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

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.

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

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.

Using the VA health care system.

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.

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.

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.