA health care system.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the importance of camaraderie in selecting a health care system or practitioner, measured as the percentage of veterans who reported positive ratings on relevant survey items.

Results

In this survey study of 652 veterans, the majority were male (486 veterans [74.54%]). Respondents were categorized into 3 age groups: 18 to 34 years (246 veterans [37.73%]), 35 to 64 years (320 veterans [49.08%]), and 65 years and older (86 veterans [13.19%]). In total, 52.41% of respondents rated camaraderie and being around other veterans as important; this increased to 75.88% among veterans aged 18 to 34 years and to 65.35% for those aged 35 to 64 years. For those aged 65 years and older, only 35.75% felt it was important. When asked whether they would choose VA or a private sector health system if cost and travel distance were equal, 69.00% of respondents indicated they would choose VA. The risk-adjusted model demonstrated those who valued being around veterans at VA were 2.24 times more likely (95% CI, 1.81-2.77) to choose VA.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this survey study of 652 veterans, camaraderie was important to most of these VA Health System users, especially younger veterans. As VA provides more choice of practitioners to its enrollees, it will be important to consider ways to preserve veterans’ ability to affiliate with other veterans in community care settings, especially for younger veterans who are often challenged in transitioning from military service to civilian life.

Introduction

Convenience, cost, and quality figure prominently in consumers’ choice of health care systems and practitioners.¹ In caring for or working with veteran patients, we anecdotally observed that many veterans seemed to value the opportunity to associate with other veterans as part of their health care experience. These anecdotal observations prompted us to try to more formally determine whether the desire to affiliate with other veterans, herein referred to as camaraderie, influences veterans’ choice of health care systems and practitioners.

There are a number of reasons to believe that camaraderie is important to veterans. Military unit cohesion is built upon a foundation of camaraderie (ie, friendship, respect for and acceptance of individual differences, and mutual trust).² Unit cohesion and camaraderie with peers are correlated with higher operational performance and lower risk of behavioral problems and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after military service.³

Transition from military service to civilian life can be challenging.^4,5 After leaving military service, the camaraderie and cohesion associated with military social networks are ruptured. Alternative social networks have to be reactivated or developed, while simultaneously transitioning to a civilian culture.⁶ These challenges may be exacerbated by difficulties associated with employment, finances, housing insecurity, and health issues.⁵ Transition challenges are well known to contribute to substance abuse and suicide.^7,8

There is ample evidence to suggest that veterans value and benefit from social support from other veterans.^6,9,10,11,12 For example, veteran residents in substance abuse recovery homes had stronger relationships and more cohesive social networks with other veteran residents than with nonveteran residents.¹⁰ Such cohesive social networks have been shown to be a protective factor for those in recovery.^10,13 In a survey of 3524 women veterans, social support from military veteran friends has also been associated with better health and decreased health care utilization.⁹ Among veterans with PTSD, those who expressed satisfaction with their social networks were less likely to have suicidal ideation and behaviors.¹⁴ A study of 128 male veterans with PTSD suggested that veteran friends were more important sources of support than nonveteran friends.¹⁵

Given the importance of camaraderie in the military and the importance of social support and peer relationships among veterans, we hypothesized that camaraderie and the desire to affiliate with other veterans are important to veterans who choose to use VA health care. This has not been previously documented and is typically omitted from discussions about the veteran health care experience and the value proposition of VA health care. To assess the importance of camaraderie and affiliation with other veterans, we utilized a survey administered to veterans in 2019. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the importance of camaraderie among patients and its role in the choice of health care system or practitioner.

