The complex relationship between veterans and the VA: Veterans' perspectives of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest integrated provider of healthcare services in the United States, with 1,298 healthcare facilities available to serve the physical and psychological needs of former military service members. Roughly 15.8 million Veterans live in the United States, yet 43% or 6.7 million are not currently enrolled in services through the VA (United States Census Bureau, 2024). A descriptive qualitative study design was implemented to gain insights into Veterans' perspectives of the VA in hopes of better understanding the factors that contribute to their decision to access care at the VA versus the community and to bring awareness to opportunities for growth that the VA may consider for quality improvement initiatives. Thirteen Veterans participated in this study virtually using Microsoft Teams. A structured interview guide consisting of seven open-ended questions and one additional probing question was used to facilitate a conversation with the Veterans to explore their opinions on the VA. While 62% of the participants report an overall highly satisfactory attitude toward the VA, the findings also outline that there mainly were negatively coded sentiments throughout the interviews, speaking to the complex relationship that Veterans have with the VA and the work that can be done to further support areas for improvement within the system. The most common themes discussed relate to Access to Care, Exchange of Information, VA Savings [for Veterans], Competency, Leadership Challenges, Quality of Care, Respect from VA Staff, Staffing Issues, Trustworthiness, Convenience, and promoting a Veteran-Centric Culture.