In this report, the authors examine the availability and accessibility of policy-relevant data about U.S. veterans used by those who provide, study, report on, and oversee programs and groups that support veterans. The authors also highlight important gaps in data access, availability, and interpretability and make recommendations for improvement for agencies that collect and curate data about veterans.

Finding and Using Policy-Relevant Data About Veterans

Availability, Accessibility, and Avenues for Improvement

Claire E. O'Hanlon, Kayla M. Williams, Michael Lotspeich-Yadao, Mariah Brennan, Heather M. Salazar, Rosalinda V. Maury

ResearchPublished Jan 14, 2025

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has vast amounts of data on U.S. military veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors. However, much of that trove is not available outside the department, and these data only cover enrolled VA beneficiaries, excluding veterans who are not eligible or have not claimed benefits. In addition, VA holds only a limited scope of data relevant to veteran benefits that does not cover all the data that could be relevant to understanding veteran identity and well-being. To fill in such gaps, those seeking information may turn to scores of additional data collected and maintained by other federal and state government agencies as well as by community and nonprofit organizations.

Sources may differ in terms of how veteran status and identity are defined, how the data are presented, who can access the data and how, and the source's strengths and limitations.

This report offers a useful guide to existing veteran data sources for users of veteran data, including veteran-serving nonprofit organizations, lawmakers and congressional staffers, government officials, journalists, and researchers. The information presented here will help these users understand (1) how elements of veteran status and identity are defined in different data sources and (2) what kinds of data sources are available that could be used to answer policy-relevant questions about veterans.

The information and analyses in this report are drawn from an environmental scan of the various sources of data about veterans and focus group discussions with veteran data stakeholder groups.

Key Findings

  • Timely and usable data about U.S. veterans, their families, and caregivers are essential.
  • There are important nuances in how veteran status is defined and operationalized in different contexts.
  • Many sources of veteran data are available, but they vary in how veteran status and identity are defined, data format and presentation, and data access and availability.
  • In focus groups, users of veteran-related data reported seeking information from numerous sources depending on their access and needs.
  • Focus group members noted challenges in using and accessing veteran-related data.
  • Adopting consensus standards, enabling linkages, and increasing transparency and timeliness of data about veterans may improve availability, access, and interpretation of data about veterans.

Recommendations

  • Groups that collect and curate data about veterans should adopt consensus standards.
  • Policymakers should enact policies that enable agencies to link their statistical data across sources.
  • Organizations that collect and share data about veterans should prioritize timeliness, transparency, and accessibility of data.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2025
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 56
  • Paperback Price: $18.00
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 1-9774-1413-3
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA1363-17
  • Document Number: RR-A1363-17

Citation

RAND Style Manual

O'Hanlon, Claire E., Kayla M. Williams, Michael Lotspeich-Yadao, Mariah Brennan, Heather M. Salazar, and Rosalinda V. Maury, Finding and Using Policy-Relevant Data About Veterans: Availability, Accessibility, and Avenues for Improvement, RAND Corporation, RR-A1363-17, 2025. As of April 30, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1363-17.html

Chicago Manual of Style

O'Hanlon, Claire E., Kayla M. Williams, Michael Lotspeich-Yadao, Mariah Brennan, Heather M. Salazar, and Rosalinda V. Maury, Finding and Using Policy-Relevant Data About Veterans: Availability, Accessibility, and Avenues for Improvement. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1363-17.html. Also available in print form.
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This research was funded by the Heinz Endowments and conducted by the Labor and Workforce Development Program within the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute.

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