Methods

Participants and Procedure

This survey study, conducted in 2019, was among a series of surveys done for operational and improvement purposes and was therefore exempted from review by the White River Junction VA Medical Center institutional review board. Because this survey was not conducted for research purposes, informed consent was not obtained, in accordance with 45 CFR §46. The survey population included veterans who reported they were enrolled in and receiving services from the VA Health System managed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Race (categorized as Black, Hispanic, White, and other, which includes Asian, those who did not respond to the question, and any other race or ethnicity not otherwise specified) was self-reported and is included in this study to assess the importance of camaraderie to these populations. Survey methods follow the guidelines of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) reporting guideline. Participants were recruited from a nationally based sample of adults (Ipsos i-Say Panel methods) screening for VA Health System enrollees.¹⁶

The sampling frame for this cross-sectional data collection is the multipronged online survey design approach employed by Ipsos, a survey organization. The approach consists of different sample sources including Ipsos’s i-Say online access panel, Ipsos partner online access panels, and real-time recruiting. Access panel members choose to be participants in market research and other social science research surveys, and they are contacted regularly to participate in surveys. Panel members earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards. The value of any 1 completed survey is minimal (approximately $1.00-$2.00), but the i-Say panel allows respondents to accumulate points over time. The real-time recruiting process intercepts participants as they conduct activities on other websites or social media. This increases the diversity and representativeness of the sample. Ipsos employs its Cortex Router field management system to screen, assign, monitor, and manage the sample as the surveys are administered online.

Measures

In collaboration with Ipsos, a 2019 online survey was developed to measure veterans’ attitudes related to VA and community care. The survey questions were drafted by senior subject matter experts in veterans’ health. These included a physician (K.V.) and psychologist (S.V.B.) with academic backgrounds and over 20 years of experience caring for veterans. These questions were then reviewed by 3 other subject matter experts (R.L. and 2 individuals who are not coauthors of this article) with experience caring for veterans or conducting VA studies and focus groups, and by Ipsos senior staff with psychometric experience.

The survey items included topics in 5 major areas: (1) conventional factors that likely influence veterans’ health care choices such as quality and access; (2) cultural factors, including camaraderie, or the opportunity to be around other veterans, practitioner cultural competency (ie, practitioners understanding of veterans’ problems and needs), and the ability to maintain a connection to military experience; (3) veteran satisfaction with VA care; (4) a scenario-based question that assessed veterans’ preference for VA or non-VA care, assuming equal costs and travel time; and (5) trust-related items adapted from the Wake Forest Trust Scale¹⁷ measuring trust of physicians. For survey items see the eAppendix in Supplement 1.

For the factors associated with veterans’ choices for health care in VHA or in the community, the survey used 5-point Likert scales, with 1 representing strongly agree and 5 representing strongly disagree. A 4-point Likert scale was used to measure veterans’ importance ratings on camaraderie, with 1 representing very important and 4 representing not important at all. For satisfaction items, a 5-point Likert scale was used, with 1 representing very satisfied and 5 representing very unsatisfied. The trust-related questions were measured using 5-point Likert scales, with 1 representing strongly disagree and 5 representing strongly agree.

Statistical Analysis

Data analysis was performed from November 2024 to January 2025. The study screened prospective respondents for veteran status and where they receive their health care to identify and collect online survey data from qualified veterans. Statistical significance was set at 5% a priori. Sample weights were created using the raking method to align the respondent demographic distribution with those from the 2019 veteran population.¹⁸ Raking, or sample balancing, is an iterative process that adjusts the subgroup percentages of key variables (eg, age, gender, and race) for the study sample. This process limits nonresponse and noncoverage biases so that the weighted study sample looks very similar to the target population. The weights were calculated to match our study sample to the 2019 US^19,20 veteran population based on gender, age, and ethnicity and race. The resulting weights were applied in subsequent analyses.

The percentage of veterans who reported positive ratings (important, very important, agree, and strongly agree) and the average response scores on survey items were summarized and compared across different demographic groups. Analysis of variance was used to examine age group differences on veterans’ ratings on the importance of cultural factors. Bonferroni adjustment was applied for multiple comparisons.

To understand the association between selected cultural factors (ie, camaraderie, understanding veterans’ experience, trust in VA practitioners, and connection to military experience) and their choice of VA care, multivariable logistic regression models were used. Demographic variables, age, gender, race, marital status, education, and family income level were controlled in the multivariable logistic regression model to examine the association between cultural factors and veterans’ choice of VA health care.

