Executive Summary
This RAND report analyzes U.S. community-based organizations providing faith-based support for moral injury among military veterans. It describes their approaches, characteristics, and integration within the broader veteran-support ecosystem, including the VA. The study highlights how these organizations complement formal care by offering community-centered, spiritually informed support.
Why It Matters
This report is crucial for defense analysts and policymakers to understand the comprehensive support landscape for military veterans, particularly concerning moral injury and the role of non-governmental, faith-based organizations in veteran well-being and reintegration.
Key Takeaways
- Faith-based organizations (FBOs) address relational and community needs for veterans with moral injury, emphasizing long-term healing through peer support, family involvement, and community reconnection.
Source evidence · PDF page 7
FBOs described addressing relational and community needs that formal care may not fully meet. Organizations framed healing as a long-term process supported through trusted peer spaces, alumni networks, family involvement, opportunities for veterans to give back, and a reconnection to religious, spiritual, or community life.
- FBOs complement formal VA care and serve as bridges to broader support systems, but their role is often informal and lacks consistent systemic integration.
Source evidence · PDF page 7
FBOs may extend the veteran-support ecosystem, but their role remains informal and unevenly sup-ported. Organizations generally viewed their work as complementary to VA and sometimes as serving as bridges to VA, religious congregations, families, and other community supports.
- Strengthening FBO capacity requires improved evaluation, consistent VA-community referral mechanisms, reduced administrative burdens, and increased education for religious leaders on veteran mental health.
Source evidence · PDF page 46
Organizational representatives identified several infrastructure needs to strengthen FBO capacity and coor-dination, including expanding evaluation capacity, creating more-consistent VA-community referral mecha-nisms, reducing bureaucratic obstacles, and increasing education and engagement among clergy, lay leaders, and religious congregations related to veterans’ mental health and well-being.
Strategic Relevance
Understanding the full spectrum of veteran support, including community-based and faith-informed approaches, is strategically important for maintaining military readiness and ensuring the long-term well-being of service members post-service. Effective reintegration and mental health support for veterans can impact recruitment, retention, and overall societal trust in military institutions.