Veteran trust in VA has increased 25% since 2016, reaches all-time high

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in VA has reached an all-time high of 80.4% — up from 55% when the survey began in 2016. This is based on a survey of 38,293 Veterans who used a wide range of VA services between January 1 – March 31, including health care, disability compensation benefits, memorial affairs, the GI Bill, home loans, and more. Those Veterans were asked whether they “trust VA to fulfill our country’s commitment to Veterans.”

This Veteran Signals or “VSignals” survey, which VA conducts and publishes every quarter, also measures the overall ease, effectiveness, and emotional resonance experienced by Veterans when they interact with VA. Between January 1 and March 31, ease scores reached 75.9%, effectiveness scores reached 80.5%, and emotional resonance scores reached 78.4% — all three of which are also the highest recorded since VSignals launched in 2016. This new data builds on other encouraging recent surveys of Veterans about VA trust. Another recent survey revealed that Veteran trust in VA outpatient care increased to 91.8%, which is also an all-time high.

As trust in VA has increased, so has the number of Veterans who use VA services. VA is currently delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before, including setting records for care and benefits delivered in 2023. Additionally, in 2024, Veterans are enrolling in VA care at the highest rates since before the pandemic and applying for VA benefits at a record-setting pace.

“There’s nothing more important than earning the trust of the Veterans we serve,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Veteran feedback is a critical part of VA’s strategy to increase Veteran access to their earned benefits and services. Surveys like this tell us what we’re getting right, and what we need to improve — so we can better serve those who served our country.”

Veterans receive digital surveys after interacting with VA. These surveys include standard questions as well as open-ended free-text options. VA has reviewed nearly 4 million free-text comments to date and uses these comments to resolve individual Veteran concerns, consider suggestions, relay compliments, and identify process improvements.

This surge in Veteran trust coincides with the implementation of the bipartisan PACT Act — signed into law by President Biden as a part of his Unity Agenda for the nation – which has allowed VA to expand VA health care and benefits to millions of Veterans. VA is also conducting the most aggressive outreach campaign in its history, including hosting over 2,600 events since the enactment of the PACT Act, launching a $16+ million advertising campaign, using public service announcements, and — for the first time ever — sending text messages to Veterans encouraging them to enroll in VA health care. VA is continuing these vigorous outreach efforts throughout 2024, with more than 550 in-person events already scheduled for this year.

Averaging nearly 2.8 million Veteran responses each year, VA has an average survey response rate for our healthcare and benefits-focused surveys of 18%, higher than the industry standard 10-15%. Customer feedback has increased trust in VA among our patients. VSignals was also recently awarded the 2024 ACT-IAC Innovation Impact Award.

VA publishes trust score information quarterly. For more information about Veteran trust in VA, visit the VA trust website.