The ratings on cultural factors were standardized as continuous variables, then analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. This was done to determine which items had greater association with choosing VA care. Data were analyzed using SAS Viya statistical software version V.03 (SAS Institute).

Results

A total of 652 VA Health System users responded to the survey. As shown in Table 1, most respondents were male (486 veterans; 75.54% unweighted, 90.01% weighted) and married or living with partner (410 veterans; 62.88% unweighted, 65.25% weighted). Respondents were categorized into 3 age groups: 18 to 34 years (246 veterans [37.73%]), 35 to 64 years (320 veterans [49.08%]), and 65 years and older (86 veterans [13.19%]). No missing values were observed.

Table 1. Unweighted and Weighted Demographic Characteristics.

Characteristic	2019 Cohort (n = 652)			2019 Veterans population, %
	Veterans, No.	Unweighted %	Weighted %
Age group, y
18-34	246	37.73	9.70	9.71
35-64	320	49.08	43.12	43.14
≥65	86	13.19	47.17	47.15
Gender
Male	486	74.54	90.01	89.71
Female	166	25.46	9.99	10.29
Race
White, non-Hispanic	367	56.29	75.50	75.50
Black, non-Hispanic	97	14.88	12.73	12.73
Hispanic	160	24.54	7.71	7.71
Other, non-Hispanica	28	4.29	4.07	4.08
Marital status
Single, never married	175	26.84	18.52	NA
Married or living with partner	410	62.88	65.25	NA
Windowed	16	2.45	3.88	NA
Divorced or separated	51	7.82	12.35	NA
Education
Completed high school or General Educational Development	326	50.00	45.00	NA
Did not complete high school	199	30.52	39.48	NA
Some college	127	19.48	15.53	NA
Annual family income, $
<50 000	195	29.91	35.68	NA
≥50 000	457	70.09	64.32	NA

Abbreviation: NA, not applicable.

^a Other race includes Asian, those who did not respond to this question, and any other race or ethnicity not otherwise specified.

As shown by the weighted percentages in Table 2, 3 items related to camaraderie were important to veterans: (1) a preference to be around other veterans when receiving health care (52.41%), (2) camaraderie as an important factor in choosing a health care network (60.50%), and (3) camaraderie as an important factor in veterans’ satisfaction with VA care (58.62%). Among younger veterans (aged 18-34 years) these items were substantially more important, increasing to 75.88% for a preference to be around other veterans when receiving health care, 79.62% for camaraderie as an important factor in choosing a health care network, and 70.44% for camaraderie as an important factor in veterans’ satisfaction with VA care. The importance of camaraderie among those aged 35 to 64 years was slightly lower, but similar at 65.35% for a preference to be around other veterans when receiving health care, 75.17% for camaraderie as an important factor in choosing a health care network, and 68.45% for camaraderie as an important factor in veterans’ satisfaction with VA care. For those aged 65 years and older, less than half considered camaraderie to be important across all 3 items. The importance of understanding veterans’ experiences (practitioner cultural competency) was similar across all age groups (69.20% of veterans aged ≥65 years, 74.80% of veterans aged 35-64 years, and 75.36% of veterans aged 18-34 years), although understanding specific veteran problems decreased to 61.45% in the oldest cohort. Maintaining a military connection by using VA was important to 68.02% of all 652 respondents. However, as with camaraderie, this was most important to veterans between 18 and 34 years of age (75.66%) and those between 35 and 64 years of age (79.00%); only 56.41% of veterans aged 65 years and older considered it to be important.

Table 2. Veterans’ Attitudes About VA Cultural Factors by Age Group^a.

Variable	Age 18-34 y (n = 246)		Age 35-64 y (n = 320)		Age ≥65 y (n = 86)		Total (N = 652)
	Percentageb	Likert score, mean (SD)	Percentageb	Likert score, mean (SD)	Percentageb	Likert score, mean (SD)	P value	Percentage
Weighted
Camaraderie and affiliation with other veterans
Can be around other veterans if at VAc	75.88	1.98 (0.49)	65.35	2.10 (0.94)	35.75	2.70 (1.75)	<.001	52.41
Please indicate how important camaraderie is when selecting a health care networkd	79.62	1.85 (0.43)	75.17	1.91 (0.84)	43.16	2.50 (1.52)	<.001	60.50
Camaraderie is important to care satisfaction at VA sitese	70.44	2.05 (0.54)	68.45	1.95 (0.86)	47.19	2.18 (1.66)	.01	58.62
Understanding veterans’ problems and experience
VA understands my experience as a veteranc	75.36	1.96 (0.51)	74.80	1.95 (0.98)	69.20	2.11 (1.88)	.48	72.21
VA knows how to take care of the specific problems that veterans havec	74.17	1.98 (0.53)	71.43	2.07 (1.05)	61.45	2.23 (1.87)	.10	66.99
Connection to military service
I feel that I continue to maintain a connection with my military service by using the VA health care systemc	75.66	1.99 (0.50)	79.00	1.83 (0.91)	56.41	2.35 (1.86)	<.001	68.02
Unweighted
Camaraderie and affiliation with other veterans
Can be around other veterans if at VAc	73.98	2.00 (0.99)	65.31	2.11 (1.02)	34.88	2.73 (0.93)	<.001	64.57
Please indicate how important camaraderie is when selecting a health care networkd	80.49	1.84 (0.85)	75.63	1.90 (0.89)	44.19	2.48 (0.81)	<.001	73.31
Camaraderie is important to care satisfaction at VA sitese	71.54	2.05 (1.07)	69.06	1.96 (0.92)	46.51	2.20 (0.87)	.08	67.02
Understanding veterans’ problems and experience
VA understands my experience as a veteranc	73.17	2.00 (1.03)	75.63	1.94 (1.05)	67.44	2.13 (0.98)	.29	73.62
VA knows how to take care of the specific problems that veterans havec	71.54	2.03 (1.08)	72.50	2.05 (1.11)	60.47	2.26 (1.00)	.23	70.55
Connection to military service
I feel that I continue to maintain a connection with my military service by using the VA health care systemc	75.20	2.00 (1.00)	79.69	1.83 (0.96)	54.65	2.35 (0.99)	<.001	74.69

Abbreviation: VA, Veterans Affairs.

^a Analysis of variance was conducted to examine the age group difference in rating scores. Bonferroni adjustment was applied on pairwise comparisons. Survey items reported in the table had full responses except for “Camaraderie is important to care satisfaction at VA sites” (241 veterans aged 18-34 years; 313 veterans aged 35-64 years; and 79 veterans aged ≥65 years; total, 633 veterans).

^b Refers to weighted percentage of veterans who reported agreement on importance.

^c Lower scores indicate higher agreement rating (range, 1-5).

^d Lower scores indicate higher importance rating (range, 1-4).

^e Lower scores indicate higher satisfaction (range, 1-5).

Association of Camaraderie and Other Cultural Factors With Choice of VA Services

When VA users were asked whether they would choose VA or non-VA care, assuming cost and travel distance were equivalent, 69.00% reported that they would choose VA. To assess to what extent choosing VA in this scenario was correlated with the VA cultural factors of interest, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models controlling for demographic variables (ie, age, gender, race, marital status, income, and education) were constructed. All linear variables (eg, trust-related items and cultural factors) were standardized so that they were on the same measuring scale. Table 3 summarizes the logistic regression results.

Table 3. Associations of Cultural Factors With VA vs Non-VA Choice.

Variable (N = 652 veterans)	Unadjusted OR (95% CI)a	Adjusted OR (95% CI)a,b
Camaraderie and affiliation with other veterans
Can be around other veterans if at VA	2.20 (1.81-2.67)	2.24 (1.81-2.77)
Please indicate how important camaraderie is when selecting a health care network	1.50 (1.26-1.78)	1.43 (1.18-1.72)
Camaraderie is important to care satisfaction at VA sites (n = 633)c	1.57 (1.29-1.98)	1.79 (1.45-2.21)
Understanding veterans’ problems and experience
VA understands my experience as a veteran	2.68 (2.19-3.27)	2.70 (2.19-3.33)
VA knows how to take care of a the specific problems that veterans have	2.77 (2.26-3.39)	2.90 (2.34-3.60)
Connection to military service
I continue to maintain a connection with my military service by using VA	2.58 (2.12-3.13)	2.61 (2.11-3.22)
Trust
Sometimes your doctor cares more about what is convenient for him or her than about your medical needs	0.71 (0.58-0.87)	0.6 (0.48-0.73)
Your doctor is extremely thorough and careful	1.79 (1.50-2.14)	1.86 (1.56-2.22)
You completely trust your doctor’s decisions about which medical treatments are best for you	2.06 (1.71-2.48)	2.41 (1.97-2.95)
Your doctor is totally honest in telling you about all of the different treatment options available for your condition	1.79 (1.50-2.15)	1.70 (1.42-2.04)
All in all you have complete trust in your doctor	1.96 (1.64-2.36)	2.19 (1.80-2.66)

Abbreviations: OR, odds ratio; VA, Veterans Affairs.

^a P < .05 for all variables.

^b Adjusted ORs were estimated by multivariable logistic regression model controlling for gender, race, age group, marital status, education, and income level. All items were standardized survey response scores. ORs were associated with 1 standard unit score change.

^c There were 19 nonresponses to this item.

As shown in Table 3, understanding of veterans’ experience and veteran-specific problems were the most salient factors associated with veterans’ choice of VA care, with adjusted odds ratios of 2.70 (95% CI, 2.19-3.33) and 2.90 (95% CI, 2.34-3.60), respectively. Veterans who had higher trust in VA physicians were 2.19 times more likely (95% CI, 1.80-2.66) to choose VA.

Those who value VA care because it helps them maintain a connection to military service were 2.61 times more likely (95% CI, 2.11-3.22) to choose VA. The influence of camaraderie on this hypothetical choice varied with how the question was asked. Those who valued being around other veterans were 2.24 times more likely (95% CI, 1.81-2.77) to choose the VA, and those who linked camaraderie to their satisfaction with VA were 1.79 (95% CI, 1.45-2.21) times more likely to choose VA. Those who endorsed the more generic statement that camaraderie was important when choosing a health system, were 1.43 times more likely (95% CI, 1.18-1.72) to choose VA in this scenario.

Discussion

When choosing a health care system or practitioner, most consumers consider tradeoffs between convenience, cost, and quality.¹ These factors are important to veterans as well.^21,22 However, the findings from this survey study suggest that camaraderie and the desire to be around other veterans are also important considerations among veterans who use VA. When considering veterans across all age groups, more than half rated camaraderie, being around other veterans, and maintaining a connection to their military experience as important factors in choosing a health system. However, these factors were considerably more important to veterans younger than 65 years. Approximately 70% to 80% of those aged 18 to 34 years and 65% to 75% of those aged 35 to 64 years indicated that camaraderie and affiliation with other veterans are important to them. This is not surprising in so far as military experience and the culture, camaraderie, and social bonds associated with it are more recent for younger veterans. Accordingly, challenges associated with their transition to civilian life may cause them to place greater value on the social support from other veterans.

In general, the importance of connection to military service was similar to the importance of camaraderie, both in its magnitude and in its importance to younger veterans. It could be that certain organizational attributes and the iconography of VA sites create that connection, or it could be that the camaraderie experienced at VA is reminiscent of the camaraderie felt during military service, or both.

Veterans also placed great value on VA’s ability to understand veterans’ experiences and specific problems, which is an endorsement of VA practitioners’ cultural competency. This is reinforced by the wide range of specialized services VA offers to treat the health consequences of military service and war. This includes but is not limited to expertise in prosthetics and rehabilitation; spinal cord injury; blindness rehabilitation; treatment of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, mental health disorders, and suicide prevention; and treatment of toxic exposures. Practitioner cultural competence and these veteran-tailored services are dimensions of quality that likely contribute to the trust that veterans expressed for their VA physicians. However, in valuing care quality, practitioner competency, and trust, veterans are not different from other consumers.^21,22 What is different for veterans is the importance they place on the presence of their fellow veterans and their ability to affiliate with them at health care sites.

When we asked veterans to consider whether they would choose VA or non-VA care, assuming cost and travel distance were equivalent, approximately 70% reported that they would choose VA. This demonstrates the value that many VA users place on VA care and their preference to use VA when barriers to access, such as distance, are eliminated. Veterans who indicated that they valued being around other veterans when receiving care, and those who reported that camaraderie with other patients positively impacted their care satisfaction at VA, were approximately twice as likely to choose VA in this scenario.

The value of veteran social support, camaraderie, and military or veteran culture is typically not considered when weighing the benefits of the VA health care system. Our findings suggest that veterans value camaraderie and the ability to affiliate with other veterans, and that these factors contribute to their propensity to choose VA, especially younger veterans. With over 80 million outpatient visits each year,²³ VA uniquely convenes large numbers of veterans at VA facilities. This creates opportunities for veterans to engage with each other, experience camaraderie, and sustain social relationships that may be beneficial.

The Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Outside Networks Act of 2018 (MISSION Act) provided veterans with enhanced choice of health care practitioners.²⁴ As a result, in fiscal year 2022, more than 40% of VA Health System enrollees received at least some of their health care by community practitioners.²⁵

Although it would be difficult to create the same opportunities for veteran affiliation in the private sector, some approaches could be considered. For example, by creating preferred provider networks, VA could facilitate veteran access to a selected group of community practitioners who have demonstrated higher quality, greater cultural competency, and a willingness to proactively share data with VA to enhance veteran care coordination. This may also enable some community-based practitioners to care for a sufficient volume of veterans so that they could create veteran outpatient environments or inpatient units that enable veteran affiliation and camaraderie. VA’s existing partnerships with academic institutions could be the foundation for such a preferred network.

The importance of veteran peer social support, and the cultural milieu that enables it, should be more explicitly considered as part of the VA value proposition. This is especially true for younger veterans experiencing the often challenging transition from military to civilian life.

Limitations

This study has limitations that should be mentioned. The study sample consisted of veterans who reported receiving some health care through VA. We adjusted our sample for representativeness of the veteran population in fiscal year 2019 by age, gender, and race and ethnicity. It is likely that the weight calculations could be improved through using additional variables to make the sample more representative. Some sample bias is likely, given that the respondents were all part of the Ipsos online study panel. It excludes participants who might only respond by telephone or mail. Providing rewards for participation, although minimal, may have impacted representativeness and the nature of responses. This study was limited to a sample of veterans who use VA and, therefore, cannot be generalized to all veterans. Veteran status was self-reported, and it is possible that some respondents were not veterans or not VA Health System users. In addition to the demographic factors controlled for in the risk adjusted regression analysis, there could be other unobserved cofounding factors that were not considered. We did not define camaraderie and there may have been different interpretations of what it meant. We attempted to address this by asking about the importance of being around other veterans and the importance of maintaining a connection to military service. Additional sources of bias from question order, social desirability, and confirmation bias are possible, but impossible to assess without prefielding psychometric testing with veterans.

Conclusions

In this survey of 652 users of the VA Health System, we found that camaraderie was an important consideration in selecting a health care system or practitioner. This was especially important to younger veterans for whom the military service experience is more recent. The benefits of camaraderie should considered when assessing the value of the VA Health System. As VA enrollees are increasingly cared for in the community, consideration should be given to how opportunities for veteran camaraderie can be created at private sector care sites. To our knowledge, this is the first assessment of the importance of patient camaraderie in choosing a health care system or practitioner. Further research should quantify to what extent camaraderie is linked to health care outcomes and how important it is to the health care experience of other defined populations.

Supplement 1.

eAppendix. 2019 Veterans Health Care Survey Question List

Supplement 2.

Data Sharing Statement